Check out Symmetric Chess, our featured variant for March, 2024.

This page is written by the game's inventor, Patrik Hedman.

Gleeman Chess

Bishops are colorbound, as usual. Warlords (new piece) placed on an even numbered file can never reach an odd numbered file.

Inspiration partly from Makruk, in that pawns promote to bishops/"met" who move diagonally. Also, "khon" and gleemen have some overlap, though gleemen are enhanced from the makruk counterparts. Bishops are enhanced met from makruk and gleemen are enhanced khon from makruk.

Setup

Starting position:
R	W	G	B	K	G	B	N	R
N				W				A
P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
								
								
								
P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
A				W				N
R	N	B	G	K	B	G	W	R

Pawns are on ranks 3 and 7. Pieces are mostly placed on ranks 1 and 9.

Pieces

W=Warlord    The warlord moves orthogonally an unlimited number of squares straight forwards or straight back (but can't then jump obstacles) or jumps like a knight two files away to either side. When jumping as a knight, it can reach a maximum of 4 squares. It can't move horizontally when sliding by orthogonal movement. It takes out enemy agents the same way it moves.

G=Gleeman   The gleeman moves either one step orthogonally straight forward or sideways like a crooked bishop (regularly changing direction by 90 degrees for every square passed). It can't move in the forwards or backwards directions when moving like a crooked bishop. It's not colorbound, and it takes out enemy agents the same way it moves.

A=Archbishop  The archbishop is a knight + bishop compound.

(The other letters denotate the same pieces as in orthodox chess.)

Rules

Change of rules from orthodox chess:
¤ Played on a checkered 9x9 board instead of an 8x8 board.
¤ Castling is free. Squares between the king and the rook must be unoccupied, of course. Squares in between can't be threatened by enemy agents, and neither king nor rook has moved before castling.
¤ Pawns only ever move 1 step at a time.
¤ Pawns promote to bishops on the player’s 7th rank.


This 'user submitted' page is a collaboration between the posting user and the Chess Variant Pages. Registered contributors to the Chess Variant Pages have the ability to post their own works, subject to review and editing by the Chess Variant Pages Editorial Staff.


By Patrik Hedman.
Web page created: 2014-03-20. Web page last updated: 2014-03-20