SUPER CHESS by Ed Ginsberg Hold on to your seats, Chess fans! Super Chess is here . . . Super Chess: Not a replacement for Chess, but an advanced version. Super Chess: It starts with a super 10 x 10 board. To occupy the additional spaces of the larger board three new pieces: A Cyclops, An Archer, and two Super Pawns are added to the traditional Chess competitors. Super Chess: It has no master players. Strategies are yet to be found; books yet to be written. You can be in on the ground floor. You can devise the traps. You can be a master of this exciting and explosive game. Perhaps a Super Chess championship is within your grasp. Over 1500 trial games have shown that Super Chess has all the challenge, complexity, and interest of Chess. And, much more. RULES FOR SUPER CHESS As with Chess, the board is set up with a white square at the lower right corner. The major pieces are arranged as shown in Diagram 1. (Symbols for the pieces are: P for Pawn, R for Rook, N for Knight, B for Bishop, Q for Queen, K for King, C for Cyclops, A for Archer and S for Super Pawn.) 10 [r][n][b][c][k][q][a][b][n][r] 9 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 8 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 7 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 6 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 5 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 4 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 3 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 1 [R][N][B][C][K][Q][A][B][N][R] a b c d e f g h j k Diagram 1 White's two Super Pawns are place first, as the player chooses, on the second rank, after which Black places his two Super Pawns on his second rank. Then Pawns fill the remaining spaces of the two second ranks. The standard Chess pieces have their traditional moves. For the new pieces: CYCLOPS Movement: The Cyclops can move one, two or three spaces in the direction he faces or in the opposite direction. In moving forward, Cyclops may pass over any friendly pieces without harming them. At the end of its move, if desired, the Cyclops may be turned to face in a new direction, horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Also, remain- stationary but turning to face in a new direction is considered to be a move for the Cyclops. Capturing: When moving forward, the Cyclops runs over any enemy pieces in his range. Some, though not all, possibilities are shown in Diagram 2. 10 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 9 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 8 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][q][ ][ ] 7 [ ][r][ ][ ][ ][ ][A][ ][ ][ ] 6 [ ][a][ ][ ][ ][n][ ][ ][ ][ ] 5 [ ][s][ ][ ][C][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 4 [ ][C][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 3 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][C][B][c][R][ ] 1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] a b c d e f g h j k Diagram 2 (C at b4 faces north, C at e5 faces northeast, C at f2 faces east.) At b4 the Cyclops, which is facing forward, may move to b5, capturing the Black Pawn there, exactly as would be done in Chess. But it may also move to b6, capturing Pawn and Archer, or it may go to b7, taking all three pieces. Even if b6 or b7 were empty, Cyclops can move to b7, while capturing b5 (and b6 if it is also occupied by a Black piece). At e5, Cyclops, facing diagonally upward toward the right, by moving to f6 can capture the Black Knight, while moving to h8 captures both Knight and Queen, but does not harm the White piece at g7. At f2, Cyclops, facing toward the right, can move to h2 taking the Black Cyclops there without danger to the White Bishop at g2. Cyclops is not allowed to move to j2 with its White occupant. When moving in the direction opposite to that in which it is facing (which is called the blind retreat) it captures both enemy and friendly pieces in its path. Thus, in Diagram 2, if the Cyclops at f2 is imagined to be facing to the left instead of to the right, it is still possible for it to move to h2, capturing the Cyclops there, but it will also take the White Bishop at g2. And now it can move to j2, if desired, taking both White pieces as well as the Black piece. ONLY Cyclops can capture more than one piece at a time. At the beginning of the game, White indicated first in which direction his Cyclops is facing, after which Black does the same, so that Diagram 1 indicates only one of several possible starting positions. ARCHER Movement: The Archer has the same move as the Knight in Chess. Capturing: The Archer captures in two ways. In Diagram 3, 10 [ ][ ][ ][ ][o][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 9 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 8 [ ][ ][ ][x][ ][x][ ][ ][ ][ ] 7 [ ][ ][x][ ][ ][ ][x][ ][ ][ ] 6 [o][ ][ ][ ][A][ ][ ][ ][o][ ] 5 [ ][ ][x][ ][ ][ ][x][ ][ ][ ] 4 [ ][ ][ ][x][ ][x][ ][ ][ ][ ] 3 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][o][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] a b c d e f g h j k Diagram 3 an Archer at e6 can move to any one of the spaces marked X, capturing an enemy piece there exactly as the Knight would in Chess. In addition, the Archer can "shoot" an enemy piece at any one of the spaces marked O. To do that, the Archer remains at e6 and the enemy piece is simply removed. Unlike the Cyclops, the Archer need not be facing in the direction in which his arrow is shot. If more than one of the circled squares has an enemy piece on it, the player of the Archer chooses which piece is to be shot at a given turn. Capturing an enemy piece with a shot by an arrow is considered to be a move of the game, even though no attacking piece actually moves across the board. The Archer cannot capture two pieces at the same time. In Diagram 3, imagine enemy pieces at g5 and at g9. If the Archer moves to g5 and captures the piece there, it does not also capture the piece at g9, but must wait until a later turn. Even if g5 is vacant, moving the Archer to g5 would not capture a piece at g9 (or c5 or g1) until some later turn of the game. SUPER PAWN Movement: The Super Pawn move as does the Chess Pawn, with one exception. From its beginning position the Super Pawn can move one or two squares, as does the pawn in Chess, but if the first square is occupied by any piece (friendly or enemy), the Super Pawn is not blocked, but can leap to the second square. Capturing: As does the Pawn, the Super Pawn captures diagonally, but at either the first or the second diagonal space. In Diagram 4, 10 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 9 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 8 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 7 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 6 [ ][ ][p][ ][ ][ ][r][ ][ ][ ] 5 [ ][ ][ ][N][ ][s][ ][ ][ ][ ] 4 [ ][ ][ ][ ][S][ ][ ][ ][p][ ] 3 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][S][ ][ ] 1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] a b c d e f g h j k Diagram 4 the White Super Pawn at e4 can move to f5, capturing the Black Super Pawn there, or it can move to g6, by-passing the Super Pawn, and taking the Rook. Likewise, it can leap over the White Knight at d5 and capture the Black Pawn at c6. The en passant rules of Chess apply to Pawns and to Super Pawns, except for the position on the right side of Diagram 4. If the White Super Pawn at h2 moves to h4, the Black Super Pawn at f5 can move to h3 and remove the Super Pawn at h4, whether g4 is occupied or not. However, if h3 is occupied and the White Super Pawn uses its leaping power to move to h4, no en passant capture is possible. Likewise, the Pawn (or Super Pawn) at j4 can move to h3 and make an en passant cpature of the White Super Pawn moving to h4, but not when h3 has a piece on it. PAWN PROMOTION Upon reaching the tenth rank, a Pawn or Super Pawn may be promoted to a piece of the player's choice, including any of the chessmen, except the King. (THIS IS A CHANGE FROM THE FIRST EDITION OF THE RULES.) CASTLING Because of the larger board, the Chess rules pertaining to the castling of the King have been modified somewhat. The usual restrictions of Chess apply, but on the King's side the King moves to the Bishop's square and the Rook to the Cyclops' square, while on the Queen's side, the King moves to the Bishop's square and the Rook to the Archer's square. SOME STRATEGIC HINTS Black should take some care in placing the two Super Pawns since that placement some- what offsets White's advantage in moving first. The true power of the Cyclops or the Archer will appear only after much experience, but some suggestions about strength may be made. In Chess, Knight and Bishop are considered equal and readily exchanged for each other. On the larger board of Super Chess the Bishop has greater mobility and, consequently, greater value. It should not be exchanged for a Knight without significant gain in position or other material. The Archer is somewhat more powerful than the Knight, but the full usefulness of its arrow requires that it stay near the center of the board. For instance, King and Archer cannot mate a long King, the Archer being no more effective there than is a Knight. The Archer might be more or less valuable than a Bishop, depending upon the position. The Cyclops is probably more powerful than a Bishop, though not as strong as a Rook. A mating position is possible for King and Cyclops against the lone King, but it can- not be reached unless the defender makes errors, unlike King and Rook which can force mate against a King. The Cyclops is valuable in crowded positions where it can make multiple cpatues and open lines. Here are a few illustrations to give you an idea or two about Cyclops and Archer. 10 [r][n][b][c][k][q][a][b][n][r] 9 [p][p][p][p][s][s][p][p][p][p] 8 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 7 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 6 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 5 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 4 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 3 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 2 [P][P][P][P][S][S][P][P][P][P] 1 [R][N][B][C][K][Q][A][B][N][R] a b c d e f g h j k Diagram 5 (C on d1 and d10 faces north.) A possible starting position is shown in Diagram 5. (Remember, the Super Pawns can be placed diferently than shown, and either Cyclops is allowed to face in some other direction.) To record the moves, C is used for Cyclops, A for Archer, and SP for Super Pawn. In parentheses after the Cyclops move will be a compass label (NE, S, SW, etc.) to indicate the direction it faces at the end of its move. For each player, north is toward the opponent's side of the board. To start off, either Cyclops or Archer can mate from the starting position in three moves. 1. Cd1d3(NE) (That is, Cyclops moves two squares forward, passing over the Pawn, and then turns to face diagonally upward toward the right.) 2. Cd3e4(N) 3. Ce4e7(N), mate Another version is 1. Cd1d3(NE), 2. Cd3e4(NW), 3. Ce4b7(NE), mate. For the Archer: 1. Ag1f3, 2. Af3d4, 3. Ad4e6, mate. There are several other paths the Archer can follow to get to e6. It is important to realize that these are not good ways to open play, being easily countered, but are just included to show how the pieces can be used. They do lead to a more worthwhile observation, too. In Chess, castling is used to get the King safely behind a wall of unmoved Pawns. Often the plan of a game is to break through that wall to reach the King. In Super Chess, the Archer can shoot over the wall and the Cyclops can crash right through it, so castling does not provide as much safety as it does in Chess. Look at the position in Diagram 6. 10 [ ][k][ ][r][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 9 [p][p][p][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 8 [ ][ ][ ][p][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 7 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 6 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 5 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][B][ ][ ] 4 [ ][ ][A][C][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 3 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] a b c d e f g h j k Diagram 6 (C on d4 faces northwest.) White plays: 1. Ac4b6+, Kb10a10. 2. Cd4a7(N)++. In Diagram 7 is a more complicated version of the same idea. 10 [ ][k][ ][r][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 9 [p][p][p][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 8 [ ][ ][ ][p][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 7 [ ][ ][ ][ ][s][ ][q][ ][ ][ ] 6 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 5 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][B][ ][ ] 4 [ ][ ][A][C][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 3 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] a b c d e f g h j k Diagram 7 (C on d4 faces north.) This time, 1. Ac4b6ch, Kb10a10. 2. Cd4d7(E). Black's Queen is threatened, but if she moves to escape, 3. Cd7a7(N) is mate, so the Queen falls. These examples suggest that the King in Super Chess need more escape squares around him than he usually has in Chess. The Knight fork is a powerful tool in a Chess player's arsenal. The Archer, by combining that fork with arrow attacks, can be exceedingly dangerous. The position in Diagram 8 is not likely to appear in an actual game, but something like it is worth watching for. 10 [ ][ ][ ][r][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 9 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 8 [ ][ ][ ][p][b][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 7 [ ][c][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 6 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][P][ ][q][ ][ ] 5 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 4 [ ][ ][A][S][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 3 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] a b c d e f g h j k Diagram 8 (C on b7 faces north) The move Ac4d6 place Black's Queen, Rook, Bishop, and Cyclops all under attack at once. Unless Black has strong counter-attacks, White will win at least two pieces. The Archer seems to be a good piece to save for the middle game and later. Important defensive pieces can be attacked from a distance, making it harder to maintain a good position. Diagram 9 shows a position in which the Pawn at g9 is important to Black's Pawn structure and the defense of his King, bu Ah3g5 leaves no hope for saving it. 10 [ ][ ][ ][r][ ][ ][ ][k][ ][ ] 9 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][p][p][b][p] 8 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][s][ ][ ][p][ ] 7 [ ][ ][ ][ ][p][P][ ][ ][ ][ ] 6 [ ][ ][ ][ ][P][ ][P][ ][ ][ ] 5 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][B][ ] 4 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 3 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][A][ ][ ] 2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] a b c d e f g h j k Diagram 9 The blind retreat of the Cyclops, which sometimes destroyso ne's own pieces, seems to be more of a move to avoid, but it can be used as a powerful attacking tool. It may happen that a player's pieces, especially Pawns, can block lines or attack. Then the Cyclops can be used to get them out of the way. In Diagram 10, White moves Cf7c7(N) x c7, e7 +. While Black is getting his King out of check, White has the opportunity to take Black's Queen with the Bishop. 10 [ ][ ][k][r][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 9 [p][p][p][p][ ][ ][q][ ][ ][ ] 8 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 7 [ ][ ][P][ ][P][C][ ][ ][ ][ ] 6 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 5 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 4 [ ][B][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 3 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] a b c d e f g h j k Diagram 10 (C on f7 faces east.) Diagram 11 shows a different version of the same idea. 10 [ ][ ][k][r][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 9 [p][p][p][p][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 8 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 7 [ ][ ][P][ ][P][C][ ][ ][ ][ ] 6 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 5 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][B][ ][ ][ ] 4 [ ][ ][R][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 3 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] 1 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] a b c d e f g h j k Diagram 11 (C on f7 faces east.) Again, White starts with a blind retreat, clearing out the two Pawns which block his attacking Rook and Bishop. 1. Cf7c7(N)xc7,e7+, Kc10b10. 2. Cc7c10(W)xc9++. It will be interesting to see how combinations such as these come out of actual games. [End of File]