Cheskers

Cheskers is a variant of checkers and chess invented by Solomon Golomb in 1948.[1][2]

abcdefgh
8
b8 black upside-down knight
d8 black king
f8 black king
h8 black bishop
a7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
e7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
b6 black pawn
d6 black pawn
f6 black pawn
h6 black pawn
a3 white pawn
c3 white pawn
e3 white pawn
g3 white pawn
b2 white pawn
d2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white bishop
c1 white king
e1 white king
g1 white upside-down knight
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Start position
abcdefgh
8
b8 black bishop
a7 black cross
c7 black cross
g7 black pawn
d6 black cross
f6 black circle
h6 black circle
a5 white circle
c5 white circle
e5 black cross
b4 white king
f4 white cross
h4 white cross
a3 white circle
c3 white circle
g3 black cross
d2 white cross
h2 black cross
g1 white upside-down knight
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Moves without the capture. White can move the king to any of the four squares with a white dot, or the camel to any square with a white cross. Black can move the bishop to any of the squares with a black cross (as well as the f4-square), the black pawn can move to either of the squares with a black dot.

Rules

Pieces
  • Pawns move as pieces in checkers: they move, without taking, one square diagonally forward, but take by jumping two squares diagonally forward over an enemy piece to an empty square, thereby removing the enemy piece. Capturing of one or more pieces is mandatory.
  • Kings moves as a promoted checkers piece: this is the same type of move as a pawn in this game, but now the king can move and take also diagonally backwards. Capturing of one or more pieces is mandatory.
  • The bishop moves and takes exactly as in normal chess. Capturing is not mandatory.
  • The camel (Golomb called it the cook) has a kind of extended knight's move: it goes one diagonal and two straight. With this move, it can jump over other pieces (like a knight jumps), but the camel takes by moving to the square on which the enemy piece is located. Capturing is not mandatory.

Promotion

When a pawn reaches the last row of the board its move is ended, and the pawn can promote to king, bishop or camel.

Starting position
  • White: Kings c1, e1; Bishop a1; Camel g1; pawns a3, b2, c3, d2, e3, f2, g3, h2.
  • Black: Kings d8, f8, Bishop h8; Camel b8; pawns a7, b6, c7, d6, e7, f6, g7, h6.

Black moves first.

Victory conditions

The player that captures all opponent's kings wins the game. Also, a player that is stalemated (cannot move) loses the game.

References
  1. Chess Variants.
  2. Pritchard, D.B. (1994). The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants. Surrey, UK: Games and Puzzles Publications. ISBN 0-9524142-0-1.
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