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Spherical chess

Rules

The Laws of Chess apply, except as follows:

1. The board is spherical:
   

c7	d7	e7	f7	g7	h7	a7	b7	c7	d7	e7	f7
c8	d8	e8	f8	g8	h8	a8	b8	c8	d8	e8	f8
g8	h8	a8	b8	c8	d8	e8	f8	g8	h8	a8	b8
g7	h7	a7	b7	c7	d7	e7	f7	g7	h7	a7	b7
g6	h6	a6	b6	c6	d6	e6	f6	g6	h6	a6	b6
g5	h5	a5	b5	c5	d5	e5	f5	g5	h5	a5	b5
g4	h4	a4	b4	c4	d4	e4	f4	g4	h4	a4	b4
g3	h3	a3	b3	c3	d3	e3	f3	g3	h3	a3	b3
g2	h2	a2	b2	c2	d2	e2	f2	g2	h2	a2	b2
g1	h1	a1	b1	c1	d1	e1	f1	g1	h1	a1	b1
c1	d1	e1	f1	g1	h1	a1	b1	c1	d1	e1	f1
c2	d2	e2	f2	g2	h2	a2	b2	c2	d2	e2	f2

2. A rook moving through a pole emerges on the opposite side and continues in a straight line, as for example Ra3-a1-e1-e4.
3. Bishop moving through the pole from a given square emerges one square away from the diametrically opposite one, depending on which direction it is moving. Examples are Bh3-g2-f1-a1-h2-g3 and Bd3-e2-f1-c1-d2-e3, but not Bh3-g2-f1-c1.
4. Moves of other pieces can be inferred from the above; for example, a knight move can be regarded as a 1-step R move followed by a 1-step B move, such as Sd1-h1-g2/a2.
5. Since are no edges, pieces can move around the board along the ranks as in Cylindrical Chess.
   This requires two ruling like those for Cylindrical Chess:
1. A piece may not make a move around the board (like Rh3-a3-h3) that leaves the position unchanged, nor may it make an infinite (never ending) move.
2. Two new forms of castling are possible, if the usual condition are fulfilled: Ka1-c1, Rh1-d1 over a1 (written C0-0-0) and Ke1-g1, Ra1-f1 over h1 (written C0-0).

Notation

On transpolar moves it may make things clearer to indicate the square from which the pole was crossed, but this is not necessary.

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Created on: September 30, 1996. Last modified on: January 04, 2001.

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Last modified: Monday, December 22, 2008