The Opening Setup
White Birds: Woodpeckers A-7, A-8, H-7, H-8 • Sparrows B-8, G-8 • Owl
C-8 • Gull D-8 • Tern E-8 • Pigeon F-8 • Canaries B-7, G-7 • Robins C-7, F-7 •
Bluejays D-7, E-7
Black Birds: Woodpeckers A-1, A-2, H-1, H-2 • Sparrows B-1, G-1 •
Pigeon, C-1 • Tern D-1 • Gull E-1 • Owl F-1 • Canaries B-2, G-2 • Robins C-2 F-2
• Bluejays D-2, E-2
How The Pieces Move
The Canary moves one or two
spaces orthogonally in all four directions. The Bluejay
moves one or two spaces diagonally in all four directions.
The Robin moves like the Knight in
Standard Chess, except that it's possible to block it (more on that later). The
Woodpecker moves two spaces orthogonally
or diagonally in all eight directions. The Sparrow moves one space in all eight directions. The
Tern combines the movements of the Robin
and the Woodpecker.
Here's where it gets interesting. If you know anything about
mixing colors, you know that Red and Blue make Purple, therefore, the Pigeon combines the moves of the Robin and the Bluejay. Because Blue and Yellow make Green, the Gull combines the movements of the Bluejay and the Canary. Finally, Yellow and Red make Orange,
so the Owl moves like a combination of
the Canary and the Robin. Obviously, this game can also be a fine
educational tool for teaching kids how to mix paints. Each Player starts out
with twelve minor birds (the primary colored pieces, plus the Sparrows and Woodpeckers) that have a choice of eight
spaces they can move to from any centrally located cell. And, each player also
starts out with four major birds (the secondary colors, plus the Tern) that each have a choice of sixteen
different potential destinations per turn.
Jumping, Blocking and Capturing
Although it really doesn't matter who
initiates, players who are used to FIDE chess, might wish to retain the rule
about white moving the first piece. If a player wishes to move a bird two spaces
vertically, diagonally, or knight-like, and one of his other birds is resting on
the square in between, the intervening bird can be jumped over. A player
cannot, however, jump over one of his/her opponent's birds. This rule
applies throughout the duration of the game. Therefore, if the player with the
White birds wishes to move one of his major birds on the first turn, he/she has
plenty of options. The Owl can move to 6-B, 6-C or 6-D (see the set-up
illustration above). The Gull can move to 6-B, 6-D or 6-F. The Tern has the most
options, being able to move to 6-C, 6-D, 6-E, 6-F or 6-G. Finally, the Pigeon
can move to 6-D, 6-E, 6-G or 6-H.
Capturing an opponent's bird is done by
displacement. If a player is threatening an opposing bird from two spaces away,
the opponent can protect his bird by moving another bird on to the square in
between. As a matter of fact, if the threatening bird is either a Woodpecker or
a Tern, the intervening bird isn't even vulnerable to capture (at least not by
the threatening bird). The illustration below, gives a couple of
examples:
Let us
assume it is White's turn to move. The Tern on 5-D can easily jump over the
friendly Woodpecker on 6-D to capture the Gull on 7-E, the Robin on 7-D, or the
Canary on 7-C. For that matter, it can also capture the Robin on 4-F. It is
not capable of capturing the Sparrow on 7-B, because of the opposing Owl
on 6-C, blocking it's way. For that same reason, the Canary on 4-E may capture
the Bluejay on 2-E, but it cannot capture the Sparrow on 4-G. It can,
however, capture the Robin on 4-F that is preventing it from capturing the
Sparrow. If it does this, it then really will be threatening the Sparrow
on 4-G!
Blocking the Robin
Unlike the Knight in FIDE Chess, the Robin in Aviary can be
blocked, but it takes two opposing birds to do it. This also applies to
the Pigeon, the Owl or the Tern, whenever they move like the Robin. The Robin
either moves one space orthogonally then one space diagonally, or vice versa.
Figure #1 illustrates how placing an opposing bird in the intervening diagonal
square is not enough to prevent the White Robin from capturing the Black Gull
via the orthogonal-first route. Figure #2 demonstrates the same principle in
reverse. Figure #3 is yet another demonstration of how a bird can easily jump
over one of it's comrades. Only in Figure #4, is the Robin completely sealed off
from the opponent's Gull (and for that matter, being threatened by both of the
intervening birds).
Re-entering Captured Birds
Whenever one captures an opponent's bird, it
becomes part of the capturer's off-the-board arsenal. By flipping it over, the
bird changes from black to white or vice versa, and is ready to be parachuted
back onto the board Shogi-style at any time. As a courtesy to the opponent, all
captured Birds should be stored next to the board where they are clearly
visible, making it easier for both players to plan their respective strategies.
When a Bird is returned to the board, the act of doing so counts as one move. It
can be placed on any square, as long as it is unoccupied. Note that when an
opponent is down to one Sparrow, this is a very common way of facilitating a
checkmate.
The Sparrows
Whenever a Sparrow is threatened, the offending player must
always say "Check." Unlike FIDE Chess, however, unless one is down to his or her
last Sparrow, moving it out of harm's way is not mandatory, nor is it obligatory
for the offending player to capture it after it has not been moved, although
there are very few situations that would render either of those decisions wise.
If one has only a single Sparrow on the board, and one (or two) in the
off-the-board arsenal, and the former is captured by the opponent, another
Sparrow must immediately be re-entered on to the board. In other words, for
obvious reasons, each player must always maintain at least one Sparrow on the
board throughout the duration of the game.
Winning The Game
A checkmate occurrs in very much the same way it
does in FIDE Chess. If a player is down to his or her last Sparrow, and the
opponent puts it in check, and it has no place to move where it isn't in
check, the game is over. There are alot more creative ways to cause a checkmate
than one would think, without the help of any long-range pieces. The
illustrations below, demonstrate some interesting examples:
Figures 1 through 4
illustrate the fact that all one needs are two major birds to achieve a
mid-board checkmate. Figure 5 demonstrates how, when a Sparrow is on an edge
square, it's possible to checkmate it with two minor birds. Finally, Figure 6
shows how to win the game using only one bird. Note that none of these positions
are possible with standard Chess pieces.
Board Design
The reason all of the images that have so far appeared in
these instructions have consisted of nothing but white squares is merely because
that is the easiest way to present the movements of the different birds for the
first time. However, like any game that features Bishop-like pieces that can
only move on half of the board's 64 squares, there is a bit of a visual
convenience in utilizing a checked board. It makes it a little easier to
determine the status of those pieces (in this case, the Bluejays), and what
other pieces they are capable of interacting with at any given moment. Aviary
has the additional burden of the Woodpeckers, each of which is only capable of
occupying a quarter of the board's 64 squares (which is why the players start
out with four of them). It is for this reason that if one is going to construct
a playing board, I recommend that it look something like one of these two
designs, or something similar:
