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

Transporter Chess

Transporter Chess has been invented in 1994 by Torben Osted. Rules were published in Eteroscacco, the periodical of AISE, and in Variant Chess.

Rules

The game is played on a normal chess board. In addition to the usual set of pieces, each player has one extra piece: the transporter. Rules are as in orthodox chess, but with the following modifications:

  1. Transporters can be at the same squares as usual pieces.
  2. At the start of the game, the transporters are placed on the squares e1 and e8, below the kings. (The white transporter is on e1, the black on e8.)
  3. Instead of a normal move, players can also make a move with a transporter.
  4. Transporters cannot take, and cannot be taken. However, when a piece moves with a transporter, it is possible to take.
  5. Transporters move one square in any direction (i.e., like a king).
  6. When there is a friendly piece on top of a transporter, this can be moved together with the transporter. It is possible to take, when moving in this way. It is also allowed to move a transporter without moving the piece on it with it.
  7. A piece on top of a friendly transporter can make an ordinary move and take the transporter with it. It is also allowed to move the piece and leave the transporter where it is.
  8. Transporters can never move pieces of the opponent, and the opponent can never move the transporter.
  9. It is allowed that the two transporters are on the same square.

One can for instance use a checkers piece as transporter.

Note that the role of the transporter is to allow pieces to be moved along with it, allowing a piece to move in kinglike manner with the transporter. For instance, the transporter allows you to have both your bishops on the same color.


Written by: Hans Bodlaender
WWW page created: July 15, 1996. Last modified: December 11, 1996.