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Modern Chess was invented by Gabriel Maura in 1968. In 1972 a controlling body (FENDAM) was formed with delegates representing 16 countries. The first Modern Chess World Championship was held in Puerto Rico 1974. The World Correspondence Championship of Modern Chess was held in the years 1976-1983. Organized events seized in 1983. Although a fully playable variant, it is curious why 'Modern Chess' attracted that much attention. If the Prime Ministers (Cardinals) are exchanged, what remains is a slow and drawish version of orthochess. The pawns cannot meet immediately in the middle of the board. The fact that the bishops move on the same colour depletes the strategical content, I suppose. /Mats
The real purpose of this post is as follows: The Eight Officers Problem is impossible. Since the goal of Modern Chess was to increase mobility, that suggests that the 'Nine Officers Problem' should have a solution.
The Eight Officers Problem, for traditional chess, is the following: Is it possible to take a king, a queen, 2 bishops, 2 knights, and 2 rooks, and place them on a blank 8x8 board (with bishops on opposite colored squares) so that every square is attacked? (A piece does not attack the square it occupies.)
The Nine Officers Problem would be: Is it possible to take a king, a queen, a Prime Minister, 2 bishops, 2 knights, and 2 rooks, and place them on a blank 9x9 board (with bishops on Same-colored squares) so that every square is attacked?
Just created a new preset for Modern Chess: /play/pbm/play.php?game%3DModern+Chess%26settings%3DModern+Chess I just discovered this variation in Puerto Rico while on vacation there when I played chess with some friends at a park in Manati.
Sissa is a 9x9 chess variant invented in 1998 by Carlos Cetina, using his Bishops Conversion Rule. I do not recall anyone else including his rule in a chess variant. In Caïssa Britannia (Fergus Duniho) the Bishop may also step one space orthogonally without capturing - any Bishop, any number of times.
>> Is there any provision in Modern Chess allowing the Bishops to >> Change to opposite Diagonals? Yes there is. There is a 'Bishop-Castling' or 'Bishop Adjustment' rule. For only ONE of the bishops, you can 'castle' (switch positions) with either the Knight, Queen or Minister next to it, therefore moving that Bishop to the white squares. The Bishop in question must have not moved before 'castling', and the Knight, Queen or Minister to 'castle' with must have not moved either. I'm trying to get a copy of the original book from Gabriel Maura from a friend in Puerto Rico, to formalize the rules, and request an update to the rules page in Chess Variants. Haven't heard of the Bishop's one square ortogonal move in Modern Chess, but will ask for the clarification.
Excellent Antoine! Thanks! Does it enforce that only one Bishop can castle per side?
Thanks Antoine. = = = I just received today in the mail an original Spanish copy of Gabriel Vicente Maura's 1973 3rd edition 'Mathematical Thesis for Modern Chess including the Prime Minister'!!! I found it in a Library of Antique Books in Madrid, Spain. Nice little book (it's only 48 pages long). It has Gabriel Vicente Maura's 'mathematical' explanation of why the chess board needed to be increased in size to 9x9, why a new powerful piece needed to be added to the game, and why that piece needed to be a Prime Minister (Bishop + Knight). Interesting 'mathematical' theory. I'll digest it first, and post a summary of his theory.
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