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

This page is written by the game's inventor, Köksal Karakus.

Hans 40 Gift Chess

Hans 40 Gift Chess Board

   .....   
   .x.x.   
   .x.x.   
   .xxx.   
   .xHx.   
   .x.x.   
   .....   
   .....   
   .xxx.   
   .x.x.   
   .xxx.   
   .xAx.   
   .x.x.   
   .....   
   .....   
   .x.x.   
   .x.x.   
   .xxx.   
   ..4x.   
   ...x.   
   .....   
   .....   
   .xxx.   
   .x...   
   .xxx.   
   .xGx.   
   .xxx.   
   .....   
   .....   
   ..x..   
   ..x..   
   ..x..   
   ..I..   
   ..x..   
   .....   
   .....   
   .....   
   .....   
   .xxx.   
   .xNx.   
   .x.x.   
   .....   
   .....   
   .xxx.   
   .x...   
   .xxx.   
   ..Sx.   
   .xxx.   
   .....   
   .....   
   .xxx.   
   .x.x.   
   .x.x.   
   .x0x.   
   .xxx.   
   .....   
   .....   
   .xxx.   
   .x...   
   .xxx.   
   .xF..   
   .x...   
   .....   
   .....   
   .xxx.   
   ..x..   
   ..x..   
   ..T..   
   ..x..   
   .....   

Hans 40 Gift Chess is a very simple variant. Instead of pieces, here there are letters and numbers. Every letter or number defines a piece. That piece moves as the digital form of that letter or number as given in the ascii table.

For example 4 at the square c2 may jump to b3,b4,b5,d3,e3,e4,e5; but not e2 and e1 because they are already occupied by white pieces. Since moving paths are not standard, there is nothing called the intervening square, pieces can go to their defined squares provided that that squares are empty.

0 (zero) is the king here. When it is checkmated (checkmate=as in orthodox chess) the game ends. The stalemate rule is just as in orthodox chess.

Black pieces move just the reverse of the ascii table because they see the board downwards. For example black 4 can move b4,b5,b6,c6,d4,d5,d6 in the starting position.

All the other rules can be transferred from the orthodox chess.


Note: Hans 40 Gift Chess is in fact a subvariant of two variants: ABC chess and 123 chess.

In abc chess, in a 8x8 board, letters A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H form the first row, and eight I's form the second row, E being the king. All letters move as their digital forms.

In 123 chess, in a 8x8 board, numbers 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 are in the first row and eight 1's in the second row, 6 being the king. All numbers move as their digital forms.

(c) Köksal Karakus 199


Written by Köksal Karakus.
This is an entry in the contest to design a chess variant on a board with 40 squares.
WWW page created: January 18, 2000.