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

This page is written by the game's inventor, Daniil Frolov.

Padwar qi

Cross between Xiang-qi and Jetan.

Setup

Same as in Xiang-qi, but generals are replaeced with chiefs, pawns with pathans, advisors with warriors, elephants with padwars, horses with thoats, rooks with dwars, cannons with Martian cannons.

Pieces

As in Jetan, all pieces moves certain number of steps (not more or less) in certain directions or in combination of these directions. I hope, you played original Jetan, so you can understand these moves.

Chief is different from chief in Jetan: it moves 2 spaces, diagonally, orthogonally or both. May not leave palace. Bare facing rules from Xiang-qi apply (see also "notes").

Warrior is same as in Jetean: moves 2 spaces orthogonally, but here it may not leave palace.

Padwar is same as in Jetan: moves 2 spaces diagonally, but here it may not cross river.

Thoat is not same as in Jetan: here it may not leap, it's lame piece here. But moves are same: it moves 2 spaces, 1 orthogonally and 1 diagonally (or vice versa).

Dwar is same as in Jetan: moves 3 spaces orthogonally.

Martian cannon moves without capturing as dwar, but to capture, it must move through 1 piece. Martian cannon to dwar is same as cannon to rook.

Pathan moves 1 space in any of 3 forward directions, after crossing river can move 1 sideways (it's different from Xiang-qi pawn because can move diagonally forwrd, different from Jetan pathan because cannot move sideways before crossing river).

Rules

Checkmate or stalemate opponent's chief to win.

Notes

Instead "bare facing rule" i wanted to use rule, wich allows chief to capture another chief as piece, wich "moves certain number of steps in certain directions, not restricted by palace". Thanks if you can suggest something.

Korean variant:
Martian cannon must leap, capturing or not, cannot leap over another cannon and cannot capture it. Padwar moves 2 diagonally and 1 orthogonally each turn, not restricted by river. Pathan always can move 1 sideways. Warrior, dwar and martian cannon may move diagonally along palace diagonal lines (may be used between orthogonal moves).


This 'user submitted' page is a collaboration between the posting user and the Chess Variant Pages. Registered contributors to the Chess Variant Pages have the ability to post their own works, subject to review and editing by the Chess Variant Pages Editorial Staff.


By Daniil Frolov.
Web page created: 2010-06-26. Web page last updated: 2010-06-26