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This page is written by the game's inventor, Alfred Schönfelder.

Big Board Chess

By Prof. Alfred Schönfelder


Big Board Chess (BBChess) is played on a 10 by 10 board with 25 conventional pieces for each player. During an inital setup phase the players put their pieces alternately on the empty board. The rules for the following moving phase are only slightly different from conventional chess. Pawns is given more power.

Big Board Chess (in German: Großfeldschach) was invented in 1974 by Prof. Alfred Schönfelder in Leipzig, Germany. It offers the keen and enterprising player with fighting spirit the possibility to chose his own individual and most favorable setup and plentiful excellent combinations.

Big Board Chess was published in ROCHADE Sachsen No. 6 (June 2000). Big Board Chess sets are sold for 64.90 DM by EURO SCHACH Dresden, Oskar-Mai-Str. 19, D-01159 Dresden, Germany.
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Example of an opening setup

Rules

Each player has:     King
Queens
Rooks
Bishops
Knights
10 Pawns

The game starts with an empty board. Both players begin to put their pieces alternately and in a free sequence on empty squares according to the following rules:

During the setup phase moving of the pieces is not allowed. When all pieces are set they have to be moved according to the conventional chess rules modified as follows:

Playing tips

Set the Pawns first and let them often shield each other. Set the King late.

Links

A sample game commented in german.


Written by Prof. Alfred Schönfelder, Dr. Wolfgang Beyer and Tilman Buntz.
WWW page created: January 20, 2001.