Various Pieces

The following is from an email by Carlos Cetina based on writings from the book on chess variants written by Gabriel Maura Vicente.

Some of the moves of the pieces are not clearly defined. I've listed my interpretations, but they may be wrong. Anyone having any better information or interpretations is welcome to help us make corrections to this list. Thanks. --Ed.

JUMPING PIECES

1. The triumphant: jumps drawing a "V" of victory, three squares per gyre. Its difference with respect to the rook is that the triumphant passes outside of other pieces which impede the passing of the rook.

      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  This is my guess as
      |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |  to how this piece
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  moves. The T represents
      |   | x |   |   |   |   |   |   |  the "Triumphant", the
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  "x" squares represent 
      |   |   | . |   | . |   |   |   |  where is can move, and
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  the dots represent the
      |   | x |   | . |   | . |   |   |  path it takes when moving.
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
      | . |   | . |   | . |   | . |   |
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
      |   | T |   | x |   | x |   | x |
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
      | . |   | . |   | . |   |   |   |
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
      |   | x |   | . |   |   |   |   |
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
   
   

2. The airplane: jumps on right line as the rookmoves, over friendly or enemy pieces both to capture and to be placed on an empty square.

   My interpretation: this is basically a jumping rook that is not blocked by other pieces.

3. The atomic bomb: jumps from its square to any other square by passing over friendly or enemy pieces.

   My interpretation: this piece can move anywhere on the board. Period. This seems absurdly powerful.

4. The knight of the night: jumps two followed times like orthodox kight.

   My interpretation: this piece is like a Nightrider that is limited to two "steps".

5. The crazy jumper: jumps towards any empty square.

   My interpretation: this piece can move to any empty square. But how does it capture?

DIAGONAL PIECES

1. The little bishop: it is identical to the orthodox except it may only move forward.
2. The grand bishop: travels on the diagonals limited not only to the board, but also goes out to inifinity and then back around to the same diagonal.
3. The arrow-bishop: travels along the diagonals and, when it gives check, attacks the two immediate squares whose corners are convergent with the arriving-square, forming the arrow's point.

      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  My interpretation of the
      |   |   | k | x |   |   |   |   |  arrow-bishop's move.
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
      |   |   | x | x |   |   |   |   |  B = white arrow bishop
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  k = black king
      |   |   |   |   | x |   |   |   |
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  x = spaces where the arrow
      |   |   |   |   |   | x |   |   |      bishop can move
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
      |   |   |   |   |   |   | B |   |
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
      |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
      |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
      |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
      +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
   
   

4. The pawn-bishop: A bishop that may also move one square orthogonally forward (non-capturing).
5. The king-bishop: A bishop that may also make a non-captuging king move.
6. The squib-cracker: travels along the diagonals in form of zigzag, whenever there be empty squares. For example: a3-d6-f4.

ORTHOGONAL PIECES

1. The vertical rook: travels only along the rows in both directions.
2. The horizontal rook: travels only along the columns in both directions.
3. The semi-queen: has the moves of orthodox rook and little bishop.
4. The grand queen: has the moves of orthodox rook and grand bishop.
5. The snake: moves like orthodox rook but in zigzag, whenever there be empty squares.

COMBINED PIECES

1. The minister: moves like knight or bishop.
2. The hunter: moves forward like an orthodox rook or bishop, and backward like an orthodox knight.
3. The falcon: moves forward like an orthodox knight and backward like an orthodox bishop or rook.
4. The cowboy: travels on the columns and immobilzes any enemy pieces which are on the row where it lodges.
5. The petty-king pawn: pawn with the faculties of a king.
6. The squirrel: plays like bishop on the diagonals but may do one step on the row.
7. The card without color: any orthodox piece which beforehand the players establish to be a neutral piece, which may be used for both players in their respective turns.
8. The intruder: colorless piece that is placed on a particular square, which never can be moved and only serves as an obstacle for both players.
9. The diplomatist: neither attacks nor may be captured; plays one step on all directions and only serves to shield to the king or other pieces.
10. The ghoul: any piece that be designed beforehand as ghoul. This piece, when makes any capture, lets to the captured on the square that this occupies but it becomes in an inert, immovable piece for the remainder of the game. [Unfortunately, Vicente doesn't specify what happens with the ghoul, that is, on which square it will be placed.]
11. The chameleon-piece: it is the orthodox piece when takes the manner of playing of the piece that it captures. (king, bishop, knight, rook).
12. The phantoms: pieces that reappear, "invisible", on the square where they were captured, whenever a piece moves off that square.
13. The kidnappings: pieces that disappear from the game without having been captured.
14. The grand king: it is a king that plays one or two steps on all directions.
15. The delta: it is a queen that moves both as bishop and rook, but the trajectory of moving and attacking is determined by the pointer's direction (vertex), if as bishop or if as rook.