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#Post#: 398--------------------------------------------------
Elsborg's courier chess. Could start position have been better?
By: Anders Elsborg Jensen Date: February 5, 2018, 12:12 am
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In 2016 the medieval game of courier chess and a particular
design of it's pieces inspired me to make a chess variant that I
called Elsborg's courier chess.
Read about here:
HTML http://www.chessvariants.com/invention/elsborgs-courier-chess
or here
HTML https://www.facebook.com/pg/elsborgscourierchess/about/?ref=page_internal
It is basically traditional chess with the spice of some
uncommon pieces ( + some more squares ). A simple but many cases
very well working idea, in my humble opinion. The non-FIDE
pieces that is used in Elsborg's courier chess are quite simple,
yet rarely seen in chess variants. Malcolm Webb who made it
possiblto play the elsborg's courier chess with Zillions of
Games, told that the prince and the princess, was already used
in other chess variants. But the bishop piece might be an
original invention by me. I would like to know if some one has
seen it elsewhere.
How good my chess variant is I don't know. I actually never
played it versus another human. I don't know if any one ever
has.
The most interesting thing in the game might be, how strong the
un traditional pieces is compared to each other and to the
traditional pieces. From the few times i have tried to play the
games with Zilllions of Games. It is my impression that the new
bishop piece is weaker than the traditional. but how much. I
also think that the Prince is stronger than the princess, but
how strong are these pieces compared to f.x a rook?
One of my main worries is the starting position. The b-pawn and
the k-pawn are undefended when the game starts. what some will
see as weakness. The unprotected i-pawn in the capablanca chess.
has been seen as a flaw. It has been claimed that white can take
advantage of this by playing d3 and win every game. On the other
hand. I am thinking that the middle might be to solid. There for
I am thinking that i might be better to let the princess start
on b1 and the prince on k1 and let knight, bishop, and runner
start on square closer to the middle. That would solve issue of
the undefended the pawns. It would also leave the h2, and h7 as
a kind of f2, f7. ( I think you unstand ) and wouldn't that be
great?
Here is what i am writing about:
This game is thought as a funnier way to use a courier chess set
than the original way.
Even I have called this game Elsborg's courier chess because (
my middle name is Elsborg ) and I have been inspired by a
courier chess set. This chess variant is much closer to modern
chess than courier chess.
with some exceptions this game have the same rules as common
chess see the rules here:
HTML https://www.fide.com/component/hand...
The opening setup is as follows:
White:
King g1; Queen f1; Rook a1, l1; Knight b1, k1; Bishop c1, j1;
Runner d1, i1; Princess e1; Prince h1; Pawn a2, b2, c2, d2, e2,
f2, g2, h2, i2, j2, k2, l2
Black:
King g8; Queen f8; Rook a8, l8; Knight b8, k8; Bishop c8, j8;
Runner d8, i8; Princess e8; Prince h8; Pawn a7, b7, c7, d7, e7,
f7, g7, h7, i7, j7, k7, l7
Movement of pieces
The king, queen, rook, and knight move as in the orthodox FIDE
chess game.
The runner moves as the bishop in the orthodox FIDE chess game.
The pawns move like in the orthodox FIDE chess game, except than
they can be promoted to any type of piece that is used in this
chess variant ( except king of course )
The princess moves like a queen when it don't capture, but it
can only capture pieces that are one square away from it.
The prince moves like a king when it don't capture. But it is
able to capture like a queen.
The bishop as the runner ends it move on a square that is on the
same diagonal as the square where it started it's move, and only
the size of board limits how long it can move. The diffence from
the runner is how it reaches the square it moves to, and
therefore how it can be blocked.
To reach it's goal the bishop must in one move do the following:
Go any number of squares orthogonally then turn it's direction
90 degrees and go the same number of squares in the new
direction so that ends on a square on the same diagonal as where
it's move started.
The bishops way of moving gives it two routes two its
destination square. For example if white want's to move his
bishop from c1 to e3 at least one of these two conditions must
occur either all the squares c2,c3 and e3 have to be empty, or
all the squares d1,e1 and e2 have to be empty. It doesn't matter
if the square d2 is occupied.
Castling: White can castle kingside by moving his king to k1 and
then ind same move move his rook on l1 to j1. Black can castle
similar way on the 8th rank.
White can castle queenside my moving his king to c1 and his rook
on a1 to d1. Black can castle similar way on the 8th rank.
Elsborg’s courier chess is played without the 50-move rule
unless agreed by the players or stated by the organizers/
authorities of an elsborg’s courier chess event. It may be
decided to change the 50-move rule to any “more than 50-move
rule” f.ex a 70- move rule, a 100-move rule, a 200-move rule
ect.
ABOUT MY THOUGHTS WHEN MADE THE RULES
Like there are people who are interested in the old days and
even enjoy for while try to live like people did in the old
days. I find historical chessgames like shatranj and courier
chess interestering, but I generally I think the modern times
are better than the ancient times also regarding chess.
The things I think make the courier chess inferior to moderne
are 1) the weak movement of the queen, it’s orthogonal
counterpart called schleich or sneak, smuggler, spy, or fool or
trülle. and the bishops. ( Such weak pieces should come in
bigger numbers to be great, I think ).
2 ) That the pawns only can promote to a very weak piece which
make it impossible to win with a king and pawn against king.
3)That the piece that look’s like a little queen is stronger
than the queen.
The question was what to do about it. Of course I missed modern
the queen so it was a pretty easy decide giving the queen it’s
modern power.
The courier chess set that has inspired me is of the type shown
on
HTML http://courierchess.com/
which has been inspired by a
painting called "the chessplayers" made by the Dutchman Lucas
van Leyden in 1508.
The names of pieces I call princess and prince are inspired by
the way their look and the ways they move are inspired by their
names. The piece I call princess is the one that in the original
game is called moves like a king and is called different names
f.ex. man or sage or rath. I think it looks like a little queen
and because of that i found it naturally to name it princess.
The princess is looking up to her mother and imitating her way
of moving, but she is not yet so strong and there for she can’t
capture over long distance. Similar with the Prince. The piece i
call prince is in my opinion looking like a little king. It was
easy to get the idea to let the prince move the opposite of the
princess. I think of it that way that the prince is lazy and
arrogant and only want move like a king unless there is really
something ( a piece to be captured ) to move for. Then he has
the will and power of youth to move long and fast.
Courier chess is the game where the modern bishop called courier
meet the old bishop. The fact that courier chess has a piece
that moves like a bishop, but is neither called a bishop and in
diagrams not shown as a bishop and piece that is both called a
bishop and often is shown like a bishop is both odd, fun and
maybe the soul of courier chess. For this reason I wanted to
keep some bishopness in the bishop without making it exactly
like or in every case worse or in every case better than the
runner. I think I found an exciting solution. For some reason I
have not seen a piece who moves like this kind of bishop before.
The readers that are familiar with nordic or german language
will quickly realize why I have called the courier a runner. It
is the direct translation of Danish word “løber” which is the
word Danish speaking people use for the piece that English
speaking people call bishop. It is my vision that the runner in
any language shall be called a word meaning “some one that runs”
and bishop shall be called the direct translation of bishop in
any language..
You are welcome to ask or note me if I have not made myself
clear.
Comments on everything regarding the game is welcome. However
the only thing I could really imagine to change is the start
position?
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