Grasshopper (chess piece)
Encyclopedia
The Grasshopper is a fairy chess piece
that moves along ranks, files, and diagonals (as ordinary queen) but only by hopping over another piece at any distance to the square immediately closest. If there is no piece to hop over, it cannot move. If the square beyond a piece is occupied by a piece of the opposite color, the grasshopper can capture that piece. The grasshopper may jump over pieces of either color; the piece being jumped over is unaffected.
On the diagram it is shown as an inverted queen with notation G.
For an example of grasshopper movement see the first diagram. The white grasshopper on d4 can move to the squares marked by cross (b2, d1, d7 and h8), as well as capture the black pawn on a7. It cannot move on g4, because there are two pieces to hop over.
Grasshopper was introduced by T. R. Dawson
in 1913 in problems published in the Cheltenham Examiner newspaper. Nowadays it is one of the most popular fairy pieces used in chess problem
s.
Solution of the problem on the second diagram is:
1.Gh3! Gh4 2.Gh5 Gh6 3.Gh7 Gh8 4.Ge7 Gd7 5.Gc7 Gb7 6.Ga7+ Ga6 7.Ga5+ Ga4 8.Ga3#.
Fairy chess piece
A fairy chess piece or unorthodox chess piece is a piece analogous to a chess piece. It is not used in conventional chess, but is used in certain chess variants and some chess problems...
that moves along ranks, files, and diagonals (as ordinary queen) but only by hopping over another piece at any distance to the square immediately closest. If there is no piece to hop over, it cannot move. If the square beyond a piece is occupied by a piece of the opposite color, the grasshopper can capture that piece. The grasshopper may jump over pieces of either color; the piece being jumped over is unaffected.
On the diagram it is shown as an inverted queen with notation G.
For an example of grasshopper movement see the first diagram. The white grasshopper on d4 can move to the squares marked by cross (b2, d1, d7 and h8), as well as capture the black pawn on a7. It cannot move on g4, because there are two pieces to hop over.
Grasshopper was introduced by T. R. Dawson
Thomas Rayner Dawson
Thomas Rayner Dawson was a British chess problemist. He invented many fairy pieces and new conditions. He introduced the popular fairy pieces grasshopper, nightrider, and many other fairy chess ideas.-Career:...
in 1913 in problems published in the Cheltenham Examiner newspaper. Nowadays it is one of the most popular fairy pieces used in chess problem
Chess problem
A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved. For instance, a position might be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two...
s.
Solution of the problem on the second diagram is:
1.Gh3! Gh4 2.Gh5 Gh6 3.Gh7 Gh8 4.Ge7 Gd7 5.Gc7 Gb7 6.Ga7+ Ga6 7.Ga5+ Ga4 8.Ga3#.
See also
- Grasshopper chessGrasshopper chessGrasshopper chess is a chess variant, in which the pawns are allowed to promote to a fairy piece grasshopper. Grasshopper must hop over other pieces in order to move or capture....
- XiangqiXiangqiXiangqi is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, shogi, Indian chess and janggi. The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China...
and JanggiJanggiJanggi , sometimes called Korean chess, is a strategic board game popular in Korea. It derived from Xiangqi , which itself is thought to be a descendent of the Indian chess game Chaturanga...
feature a "cannon" with similar abilities