Tamerlane Chess
Encyclopedia
Tamerlane chess is a strategic board game
related to chess
and derived from shatranj
. It was developed in Persia during the reign of Timur
, also called Tamerlane (1336–1405). Some sources attribute the game's invention to Timur, but this is by no means certain. Because Tamerlane Chess is a larger variant of shatranj
, it is also called Shatranj Kamil (perfect chess) or Shatranj Al-Kabir (large chess). It is distinctive in that there are multiple varieties of pawn, each of which promotes in its own way.
s. When the opposing king occupies a player's citadel, the game is declared a draw
. No piece other than a king may occupy a citadel.
There are several ways for an opening setup to be arranged. A common one is as follows:
White's side, bottom row, from the left- Elephant, Space, Camel, Space, War Machine, Space, War Machine, Space, Camel, Space, Elephant. Second Row from the left- rook, knight, picket, giraffe, general, king, vizir, giraffe, picket, knight, rook. Third row from the left- pawn of pawns, pawn of war engines, pawn of camels, pawn of elephants, pawn of generals, pawn of kings, pawn of vizirs, pawn of giraffes, pawn of pickets, pawn of knights, pawn of rooks. Black's side mirrors white's.
to its corresponding piece. Thus, Pawn of Giraffes becomes a Giraffe, etc. Exceptions to this are the Pawn of Kings and Pawn of Pawns. A Pawn of Kings becomes a Prince, which must be mated or taken before the opponent can win. It moves as a king.
When the Pawn of Pawns reaches the last rank, it stays there and cannot be taken. As soon as a situation develops where the opponent cannot escape losing a piece to a pawn, or where a pawn may attack two opposing units at the same time, the player must move his/her pawn to that location. Upon the second promotion of this pawn, it moves to the starting point of the Pawn of Kings. Upon the third promotion it becomes an adventitious king, which acts as a prince.
d.
Once during the game a player may exchange a checked king for another non-royal piece.
A player may move into check if he holds multiple kings.
The adventitious king is the only piece that may move into a player's own citadel. This is often done to prevent the opponent from entering.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
related to chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
and derived from shatranj
Shatranj
Shatranj is an old form of chess, which came to the Western world from India. Modern chess has gradually developed from this game.-Etymology and origins:...
. It was developed in Persia during the reign of Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
, also called Tamerlane (1336–1405). Some sources attribute the game's invention to Timur, but this is by no means certain. Because Tamerlane Chess is a larger variant of shatranj
Shatranj
Shatranj is an old form of chess, which came to the Western world from India. Modern chess has gradually developed from this game.-Etymology and origins:...
, it is also called Shatranj Kamil (perfect chess) or Shatranj Al-Kabir (large chess). It is distinctive in that there are multiple varieties of pawn, each of which promotes in its own way.
The board
A Tamerlane chess board is made up of 110 uncheckered squares arranged in a 10x11 pattern. Additional squares protrude from the left side on the ninth row and from the right side on the second row. These extra squares are called citadelCitadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
s. When the opposing king occupies a player's citadel, the game is declared a draw
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
. No piece other than a king may occupy a citadel.
There are several ways for an opening setup to be arranged. A common one is as follows:
White's side, bottom row, from the left- Elephant, Space, Camel, Space, War Machine, Space, War Machine, Space, Camel, Space, Elephant. Second Row from the left- rook, knight, picket, giraffe, general, king, vizir, giraffe, picket, knight, rook. Third row from the left- pawn of pawns, pawn of war engines, pawn of camels, pawn of elephants, pawn of generals, pawn of kings, pawn of vizirs, pawn of giraffes, pawn of pickets, pawn of knights, pawn of rooks. Black's side mirrors white's.
Pieces
Anglicised versions of piece names are used here.- King - Moves as a traditional KingKing (chess)In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
- General - Moves one square diagonally
- Vizir - Moves one square horizontally or vertically
- Giraffe - Moves one square diagonally and then a minimum of three squares horizontally or vertically
- PicketFairy chess pieceA 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...
- Moves as a BishopBishop (chess)A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
in traditional chess, but must move a minimum of two squares - Knight(chess)Knight (chess)The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...
- Moves as a knight in traditional chess - RookRook (chess)A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...
- Moves as a rook in traditional chess - Elephant - Moves two squares diagonally and is unobstructed by pieces in between
- Camel - Moves two diagonally and two straight, unobstructed by pieces in between
- War Engine - Moves two horizontally or vertically, unobstructed by pieces in between
- PawnsPawn (chess)The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
- Move as pawns in traditional chess, but with no initial double move or en passantEn passantEn passant is a move in the board game of chess . It is a special pawn capture which can occur immediately after a player moves a pawn two squares forward from its starting position, and an enemy pawn could have captured it had it moved only one square forward...
capture. Every piece (including the pawn) has a corresponding pawn. Hence; Pawn of Kings, Pawn of Vizirs, Pawn of Giraffes, etc.
Promotion rules
Upon reaching the last rank on the board, a pawn is promotedPromotion (chess)
Promotion is a chess rule describing the transformation of a pawn that reaches its eighth rank into the player's choice of a queen, knight, rook, or bishop of the same color . The new piece replaces the pawn on the same square and is part of the move. Promotion is not limited to pieces that have...
to its corresponding piece. Thus, Pawn of Giraffes becomes a Giraffe, etc. Exceptions to this are the Pawn of Kings and Pawn of Pawns. A Pawn of Kings becomes a Prince, which must be mated or taken before the opponent can win. It moves as a king.
When the Pawn of Pawns reaches the last rank, it stays there and cannot be taken. As soon as a situation develops where the opponent cannot escape losing a piece to a pawn, or where a pawn may attack two opposing units at the same time, the player must move his/her pawn to that location. Upon the second promotion of this pawn, it moves to the starting point of the Pawn of Kings. Upon the third promotion it becomes an adventitious king, which acts as a prince.
Other rules
When multiple kings are held, they may be captured as normal pieces. When only one king remains it must be checkmateCheckmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
d.
Once during the game a player may exchange a checked king for another non-royal piece.
A player may move into check if he holds multiple kings.
The adventitious king is the only piece that may move into a player's own citadel. This is often done to prevent the opponent from entering.