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Grand Chess is a large-board
The pieces are placed on the players' first and second , respectively, with the rooks alone on the players' first ranks. The pawns are placed on the players' third ranks. Since the rooks are not blocked as much by the other pieces as in standard chess, it is easier for them to activate earlier in the game.
A pawn that reaches a player's eighth or ninth ranks can elect to either promote or remain a pawn, but it promote upon reaching the tenth rank. Unlike standard chess, a pawn may be promoted only to a captured piece of the same colour. (So, it is impossible for either side to own two queens, or two marshals, or three rooks, etc.) If, and for as long as, no captured piece is available to promote to, a pawn on a player's ninth rank must stay on the ninth rank, but it can still give check.
As in standard chess: pawns can move one or two squares on their first move; pawns can capture ''
rules file
Sjaak 2, and Fairy-Stockfish. Embassy chess can be played against other people o
BrainKing
an
EvoChess
annotated by John Vehre
by Malcolm Horne
by Hans Bodlaender, ''
Grand Chess
a simple program by Ed Friedlander (
chess variant
A chess variant is a game related to, derived from, or inspired by chess. Such variants can differ from chess in many different ways.
"International" or "Western" chess itself is one of a family of games which have related origins and could be co ...
invented by Dutch games designer Christian Freeling
Christian Freeling (born 1 February 1947, in Enschede, Netherlands) is a Dutch game designer and inventor of abstract strategy games, notably Dameo, Grand Chess, Havannah, and Hexdame.
Freeling's designs cover a range of game types. Several o ...
in 1984. It is played on a 10×10 board
Board or Boards may refer to:
Flat surface
* Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat
** Plank (wood)
** Cutting board
** Sounding board, of a musical instrument
* Cardboard (paper product)
* Paperboard
* Fiberboard
** Hardboard, a ...
, with each side having two additional pawns and two new pieces: the ''marshal'' and the ''cardinal''.
* The marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
(M) combines powers of a rook and a knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
.
* The cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
(C) combines powers of a bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
and a knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
.
Grand Chess uses the same pieces as the earlier variant Capablanca chess, but differs in board size, start position, rules governing pawn moves and promotion, and castling.
A series of Grand Chess Cyber World Championship matches was sponsored by the Dutch game site MindSports. Grand Chess tournaments were held annually beginning in 1998 by the (now defunct) correspondence game club NOST. Larry Kaufman
Lawrence Charles Kaufman (born November 15, 1947) is an American chess player. He was awarded the title Grandmaster by FIDE for winning the 2008 World Seniors Championship (which he later retroactively shared with Mihai Suba). Kaufman had been ...
has written that Grand Chess "really is an excellent game and deserves a bigger following".
Rules
The pieces are placed on the players' first and second , respectively, with the rooks alone on the players' first ranks. The pawns are placed on the players' third ranks. Since the rooks are not blocked as much by the other pieces as in standard chess, it is easier for them to activate earlier in the game.
A pawn that reaches a player's eighth or ninth ranks can elect to either promote or remain a pawn, but it promote upon reaching the tenth rank. Unlike standard chess, a pawn may be promoted only to a captured piece of the same colour. (So, it is impossible for either side to own two queens, or two marshals, or three rooks, etc.) If, and for as long as, no captured piece is available to promote to, a pawn on a player's ninth rank must stay on the ninth rank, but it can still give check.
As in standard chess: pawns can move one or two squares on their first move; pawns can capture ''en passant
In chess, ''en passant'' (, "in passing") describes the capture by a Pawn (chess), pawn of an enemy pawn on the same and an adjacent that has just made an initial two-square advance. This is a special case in the rules of chess. The capturi ...
''; checkmate
Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game.
In chess, the king is ...
is a win; stalemate
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check and has no legal move. Stalemate results in a draw. During the endgame, stalemate is a resource that can enable the player with the inferior position ...
is a draw. There is no castling
Castling is a move in chess. It consists of moving the king (chess), king two squares toward a rook (chess), rook on the same and then moving the rook to the square that the king passed over. Castling is permitted only if neither the king ...
in Grand Chess.
Examples
Vehre vs. Schmittberger, 2001
Played between John Vehre and R. Wayne Schmittberger at the 2001 Grand Chess Cyber Championship Final: :1.f5 f6 2.Nh4 Nh7 3.g4 g7 4.Nc4 Nc7 5.d4 d7 6.e5 Bd8 7.Rje1 Kd10 8.Kf1 fxe5 9.Ncxe5 Kc9 10.Re2? Kb9 11.Kg1 Rjf10 12.Bd3 e6 13.Rf1 Mh10?! 14.Nc4 Ci10 15.Nd6 exf5 16.Bxf5 Bd5 17.Ci1 Bxh4 18.ixh4 g6 19.Rfe1 gxf5 20.Nxf5! Qd8 21.Bxc7 Qxc7 22.Re9+ Kc10 23.Cxc7 bxc7 24.Qf4 d6 25.Qe3 Mg8 26.Me2 Nf6 27.Qe7 Nd7 28.Qe8+ Mxe8 29.Mxe8 nnotations by VehreFool's mate
1.Cf4 Qd10 2.Ce6 Qf10 3.Cxc8Composition
Embassy chess
Embassy chess is a variant of Grand Chess created in 2005 by Kevin Hill. It borrows the opening setup from Grand Chess and adapts it to the 10×8 board. Except for the setup, the rules are as per Capablanca chess. There are multiple chess engines that can play Embassy chess, including ChessV, Zillions of Games withrules file
Sjaak 2, and Fairy-Stockfish. Embassy chess can be played against other people o
BrainKing
an
EvoChess
Notes
References
Bibliography * *Further reading
* * * * * * *External links
*annotated by John Vehre
by Malcolm Horne
by Hans Bodlaender, ''
The Chess Variant Pages
''The Chess Variant Pages'' is a non-commercial website devoted to chess variants. It was created by Hans Bodlaender in 1995. The site is "run by hobbyists for hobbyists" and is "the most wide-ranging and authoritative web site on chess variants". ...
''
*
Grand Chess
a simple program by Ed Friedlander (
Java
Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Chess
Chess variants
Capablanca Chess variants
1984 in chess
Board games introduced in 1984