Chessence is a

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 Jim Winslow in 1989. The

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 ty ...

is a 6×9 rectangle of squares with eight squares missing (blackened out in the diagram). Each player has a

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

and nine men with initial setup as shown, including three men initially not yet in play at the side of the board. To win, a player must

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 ...

stalemate Stalemate is a situation in the game of 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 infer ...

the opponent.

Game rules

In Chessence, kings do not move and must remain fixed on their starting squares the entire game. (Thus, a king is unable to move out of check.) A man has capability to move based on its relative position to other friendly men on the board, as follows: * If a man is orthogonally adjacent to a friendly man, then both have the ability to move as a rook in chess. * If a man is diagonally adjacent to a friendly man, then both have the ability to move as a chess

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

. * If a man is a knight's move away from a friendly man, then both have the ability to move as a knight. A man with more than one position relationship has the ability to move in more than one way. Likewise, if a man has no position relationship defined above, that man cannot move. The king has no bearing on how the other men may move. A man may not move to, nor through, a non-existent (blackened-out) square; except that a man moving as a knight may jump over a non-existent square. For a turn, a player may move a man on the board, or alternatively, they may put one of their reserve men in play by placing it on any of their six initial starting squares that are currently open. Checks, checkmate, and captures are as in standard chess. If a player has no legal moves, they lose the game.

References

Bibliography * *

External links

Chessence
by Peter Aronson, '' The Chess Variant Pages''
Chessence
a simple program by Ed Friedlander (

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

) {{Chess variants, state=collapsed Chess variants 1989 in chess Board games introduced in 1989

Game rules

See also

References

External links