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 ...

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

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

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 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 ...

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 adjacent to a friendly man, then both have the ability to move as a rook in chess. * If a man is adjacent to a friendly man, then both have the ability to move as a chess

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 ...

. * If a man is a away from a friendly man, then both have the ability to move as 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 ...

. A man with more than one position relationship has the ability to move in more than one way. Likewise, if a man has 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 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 ''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". ...

''
Chessence
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 ...

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

Game rules

See also

References

External links