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This page is written by the game's inventor, Lev Grigoriev. This game is a favorite of its inventor.

Chess on the Rope

After I’ve seen category “1d” in settings of submissions, I thought: what about variant on 1d board?

Later I used the fields of my Geometry notebook to draw a draft, then I wrote these rules in my notebook of chess variants, also on fields.

Setup

Placement:

White: K(+) 1, G 2, R 3, T 4, Ď 5, Đ 6, P 7.

Black: K(+) 21, G 20, R 19, T 18, Ď 17, Đ 16, P 15.

Board squares are numbered from 1 to 21. There are white & black, so white moves first.

Pieces

When chessmen are also an acrobats…

Disclaimer: all they move and take in similar way (except for king).

 

Digital Camcorder or Dabbaba, Đ

Fairy piece based on ancient one, with ancient name, is adapted for nowadays reality. It moves one square or jumps two (ignoring any pieces on the way) in any direction.

Dove, Ď

Modern piece created by me for Dovecote Chess, but here its moves can look as plagiarism (but it isn't). It jumps two or three squares (ignoring any pieces on the way) in any direction.

Torch, T

Modern piece independently created by several people incl. me. It moves an odd number of squares in any direction. If it meets anything between two its destinations, it doesn’t block the farther motion, but if there’s a piece on the destination, it blocks Torch’s path.

Wi-Fi Router or Rook, R

Ancient piece which’s also adapted for nowadays reality. It’s strongest piece in the game, which moves endless number of squares vertically, however it doesn’t jump, and its path must be free.

Pawn, P

Shogi piece which is the one pawn-like useful there. It moves just one space only forward, but can promote to stronger piece (read below).

Gold, Guard or Go-Between, G

Fairy piece, there with Shogi & Chu Shogi origins, so all names are useful there. It moves only one space in any direction. Though, it has one important ability (read below).

King, K (or +)

He plays an important role here. He moves one space in any direction, but not into check. If there is one adjacent piece, he jumps over it and lands on the next square behind (or ahead?) it, but he doesn’t capture by this move. Once per game, he can swap the places with Go-Between, even from check or through check, only if that’s possible.

Rules

  • Your aim is to checkmate opponent’s king.
  • Draw occurs if it’s stalemate, checkmate isn’t possible, or there’re 12 moves without any progress (capture, promotion or checkmate). Threefold repetition of position is a draw also. 
  • Pawn can be promoted on 18 rank (for white) or on 4 (for black) to Đ, Ď, T or R.
  • G and T are minors, other pieces are majors (i. e. K vs K & G/T is drawn game).
  • Pieces’ values: P=1, G=2, Đ=4, Ď=5, T=7, R=9.

Notes

There are several rule variations:

Three-Check version

where 3 checks to opponent’s king are also winning.

Regeneration

Once in 2 moves, if 1 (for white), 21 (for black) is free, captured pieces of the player can return to him after his move (if latter wasn’t capture). The last captured piece of the player returns first, then piece which’s captured just before the last one will return, etc.

Crazyhouse version

Captured pieces are in hand of player who captured them, and he can drop a piece from hand on any free square; however, it’s forbidden to drop Pawn to give immediate checkmate.

Hold on dice! variation

A funny tricky game where after moving a piece (except for king which must be a good acrobat anyway), the owning player has to roll the die, and fortune will decide if this piece will live or not. Every piece has an unique level of acrobatic mastery measured in number on the dice. If player drops this or lower number on the die, piece remains on the board on the square to which it has moved. In other case it falls and disappears from a game. If it had captured opponent’s piece, latter disappears even if capturing piece does it also.

Pawn

3

Dabbaba    

2

Dove

4

Torch

3

Router

1

Guard

5


Also it has board variation:

Minimalistic Chess on the Rope

where board is 15 squares, and positioning is same as in normal version, but there’s no Routers & Torches; also you need just 10 moves without progress for a draw.


This 'user submitted' page is a collaboration between the posting user and the Chess Variant Pages. Registered contributors to the Chess Variant Pages have the ability to post their own works, subject to review and editing by the Chess Variant Pages Editorial Staff.

By Lev Grigoriev.

Last revised by Lev Grigoriev.


Web page created: 2023-06-27. Web page last updated: 2023-10-22

Revisions of MSchessontherope