Piececlopedia: Phoenix / Waffle

Historical Notes

This piece can either step one space orthogonally or leap exactly two spaces diagonally. It was used at least 600 years ago in Chu Shogi with the name of 鳳凰, which may be transliterated as hōō. This refers to a bird from Asian mythology called a Fènghuáng in Chinese. This is sometimes known as a Chinese Phoenix, leading to this piece being called a Phoenix in the west. Much later, Ralph Betza used the same piece in his Chess with Different Armies under the name Waffle, so called for moving like either a Wazir or an Alfil. It is uncertain if Betza was aware that a piece with this movement was not a new invention.

Movement

The Phoenix/Waffle has the combined movement of the Wazir and the Alfil, i.e., it can move one square horizontally or vertically, or it can jump two squares diagonally. When jumping, the square passed by may be empty or occupied.

Checkmating

The Phoenix cannot inflict checkmate on a rectangular board with only assistance of its own King, and is thus a minor piece. It can force checkmate with the help of almost any other piece, including another Phoenix. Try it!

Notes

In Chu Shogi, this piece is called a Phoenix and it can promote to a Queen upon reaching the promotion zone.

In Chess with Different Armies, this piece is called a Waffle because the first two letters, "wa", describe its movement in Betza notation. It is a member of the Colorbound Clobberers army.

Kevin Pacey added a pair of Waffles to the standard Chess lineup to create Waffle Chess.

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