Randomscorpions Chess
This page contains one or more presets for playing a game online with Game Courier, an online server for playing Chess variants by correspondence.
In Randomscorpions Chess there are Scorpions instead of pawns. The Scorpion has the additional moves of a knight, but only in two forward directions: east-north-east, and west-north-west. There are no additional capture moves. The Scorpion's value is half the value of a knight or bishop, that is, 1.5. This implies that a light piece can be exchanged for two Scorpions, a possibility which often occurs. The Scorpion opens up many new tactical possiblities, both in the defense and the attack. The endgame is much more aggressive, while Scorpions, unlike pawns, are not easy to block. Unlike in orthodox chess, a broken pawn chain is not a big defect while the Scorpion pawn chain is not static. The fact that two Scorpion pawns equal a light piece contributes to the stability of the positions, despite the increase in the tactical possibilities. A strategical depth is retained, while new tactical themes are introduced.In Randomscorpions Chess the opening setup for the pawns is chosen randomly while satisfying the condition that the pawns must be either placed on the second or third rank. There are 256 possible configurations. All of them are sound and balanced, and fully playable. Black's setup mirrors white's. The opening setup for the pieces on the first rank is the same as in orthodox chess. This is convenient, as chessplayers will feel immediately at home. The Scorpions will be placed when the game starts.
The following preset makes a reasonably good validity check of Scorpion moves, etc. Moves are automated, including castling and the 'en passant' move. Pieces can be moved by pointing and clicking. When promoting a Scorpion, it will automatically turn into a Queen. Should you prefer another piece then you must type it manually (e.g., add N a8; capture a7). Use small piece-letters for black. E-mails to your opponent are generated, but you can play online by intermittently pressing the browser's update button.
The two
oblique moves in the image are theScorpions two extra movement possibilities.
It can only capture like a regular pawn.
Randomscorpions Chess
See also: Scorpion Chess
You can download a Zillions implementation
here.See also my other Game Courier presets.
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 M Winther.
Web page created: 2006-07-06. Web page last updated: 2006-07-06