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Eurasian Chess. Synthesis of European and Asian forms of Chess. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

🕸💡📝Fergus Duniho wrote on Thu, Feb 24, 2005 05:58 PM UTC:

Almost a year ago, in the comment linked below, I considered changing the
promotion rules of Eurasian Chess to more closely match those of Grand
Chess:

http://www.chessvariants.org/index/displaycomment.php?commentid=5403

I am now thinking this would be a good idea. What I have in mind is
allowing Pawn promotion on any of the last three ranks, with mandatory
promotion on the last rank, to any captured piece. Without any captured
pieces to promote to, a Pawn could not move to the last rank, but it could
still check positions on the last rank. This is how promotion is done in
Grand Chess.

I think this is a good idea, because it makes the game more Eurasian. The
promotion rules are the same as in Grand Chess (a European variant), and
the promotion zone is the same as in Shogi (a major Asian variant). Also,
it is a compromise between the promotion rule in Chess (promotion on the
last rank) and the promotion rule in Xiang Qi (promotion on crossing the
river).

As for gameplay, it compensates for the further distance from the last
rank by allowing promotion earlier, which I think is one of the reasons
for the rule in Grand Chess, and it compensates for the King's lesser
ability to guard a Pawn making its way to the last rank. Since a King
can't cross the river, all it could protect a Pawn from would be the
other King, and this protection could be easily blocked by interposing a
piece on the other side of the river from the King.

So I will update the ZRF and Game Courier preset, and then I will change
the rule description on this page.