Bollwerk 178
Bollwerk 178 is a unique variant on a board with 178 squares. The goal of the game is, occupying the opponent’s end field with a piece or a bomb. Whoever captures all his opponent’s pieces or immobilizes their opponent also wins. There is no King in this variant.
Each player has 20 pieces and 25 supplementary stones at their disposal. The game board is in a constant state of change due to the supplementary stones.
Over 3000 moves are available for just the first move, so that opening theory plays no role at Bollwerk 178.
Setup
Pieces
Guard:
Both players has 10 guards at the start of the game. Guards can move and capture one square forward vertically or forward diagonally. They can also move one square horizontally, but without being able to capture.
Guards can jump over their own guards as often as they like in all directions per move (this also allows them to move backwards).
They can also jump over an opponent’s guard, which is always captured (only possible forward vertically and forward diagonally as with normal capturing).
From their starting row they can also move two fields forward (vertically and diagonally), but without being able to capture.
Guards are blocked by all supplementary stones.
Guards place supplementary stones within their regular range of movement, but at most over one of their own guards (in all directions).
Forward vertically and forward diagonally, supplementary stones can also be placed over an enemy guard.
The red square in the diagram means that this piece is the starting point when the options are displayed.
Gold Runner:
Both players has two Gold Runners. It moves and captures diagonally like in chess, but with the added ability to change colour. This means the Gold Runner can enter directly adjacent squares of a different colour without being able to capture. The Gold Runner is blocked by all supplementary stones. It places supplementary stones within his regular range of movement.
King´s Knight:
The King’s Knight can move and captures like a Knight or the King in classical chess. It can jump over all pieces, also over arrows and dropped bombs. It can move to a square that is occupied by an arrow. The arrow is destroyed and removed from the game.
If possible, the King´s Knight can jump past blocks (two squares horizontally and then one squares vertically or vice versa).
The King’s Knight places supplementary stones within his range of movement.
Elephant:
The Elephant moves and captures one or two squares horizontally, vertically or diagonally. It can jump over other pieces, also over arrows and dropped bombs. The Elephant is prevented from moving by blocks. However, if an adjacent square next to the block is free, the Elephant can move past the block by taking an evasive step (see game board). It can move to a square that is occupied by an arrow. The arrow is destroyed and removed from the game.
The Elephant places supplementary stones within the limits of its range of movement.
Queen:
The Queen moves and captures as in classical chess and places supplementary stones in the same way. The Queen is blocked by all supplementary stones.
Spy:
The Spy captures other pieces exclusively by jumping over them (principle as with Halma). It can capture up to two pieces per move.
The Spy can move one square in any direction (like the King in chess- King move! ). It is not possible to capture this way.
In addition, the Spy can jump over his own and enemy pieces, supplementary stones (arrows and dropped bombs) for movement without limits during a move.
When capturing, however, the Spy may previously have only jumped over it´s own pieces or only over supplementary stones. It is also possible to jump right over the opponent.
If the first skipped opponent piece is not captured, a later capture in the same turn is not possible. The Spy is blocked by blocks.
The Spy is the only piece that can be captured by the arrow. The arrow is placed on the square by the Spy.
The Spy himself cannot capture the enemy Spy with the arrow.
After capturing, the Spy can make up to two more jumps to get out of the risk zone. It can also make a King move or choose the combination of a jump and a King move.
In this way the Spy also places supplementary stones.
One or two jumps far. Like a King or the combination of a jump and a King move (or vice versa).
In the opponent’s end zone, the arrow cannot capture the Spy, because the defender is not allowed to place supplementary stones there.
The two Guards on the red squares, on the diagram, can be captured.
Here are all move options for the Spy market with a point. The Spy can capture the Chancellor, Marshal and the Guard, but not the Queen.
Marshal:
The Marshal moves and captures like the Knight or Bishop in chess. As a Knight it can jump over all pieces, including arrows and dropped bombs. If possible, it can jump past blocks (two squares horizontally and then one squares vertically or vice versa).
If the Marshal moves like a Bishop, it is blocked by all pieces and supplementary stones.
The Marshal places supplementary stones within his range of movement.
Chancellor:
The Chancellor moves and captures like the Knight or Rook in chess. As a Knight it can jump over all pieces, including arrows and dropped bombs. If it moves like a Rook, the Chancellor is blocked by all pieces and supplementary stones.
It can jump past blocks (two squares horizontally and then one square vertically or vice versa) if possible.
The Chancellor is the only piece that can place two supplementary pieces per move within its possibilities.
Cannon:
The Cannon moves and captures like the Cannon in Chinese chess (Xiangqi). It moves like the Rook in chess, without being able to capture like that. It is prevented from moving by all pieces and supplementary stones. When capturing (also horizontally and vertically) it can skip all pieces and supplementary stones (also blocks). In front of the piece to be captured there must always be exactly one piece (own or opponent’s) or one supplementary stone.
The Cannon places supplementary stones, as the move options as a Rook allow. However, it can also place an supplementary stone at any position behind a piece or an supplementary stone, i.e. on the second position.
Knight:
The Knight moves and captures like the Knight in chess. It can jump over all pieces, also over arrows and dropped bombs.
It can jump past blocks (two squares horizontally and then one square vertically or vice versa) if possible.
The Knight places supplementary stones within his range of movement. The Knight (as the only piece) can remove supplementary stones (arrows and blocks) from the board and thus from the game in the same way as supplementary stones are placed. Bombs that have been dropped cannot be removed.
The supplementary stones with a blue border, can remove from the Knight.
Rules
The goal of the game is, occupying the opponent’s end field with a piece or a bomb. Whoever captures all his opponent’s pieces or immobilizes their opponent also wins.
There are three options for making a move:
- moving one of the 20 pieces
- moving one of the 20 pieces and then place an supplementary stones with the same piece within its possibilities
- place an supplementary stone with one of the 20 pieces without having moved it before
Placing supplementary stones
Each piece can drop off all supplementary stones. Either after the piece has been moved (see point 2.), or without moving the piece first (see point 3.). It is not possible to place an supplementary stone and then move the figure.
Example for point 2.
A player moves his King´s Knight. He then has the option to place an supplementary stone from the new square it’s on. This is possible on all squares the King´s Knight could reach from his new position the next turn.
Example for point 3.
The player also has the option of not moving his King´s Knight and leaving it on its square. From there, the player can place an supplementary stone on a square that the King´s Knight can reach from his position.
A King´s Knight therefore places supplementary stones as part of his regular moves. There are exceptions for other pieces (Guard, Cannon, Spy).
It is not allowed to place supplementary stones in your own end zone. The attacking player may place supplementary stones in the opponent’s end zone. The defender can blow them up with a bomb or remove them using the knigh
Notes
Bollwerk 178 is a commercial chess variant on a board with 178 squares. Author: Stefan Bogdanski
https://www.bollwerk178.com/en/
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 Stefan Bogdanski.
Last revised by Stefan Bogdanski.
Web page created: 2021-01-22. Web page last updated: 2021-03-06