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

Dealer's Chess

This was inspired somewhat by Hans Bodlaender's Pick-the-Team Chess, where several disparate pieces are brought together and the two players take turns choosing one to add to their team.

I thought, "What if the teams weren't chosen, but distributed randomly? How would that work?"

When some of my online shopping took me to a product on Amazon called Faerie Chess, which included reference cards for how each piece moved, I had my answer: each piece would have its own reference card with a picture and diagram, and the armies would be chosen that way.

Setup

This game (at least, if it's going to be played in person with physical pieces) requires some at-home creation before anything can start.

Advance Preparation

For each available piece, there should be a white version, and black version, and a reference card.

It stands to reason that the pieces themselves will have to be available, and you may use whatever means you prefer for making them. Some people prefer modifying existing pieces; others like to buy from specialty shops; others prefer to 3D-print theirs. Fairy chess fans have been doing this for years.

Printing out your own cards, on the other hand, is probably a new experience for most. Perforated cardstock is available from Amazon and most office-supply stores. I recommend using those that divide into 2 x 4 cards, measuring 2¾ x 4¼ inches (from Imperial 8½x11" letter-sized paper); this is the assumption on the sample PDFs I provide below.

The Game Proper

The cards come in three groups: Royal cards, Piece cards, and Pawn cards.

To keep the Royals interesting, there should be at least three different Royal pieces available (the sample cards below number six). Each player takes one card at random, and the corresponding piece is placed in the center of the back row, on the opposing color.

There must be a minimum of 14 Piece cards; the sample cards number 40, so the players may either agree on 14 to choose from, use the entire selection, or anything in between. Then each player is dealt seven of the cards, and takes the corresponding pieces. These pieces fill out the back row.

Generally speaking, the back-row pieces may be put into whatever order the player wishes, though a few guidelines are recommended:

Then the Pawn cards are dealt out, eight per player, and each player takes the eight corresponding Pawns and arranges them on the second row in any order desired.

Alternate: 10 x 10

This could also be played on a 10x10 board, with each player getting 9 back-row Pieces and 10 Pawns.

Alternate: Introductions

If one player is considerably less experienced with "fairy" chess pieces than the other, then the less-experienced player may, if both agree, be allowed to simply claim the King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, and Rook, picking additionial piece cards for just whatever's left, while the more-experienced player picks a different Royal card and seven (or however many) Pieces from what's left over.

Pieces

As a sample "starter kit" of sorts, here are some sample Royal pieces:

  1. King - moves one space in any direction. (It's basically the FIDE King.)
  2. Pharaoh - Moves without capture to any adjacent space, or leaps (1,3) only to capture.
  3. Pope - Moves one space orthogonally, or two spaces (non-leaping) diagonally.
  4. President - Moves one or two spaces orthogonally.
  5. Rex - Makes a (1,2) non-leaping move.
  6. Shogun - Moves one space orthogonally, or captures with a (1,2) leap.

All of these pieces carry the same Royal abilities and restrictions: capable of castling, must stay out of check, etc.

The sample list of regular Pieces are (listed alphabetically):

  1. Alfil - Leaps two squares diagonally.
  2. Alibaba - Leaps two spaces orthogonally or diagonally.
  3. Archbishop - Slides diagonally, or leaps (1,2).
  4. Archer - Moves one or two spaces diagonally, or "rifle captures" at a (1,2) leap
  5. Bishop - Slides diagonally.
  6. Bison - Leaps (1,3) or (2,3)
  7. Buffalo - Leaps (1,2), (1,3), or (2,3).
  8. Camel - Leaps (1,3).
  9. Cannon - Slides orthogonally, but must leap over another piece to capture.
  10. Chancellor - Slides orthogonally, or leaps (1,2).
  11. Cheetah - Leaps to any square three spaces away.
  12. Dabbaba - Leaps two spaces orthogonally.
  13. Ferz - Moves one space diagonally.
  14. Giraffe - Leaps (1,4).
  15. Gnu - Leaps (1,2) or (1,3).
  16. Gryffon - Moves one square orthogonally; then may continue sliding outward diagonally.
  17. Guard - Moves one space in any direction.
  18. Guardian - Moves without capture one space diagonally, or moves with required capture one space orthogonally.
  19. Impala - Leaps (1,2) or (3,4).
  20. Kirin - Moves one space diagonally, or leaps two spaces orthogonally.
  21. Knight - Leaps (1,2)
  22. Lion - Moves one space in any direction, or leaps to any square two spaces away.
  23. Mastodon - Moves one space in any direction, or leaps two spaces diagonally or orthogonally.
  24. Minister - Moves one space orthogonally, leaps two spaces orthogonally, or leaps (1,2)
  25. Mushroom - Moves one square diagonally backward; leaps (1,2) forward or backward; or leaps (1,3) to the side and forward.
  26. Nightrider - Makes repeated leaps of (1,2) in a straight line.
  27. Phoenix - Moves one space orthogonally, or leaps two spaces diagonally.
  28. Queen - Slides diagonally or orthogonally.
  29. Rhinoceros - Moves one square diagonally; then may continue sliding outward orthogonally.
  30. Rook - Slides orthogonally.
  31. Ship - Moves one space diagonally, then may continue sliding orthogonally forward or backward away from the starting point.
  32. Snake - Moves one space forward or backward, then may continue sliding outward diagonally.
  33. Squirrel - Leaps to any square two spaces away.
  34. Steward - Moves without capture one space orthogonally, or moves with required capture one space diagonally.
  35. Threeleaper - Leaps three spaces orthogonally.
  36. Turtle - Slides up to four spaces orthogonally or diagonally, or leaps two spaces in those same directions.
  37. Unicorn - Slides diagonally, or makes repeated leaps of (1,2) in a straight line.
  38. Vao - Slides diagonally, but must leap over another piece to capture.
  39. Wazir - Moves one space orthogonally.
  40. Zebra - Leaps (2,3).

The Pawns in the "starter kit" are:

  1. Arrow Pawn
  2. Berolina Pawn
  3. Chicken Pawn
  4. Enhanced Pawn
  5. Fish Pawn
  6. Horse Pawn
  7. Iron Pawn
  8. Japanese Pawn
  9. Korean Pawn
  10. Lance Pawn
  11. Linebacker Pawn
  12. Mecklenbeck Pawn
  13. Mongolian Pawn
  14. Patient Pawn
  15. Piglet Pawn
  16. Scorpion Pawn
  17. Standard Pawn
  18. Torpedo Pawn
  19. Zabel Pawn
  20. Zombie Pawn

(Move descriptions to be added later.)

(And hopefully, with or without help, I'll be able to round things out with four more without resorting to things like Mecklenbeck Mongolian Berolina Pawn. That would enable play on a 12x12 board!)

Rules

Once play commences, the rules are however you're used to playing chess, subject to changes and exceptions for the individual pieces (most notably some of the Pawns).

Both players are encouraged to keep the piece cards on hand for reference.

Notes

Links for downloading the PDF files for the "starter kit" cards will be here.

Over time, I probably will add any number of themed 16-card "expansion sets" -- and maybe even invite others to create their own.


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 Bob Greenwade.

Last revised by Bob Greenwade.


Web page created: 2023-08-31. Web page last updated: 2023-08-31

Revisions of MSdealerschess