Man and Beast 12: Alternative Fronts

The acknowledgments, overview, and glossary to the series can be found here. Established pieces have a link to their Piececlopedia page. The images used in this series, and indeed in most of my pages, can be found here.

Pieces

Glinski boards give orthogonal cowards one direction and ND ones two like the original piece, but orthogonal dexters and sinisters two directions and ND ones only one. Wellisch boards give the reverse. Hex-level 3d boards give orthogonal chiefs and bases 1 direction, SD ones 6, and no ND ones. Hex-ranked 3d boards give orthogonal dexters/sinsters/cowards 1 direction and chiefs/bases 2, SD dexters/sinsters 2 directions and cowards 6 and chiefs/bases 4, ND dexters/sinisters 4 directions and chiefs/bases 2, and no ND cowards. Cowards on Frolov and rotated Frolov Pentagonal boards, and all 2d rotations on SerPent ones, have the same numbers of moves as unrotated pieces but from different cells. Frolov -dexters and -sinisters have the directions of unrotated pieces on the rotated Frolov board and vice versa.

To rotate part-symmetric pieces, the suffix replaces general. Wazir+Crosscoward=GOLDCOWARD and Ferz+Pointcoward=SILVERCOWARD, Wazir+Saltichief=BRASSCHIEF, Wazir+Dabchsinister=SOWSINISTER, Ferz+Tuskchief=BOARCHIEF, Prince+Thiefdexter=HOODDEXTER, Dabbaba+Pointcoward=MEMSACOWARD, and many others. Mixed-range pieces further suffix the rotational suffixes with the long-range component - Rook+Crosssinister=GOLDSINISROOK, Wingdexter+Ferz=SILVERDEXTEWING, Bishop+Pointcoward=SILVERCOWARBISHOP, Cannon+Saltibase=BRASSBASECANNON, Arrow+Saltidexter=STEELDEXTEARROW. As the Goldcoward and Silvercoward appear in Tai Shogi (under the names Reclining Dragon and Old Monkey) they have established images and here are their movement digrams:

Oblique pieces also have 2 - or 4 in 3d - second-most-forward moves. Pieces with just these moves I suffix -RESERVIST, and those making just second-most-backward moves -REVISIONIST. Thus as well as Helm+Helmcoward+Helmdexter+Helmsinister, the Knight in 2d is Helm+Helmcoward+HELMRESERVIST+HELMREVISIONIST. Glinski-board orthogonal pieces include WINGRESERVIST/POINTREVISIONIST/DABBAREVERVIST, Wellisch ND ones SALTIRESERVIST/HORNREVISIONIST, and Glinski-ranked hex-prism SD ones CROSSRESERVIST/MITREREVISIONIST/ELEPHREVISIONIST. Here are the movement diagrams for the Wingreservist and Pointreservist:

.

As combining opposite directions doubles the moves I switch to suffixing symmetric-piece names. 2d SD and cubic ND pieces form the symmetric piece itself. 2d has 2 suffixes: -RANKERS, inspired by Rudyard Kipling's poem Gentleman Rankers, move more ranks than files and -FILERS vice versa. Square-cell boards confine orthogonal rankers/filers to a single file/rank (Dai Shogi's Go Between and Reverse Chariot are a WAZIRRANKER and ROOKRANKER), and m:n oblique ones to 1 in 2mn squares spread over the board. The NIGHTRANKER (Wa Shogi's Heavenly Horse) and the likes of ZEBRAFILER/GIRAFRANKER/ANTELRANKER/SATYRFILER are fileswitching, the likes of NIGHTFILER/ZEBRARANKER/GIRAFFILER/ANTELFILER/SATYRRANKER rankswitching, and anything -MELRANKER or -MELFILER both. Glinski-board orthogonal rankers and ND filers have 2 directions and are bound to single lines, while orthogonal filers and ND rankers have 4 and are not. Wellisch-board ones reverse this. Here are the movement diagrams for the Wazirranker, Rookranker, Wazirfiler, Rookfiler, Nightranker, Camelranker, Gnuranker, and Dabbaranker on square boards; and the first four in Wellisch and G/McC orientations:

Cubic boards expand options not to 3 but to 6. Face-to-face 2d boards have no BISHORANKER or BISHOFILER. -RANKERS, -LEVELLERS, and -STACKERS move at least as many ranks, levels, filestacks - series of files directly above and below each other - respectively as either other dimension. -FILERS, -COLUMNERS, and -ROWER fewer in the same order. This gives orthogonal rankers/levellers/stackers 2 directions (bound to a single orthogonal); SD, m:n:0, and m:n:n ones 8; and m:m:n and 3-distinct-coordinate ones 16. Orthogonal and SD filers/columners/rowers have 4 directions (bound to a rectilinear plane); m:n:0 and m:n:n ones 16; m:m:n ones 8, and 3-distinct-coordinate ones 32. Bindings and switchings are complex. In orthogonal, m:n:0, m:n:n, and 3-distincts directions ranker+leveller=rower, ranker+stacker=columner, and leveller+stacker=filer; in SD and m:m:n directions filer+columner=stacker, filer+rower=leveller, and columner+rower=ranker. The compounds ranker+filer, leveller+columner, and stacker+rower always add up to the symmetric piece itself. The same principles work on hex and pentagonal prisms. On Glinski-level boards SD rankers have 4 and filers 8 directions, and on Wellisch-level ones vice versa. The pentagonal-prism BOALEVELLER has just the level-changing moves of the Boa. Compounds follow the same pattern. The PRINCRANKER, QUEENRANKER, PRINCFILER, QUEENFILER, CHATERANKER, PRIMAFILER, CARDIRANKER, and ACMEFILER use the full SD move in 2d, and the DUKERANKER, DUCHESTACKER, BARONLEVELLER, GOVERLEVELLER, POPERANKER, CAFILSTACKER (though no filers, columners, or rowers) the full ND (but not the full SD) in 3d. Likewise the FO component of the SOWRANKER and MEMSARANKER - and in 3d the likes of BOARRANKER, HOODRANKER, SAHIBRANKER, SOWROWER, SOWRANKRON (Tai Shogi's Howling Dog), and MEMSACOLUMNER - but note that such pieces lack filers, and the Sow and Memsahib stackers and levellers. The compound of Wazirranker and Cross is Dai Shogi's COPPERGENERAL, which in 3d - and also on corner-orientation square-cell boards - can be extrapolated to Ferzranker+Point=NICKELGENERAL. These can be rotated into the COPPERCOWARD, COPPERDEXTER, NICKELCHIEF et cetera. As the first four appear in Shogi variants (under the names Ferocious Leopard, Flying Ox, Blind Monkey, Free Boar) as do the Coppergeneral and (as Coiled Serpent) Coppercoward they have established images. Here are their movement diagrams and those of the Ducheranker and Duchefiler on their respective 2d geometries::

Again appending move-length suffixes forms double suffixes such as -RANKRIDER, -FILERIDER, -LEVELRIDER, -COLUMRIDER, -STACKRIDER, -ROWERIDER, -RANKBANTE, -FILEON, -LEVELRANGER, -COLUMLANDER, -STACKROVER, -SIDEDIEM. Note also COPPERIDER, COPPERCOWARRIDER (Dai Shogi's White Horse and Whale), NICKERIDER et cetera, and part extended to COPPERROOKRANKER, COPPERMITRE, NICKELBISHORANKER, and NICKELWING. Copperider+Prince is Ryu Shogi's COPPERDRAGON and Nickerider+Prince a 3d NICKELDRAGON. A quartet of 2d pieces each using one pair of orthogonal and one of SD directions are the ZAGZAG, ZAGZIG, ZIGZAG, and ZIGZIG. Here are the movement diagrams for the Coppergeneral and Coppercoward:

Combining an orthogonal ranker and corresponding SD filer is notable for suggesting the orthogonal piece rotated through 45°. Prefixing the orthogonal piece with the SD one's initial, primarily to give BROOK, also yields FWAZIR, FWAZBABA, PPOCKET, ACANNON, BPANDA. These are bound to alternate files, and the EDABBABA and SMUSKET to 1 in 8. Compounds include Fwazir+Viceroy=BDUKE, Brook+Unicorn=GDUCHESS, Brook+Viceroy=MVICEREINE, Unicorn+Fwazir=HBESIEGER, Fwazir+Saltire=SBRASS, Brook+Horn=SBRASRIDER, Edabbaba+Eunuch=EDYBBUK, Fwazir+Eunuch=FWAZZOCK, Viceroy+Edabbaba=WVICBABA, Bduke+Edybbuk=Fwazbaba+Vinnock=IKHAN, Brook+Eunuch=MCONCUBINE, Unicorn+Fwazir=BCYCLOPS, Acannon+Sling=ACANNONADE, Brook+Sling=BSTARLING, Acannon+Unicorn=UUNITARIAN, Bpanda+Raccoon=BPANTALOON, Brook+Raccoon=BCRINOLINE, Bpanda+Unicorn=BPANGOLIN. Mixing moves in succession the CSIMURGH makes a Viceroy move followed by an outward Brook move, the NFARRIER a Fwazir move followed by an outward Unicorn move, the TAVIATOR a Eunuch move followed by an outward Brook move, and the PPONY an Edabbaba move followed by an outward Unicorn move. Regarding alternators, rotating a Rhino, Alpaca, or Quagga gives a TNAVVY alternating Fwazir and Viceroy steps, UDWARF alternating Edabbaba and Viceroy moves, or MJOUSTER alternating Fwazir and Eunuch moves. Rotating the Brook itself, Rookstacker+Bishorower is a SIDEWAYS BROOK bound to alternate rank-level intersections, and Rookleveller+Bishocolumner a VERTICAL BROOK bound to alternate columns. Likewise rotating the Fwazir et cetera. Compounds of two are prefixed with default+Sideways=LEVEL, default+Vertical=FILESTACK, Sideways+Vertical=RANK, all unbound. The compound of all three Brooks is the familiar Queen (and the three Fwazirs the Prince and the three Edabbabas the Alibaba). My Brookschach uses all 6 Brooks. These definitions also work on hex-prism boards. Pieces replacing 4 orthogonals with 4 SDs - default on Wellisch-level, Sideways on Glinski-level, Vertical on hex-ranked - are no more bound than the corresponding unrotated piece. Pieces replacing 6 orthogonals with 8 SDs - default on Glinski-level, Sideways on Wellisch-level and hex-ranked - remain bound to half the unrotated piece's binding. Compound Brooks are Level on hex-level and Rank on hex-ranked boards.

One hex mix of orthogonal and ND goes straight forward, backward, and sideways, plus up and down if hex-prism. Which is which depends on orientation. The MOORCOCK of my Lengthleaper Hex Chess is a Duke restricted to Wazirranker+Vicerfiler (Glinski, bound to alternate files), Wazirrower+Vicerstacker (G-level, to alternate filestacks), Wazirfiler+Vicerranker (Wellisch and W-level, to alternate ranks), or Wazircolumner+Vicerleveller (hex-ranked, to alternate levels). Likewise its rider the MOORHEN is a Duchess restricted to Rookranker+Unicofiler, Rookrower+Unicostacker, Rookfiler+Unicoranker, or Rookcolumner+Unicoleveller. The MOORDEMON, MOORPOTENTATE, MOORMISER, MOORHOPPER, and MOORSWITCHER are a correspondingly reduced Dybbuk, Khan, Scrooge, Cannonade, and Pantaloon. Add Dabchick or Key as applicable to the Moorcock for a MOORPIG, and Point or Saltire to the Moordemon for a MOORMASTER. Conversely square-cell analogues to Wellisch- and Glinski-board Dabbabas derive Nightranker+Dabbafiler=KNAVE from the disyllabic German word knabe combining Knight's start with Dabbaba's end, and Nightfiler+Dabbaranker=DEBTOR from the remaining ends. Their compound is the Carpenter. The same pieces suffixed -rider, -bante, -rover, -on, and -diem are correspondingly restricted Carpe- pieces, and KNAVEDRAGON and DEBTORDRAGON are the riders plus the remaining Carpenter moves. Here are the movement disgrams for the Knave and Debtor:

.

A convention for adding one piece's forward move to another's backward one is hyphenating the symmetric-piece names followed by the word hunter, but Wing+Mitrecoward is the HUNTER without qualification, inspiring names for other such combinations names ending in -er. It appears with Mitre+Wingcoward=HAWKER in my variant Nimrod Chess. Cannonball+Arrowcoward is SHOOTER, and Arrowhead+Cannocoward FOWLER. Similar combinations of orthogonals and NDs, with 5 directions on cubic boards but just 3 on hex ones, are named for less contentious sports not involving killing anything: Wing+Horncoward=SPRINTER, Horn+Wingcoward=RELAYER, Cannonball+Slingcoward=HURDLER (hopped pieces are sometimes called hurdles), and Slingshot+Cannocoward=VAULTER. Those mixing the two kinds of diagonal refer to boats in allusion to face-to-face cubic directions numbering a "rowing eight": Mitre+Horncoward=BOATER, Horn+Mitrecoward=YACHTER, Arrowhead+Slingcoward=MARINER, Slingshot+Arrowcoward=PLUNDERER. All are unbound. Noting that the Japanese name of Cross+Pointcoward translates to Tile General, I modify this to TILER. For other short-range pieces I resort to Point+Crosscoward=POTTER, Point+Salticoward=POSTER, Saltire+Pointcoward=SPOTTER, Cross+Salticoward=COSTER, Saltire+Crosscoward=STOCKER. Curtailing a symmetric radial piece's name to five letters (to avoid confusion with the Bishopper) and simply suffixing with -er indicates the FO piece with backward moves on the other kind(s) of cubic radial. Thus Wing+Missicoward=ROOKER, Count+Crosscoward=DUKEER, Tusk+Impcoward=ELEPHER et cetera. Here are the movement diagrams for the Hunter face-to-face and corner, the Hawker likewise, the Tiler likewise, the Sprinter and Relayer in the Wellisch orientation; and the same two in the G/McC orientation:

Ending in -er allows substituting -ress to add same-rank orthogonals, -sman to add same-rank NDs (corner orientation or cubic board), and -swoman to add both. Thus HUNTRESS, HUNTSMAN, HUNTSWOMAN, HAWKSMAN, SHOOTRESS, FOWLSWOMAN. Boards with a hex element, and corner-column cubic boards, have sideways NDs, and for pieces adding a move of this kind I insert follow to give -FOLLOWER, -FOLLOWRESS, -FOLLOWSMAN, or even -FOLLOWSWOMAN. HUNTFOLLOWER is the inspiration. Wellisch boards give the SPRINTRESS, RELAYRESS et cetera 5 directions and SPRINTFOLLOWER et cetera 7, Glinski/McCooey ones vice versa. These prefixes do the same to rankers and add forward/backward moves to filers. Note that -FILERESS, -FILESMAN, -FILEFOLLOWER, TILERESS (Tai Shogi's Chinese Cock), HURDLESMAN retain the e but -LEVELRESS, -LEVELSMAN, -LEVELFOLLOWER, POTRESS, POTSMAN drop the second l or t. Quadlevel's Queen analogue is a QUEENRANKRESS=Rook+Bishoranker. Distinguishing Duke- and Duche- avoids all ambiguities between the two uses of -ess: the PRINCRANKRESS is the rankress of the Prince as the Princess is FO, while the VICERRANKRESS and BARONRANKRESS are rankers of the Vicereine and Baroness as the Viceroy and Baron have no orthogonal component. Adding the sideways orthogonals to these uses the -eine of Vicereine as a "double -ess" to give VICERRANKREINE and BARONRANKREINE. Note also the deferral of the -ade of Cannonade so that Ballade+Ballacoward=CANNORANKRADE. Whether the Fibnif is a CARDIRANKLANDER or CARDIRANKLANDSMAN depends how the diagonal component is extrapolated in 3d. Here are the movement diagrams for the Huntress and Hawkress face-to-face; the Huntsman and Hawksman corner; the Sprintress, Relayress, Sprintfollower, Relayfollower, Sprintfolloweress, and Relayress in the Weelisch orientation; and the same six in the G/McC orientation.

Developing Nimrod into Hunterbeest led me to combine rankers and filers in dual oblique directions, with Camelranker+Nightfiler=HARTEBEEST and Nightranker+Camelfiler=COHARTEBEEST. The H is that of Helm/Hump/Handyman. Extrapolations include Zemelranker+Zebrafiler=SARTEBEEST and Girafranker+Gimelfiler=COBARTEBEEST. Namelranker+Antelfiler has another name starting with H, HARE, with Antelranker+Namelfiler=COHARE for Antelranker+Namelfiler. Theoretically these can be extrapolated to Zoetrope/Zomel and Gyroscope/Gymel hybrids. In 3d these have the full 24 directions of conventional m:n:0 leapers. Nimelranker+Ninjafiler=DARTEBEEST however has only 16 directions and Ninjaraker+Nimelfiler=CODARTEBEEST 32! All are unbound but inherit their odd-SOLL component's rank or file switching. It also struck me as worth combining the rankre of two diofferetn pieces with the same SOLL. Bitteranker+Oxfiler=OXPECKER and Albaranker+Curatfiler=CURLEW combine the bird aspect of their ranker component with the start of the filer component's name. Oxranker+Bittefiler=IBEX and Curatranker+Albatfiler=ALMONER - a giver of charity, often motivated by religion - do the reverse. They are bound respectvely to all of every fourth rank, third rank, fourth file, and third file. In theory all four have Co- pieces combining one -melranker with one -melfiler, but these are very unwieldy. Here are the movement diagrams for the Hartebeest and Cohartebeest:

.

My Altorth Hex Chess introduces hex pieces alternating radials of a kind on Glinski boards. Wing, Point, Dabbaba, Cannonball et cetera plus their revisionists are FOREROOK, FOREWAZIR, FOREDABBABA, FORECANNON. For reservist+coward I replace Fore- with HIND-, tying in with Hartebeest as Hart and Hind are old terms for male and female deer. On Glinski-level 3d boards the likes of FOREFERZ, FOREBISHOP, FOREBEAR, FOREKNIGHT, FORECAMEL, FOREZEBRA, FOREELEPHANT, FOREARROW, FOREPICKET have destinations above and below the Forerook's, and the same substituting HIND- above and below the Hindrook's. As the last sentence's pieces change level I decided to decree that orthogonal ones can move straight up and down on a Glinski-level board. Wellisch boards conversely have the likes of Saltire+Saltirevisionist=FOREVICEROY and Horncoward+Hornreservist=HINDUNICORN. The Hind- prefix reminded Joe Joyce of Larry Niven's Ringworld novels, inspiring my Ringworld Chess mixing long-range Fore- and Hind- pieces with compounds of short-range ones, collectively termed PUPPETEERS after that series' race of three-legged aliens. Foredabbaba+Hindwazir=DABBABA-WAZIR, and Forewazir+Hinddabbaba=WAZIR-DABBABA, puppeteers. Fore- and Hind- pieces cannot return to a cell in two moves and so extend the idea of Colourswitching to cycles of more than two "colours". For those of fixed-length move, accessible cells include three groups with each move being from the first group to the second, the second to the third, or the third to the first. This I term a switching cycle (CS) of 3. 2d Dabbaba-Wazir and Wazir-Dabbaba puppeteers share this property, but the likes of the Forewazbaba are unswitching. Glinski-ranked 3d boards allow the two to move up and down as a Wazbaba, and POCKET-WAZIR and PANDA-DABBARIDER puppeteers to move any distance up and down, and add SD pieces such as Foreelephant+Hindferz=ELEPHANT-FERZ PUPPETEER, and mixed pieces such as Forerook+Hindarrow=ROOK-ARROW PUPPETEER and Forecamel+Hindknight=CAMEL-KNIGHT PUPPETEER. Here are the movement diagrams for the Forerook, Hindrook, Forewazir, Hindwazir, Foredabbaba, and Hinddabbaba; and the Rook-Wazir, Wazir-Rook, Rook-Dabbaba, and Dabbaba-Rook puppeteers:

On hex-prism boards pieces can also move upward as Fore-, and downward as Hind-, pieces or vice versa. These I prefix HEMI- and DEMI- respectively. The HEMIFERZ and DEMIFERZ are bound to a third of the board, independently of the Dicorn and each other, likewise their riders the HEMIBISHOP and DEMIBISHOP. Note that these pieces' diagonals give them six directions forming a skew version (they are not actually at right angles) of all SDs on a xyrixa board or orthogonals on a cubic one. Thus a hex-prism board can also be considered three interlaced cubic ones in two different ways. The HEMIKNIGHT has the Demiferz' binding and the DEMIKNIGHT the Hemiferz' one, unbinding the HEMICARDINAL and DEMICARDINAL. The HEMICAMEL and DEMICAMEL are also unbound. Adding Hemi- to a compound with an orthogonal or pure-hex component applies it only to the other component, making DEMIQUEEN Rook+Demibishop. Fore- and Hind- pieces cannot return to a cell in two moves and so extend the idea of Colourswitching to cycles of more than two groups of cells. Those of fixed-length move have SCs of 3. Hemi- and Demi- versions of pieces with reversible moves retain the reversibility.

Oblique pieces restricted to alternate directions at right angles are VEERING if they include the right-hand FO direction, BACKING if the left-hand one. Each is bound to the proportion of the board reciprocal to their SOLL. A Veering piece's dual is Backing and vice versa, e.g. VEERING KNIGHT and BACKING CAMEL. Their compound has the less-bound one's binding but the VEERING GNU is unbound. Veering and Backing versions of FO pieces have a single direction. Rotating a piece's move through 45° requires the moves to be changed in length. The simplest all-purpose approach is to multiply all SOLLs by 2, giving the piece's STARBOARD LENGTHENING when turned clockwise and LARBOARD LENGTHENING when turned anticlockwise. Conversely a colourbound picee can have all its SOLLs divided by 2, giving the STARBOARD SHORTENING and LARBOARD SHORTENING. Thus the Wing's Starboard Lengthening is a Mitre limited to going right, and the Mitre's Larboard Shortening is Wing+Wingsinister. The Nightranker's Starboard (and Nightfiler's Larboard) Lengthening is Veering Camelranker+Backing Camelfiler.

Hexgi mixes hex orthogonals in other ways to give Point+Pointreservist=SUPERPOINT, Point+Hindwazir=COLONEL, and Forewazir+Pointreservist=BRIGADIER. The military titles allude to increasing directions up from 4 for a Colonel, 5 for a Brigadier, 6 for a General, and yet more for decorated generals. Their riders are the SUPERWING, COLONRIDER, and BRIGARIDER. Brigarider+Pointcoward is BRIGADRAGON and Colonrider+Pointrevisionist COLONDRAGON. Wellisch boards have Saltire+Saltirereservist=SUPERSALTIRE, Saltire+Hindviceroy=VICECOLONEL, and Foreviceroy+Saltireservist=VICEBRIGADIER, and their riders and dragons. The images that I choose for Colonel and Brigadier were based on the fact in a dfferent orientation I had the Colonel's Dexter and Sinister. Here are their movement diagrams:

The prefix Super- above adds an FO piece to its reservist. Glinski-board pieces can be extrapolated to a SUPERDABCHICK, SUPERWAZCHICK, SUPERCANNONBALL, SUPERPANDACUB, various SUPERAZURE pieces et cetera, and Wellisch-board ones to a SUPERKEY, SUPERVICKY, SUPERSLINGSHOT, SUPERRACCOONCUB, various SUPERBRASS pieces et cetera. The SUPERCOUNT is Superpoint+Saltire on the former board, Point+Supersaltire on the latter, likewise there are two versions each of SUPERCOUNTESS, SUPERCOLONISER, SUPERRAM, SUPERIMP, et cetera. Glinski-level 3d boards have the SUPERCROSS, SUPERMITRE, SUPERTUSK, SUPERFEARLESS, et cetera that always change level and such compounds of two Supers as the SUPERPRINCELING, SUPERPRINCESS, SUPERCARYATID, SUPERABBOT, SUPERTHIEF, SUPERPASHTUN, SUPERFACULTY, SUPERBEAK, SUPERTANKTURRET et cetera. The SUPERHELM, SUPERSHOVEL, and SUPERDISGUISE can move 1 as well as 2 ranks forward; the SUPERHUMP, SUPERCLOAK, and SUPERCEDILLA 1 as well as 3; the SUPERSTRIPE, SUPERFORTHELM, SUPERFOIL, and SUPERORATION 2 as well as 3; and so on. As this usage of Super- does not apply to symmetric pieces it can apply to them a different way, adding in missing Moorcock directions. Thus the SUPERWAZIR SUPERGENERAL and SUPERVICEROY add Moorcock moves, the SUPERROOK and SUPERUNICOREN Moorhen moves, the SUPERDABBABA and SUPEREUNUCH Moordemon moves, the SUPERCANNON and SUPERSLING Moorhopper moves, and the SUPERPANDA and SUPERRACCOON Moorswitcher moves. Prefixing part-symmetric pieces with Super- adds extra to both the symmetric and FO components on a hex-prism board, otherwise only to the FO components. On hex boards SUPERBRASS is Superwazir+Supersaltire, and SUPERAZURE Superviceroy+Superpoint, so for half-super pieces I suggest Superwazir+Saltire=BRASSSUPERWAZIR, Wazir+Supersaltire=BRASSSUPERSALTIRE - the Gold analogue in Fergus Duniho's family of hex Shogis - Superviceroy+Point=AZURESUPERVICEROY, and Viceroy+Superpoint=AZURESUPERPOINT. Xiang Qi's promoted Point can be considered a Superpoint while the Superprinceling, the SUPERSILVER, and its -coward have established images from Shogi variants (under the names Evil Wolf, Drunken Elephant, and Blind Tiger), so here are their movement diagrams:

Suffixes can be prefixed so that a HELMSUPERDEXTER makes the most and next-most rightward Knight moves. Radial supercowards use the same hex board as basic Super- pieces but superdexters and supersinisters the opposite one. The Quadlevel Knight analogue is a NIGHTSUPERRANKER, making all Knight moves except same-rank ones. 24-direction pieces' superrankers have 16 directions. So have Brook-style 45° rotations of the Night-, Camel-, Zebra-, Giraf-, Antel-, Zemel-, Satyr-, Gimel- &c superrankers. These are Sextoranker+Ninjafiler=NSEXTON, Elfranker+Underfiler=UELF, Fenceranker+Lectufiler=LFENCER, Nimelranker+Widepfiler=WNIMEL, Effarranker+Rotcefiler=REFFARIG, Exorcranker+Feastfiler=FEXORCIST, Longpranker+Expoufiler=ELONGPLAYER, Fieldranker+Broadfiler=BFIELDMOUSE, et cetera. Daniil Frolov uses a Stepping form of the Nsexton, a 45° rotation of the Mao, alongside other Brook-style pieces in Waterfall Xiang Qi. It starts with a Fwazir step, followed by an outward Viceroy step. The equivalent piece making the viceroy step first would be a 45° rotation of the Moa.

.

Helm+Helmrevisionist is known as the CRAB. As it moves either forward two rows or backward one it returns to rows in multiples of 3 moves, but is also switching, and so has SC 6. Looking to the Knight's Spanish name of Caballo I extrapolate to CRAM (a foodstuff in Lord of the Rings), ZREB, GRIR, ARNT, ZREM, SRAT, and GRIM for compounds of Hump, Stripe, Blotch, Quintet, Sump, Vine, and Bump with their revisionists. Their SCs are 4, 10, 10, 14, 6, 14, and 8. Reversing such a piece is marked by reversing the name to give BARC, MARC, BERZ, RIRG, TNRA, MERZ, TARS, and MIRG for reservist+coward. Compounds include Cram+Barc=HINNY (a mule-like hybrid), Crab+Marc=COHINNY, extrapolating to the likes of Zrem+Berz=SINNY, Zreb+Merz=COSINNY, Grir+Mirg=BINNY, Grim+Mirg=COBINNY - all of which are unbound and unswitching. Nram+Tnra has another H- name, HATTER to go with Hare, with Arnt+Marn=COHATTER. here are the movement diagrams for the Crab, Barc, Hinny, and Cohinny:

The marine-invertebrate theme is extended from Crab to pieces moving two steps forward but only one in other directions. Unlike MAB 11's Pig pieces, whose bindings (and non-kosher status) they share, they lack the one-step forward move. Thus Sow minus Point is SNAIL, the missing Point move representing the opening in the shell, and Boar minus Cross LOBSTER, on the same visual basis as Crab; Lewis Carroll's Lobster Quadrille features both creatures. Snail+Lobster=TRILOBITE after an extinct marine invertebrate whose left, right, and central lobes (hence the name) fit with 3 (in 2d) forward leaps. 3d pieces include SHRIMP for the puny Piglet minus Saltire; Snail+Shrimp=PRAWN, a modest but unbinding addition to a Shrimp; Lobster+Shrimp=OCTOPUS, the forward leaps representing 8 long limbs; and Snail+Lobster+Shrimp=SQUID, the obvious step up from that. These pieces can be suffixed just as Pig ones can but dexters, sinisters, cowards, chiefs, and bases also rotate gaps in the one-step moves. The Lobster on a face-to-face square-cell board, the Snail on a corner square-cell board, and the Shrimp on a face-to-face cubic board, have SC 3, but otherwise such pieces are unswitching.

I turn to true fish to mix two Knight and two Camel directions. The HADDOCK is Hump+Helmcoward, HAKE Hump+Helmrevisionist, relatively "flat" HALIBUT Humpreservist+Helmrevisionist, and HERRING Humpreservist+Helmcoward. All are rankswitching or fileswitching and so have even SCs: 10, 8, 4, and 6. The pieces rotated 180° are COHADDOCK, COHERRING, COHALIBUT, and COHAKE in that order so that Haddock+Cohaddock=Gnuranker, Haddock+Cohalibut=Hinny, Hake+Coherring=Hartebeest, Halibut+Cohalibut=Gnufiler, Halibut+Cohaddock=Cohinny, Herring+Cohake=Cohartebeest. Subsets of other triangulator moves substitute FO initials - in the Zebu's case SADDOCK, SAKE, SALIBUT, SERRING and in the Guru's BADDOCK, BAKE, BALIBUT, BERRING.

Notes

It is accidental that the hex-prism piece name Forebear is a pre-existing word. Likewise I did not intend Sake in either of its pre-existing senses.

If anyone has any idea for an equivalent term to Puppeteer for a compound of Hemi- and Demi- pieces I would be very glad to read them.

Last revised by Ben Reiniger.

Revisions of MSman-and-beast-12-alternative-fronts

Man and Beast 12: Alternative Fronts #14812 by Charles Gilman on 2024-01-21 23:30:01 as HTML
Man and Beast 12: Alternative Fronts #14813 by Ben Reiniger on 2024-01-21 23:30:01 as HTML
Man and Beast 12: Alternative Fronts #14815 by Ben Reiniger on 2024-01-21 23:35:28 as HTML