Grant Acedrex

This page contains one or more presets for playing a game online with Game Courier, an online server for playing Chess variants by correspondence.

This is the Game Courier Preset for Grant Acedrex, played according to the rules cautiously derived from the original Spanish codex Libro de los Juegos by King Alfonso X (1283).

Game Courier preset written by Daniel Zacharias.

Pieces

King: steps 1 square in any direction. On his first move, it has a privilege detailed below.

Pawn: moves as in medieval regular chess at this epoch. That means that the initial non-capturing double step is allowed for all Pawns. There is no en-passant capture.

Rook: identical to the modern chess Rook, except there is no castling.

Anqa: moves 1 diagonal step followed by any number away on lines or columns. It may not jump over occupied squares. A.k.a Gryphon.

Cockatrice: moves exactly as the modern chess Bishop. Represented as a crocodile.

Giraffe: it is the (3,2) leaper, meaning that it may go to the opposed square of a 4x3 rectangle, leaping over occupied squares if any. This move is also made by stepping 1 square orthogonally followed then 2 squares diagonally. A.k.a. Zebra in modern chess variants.

Unicorn: it leaps like a Knight then, proceeds diagonally away from its starting square any number of vacant squares. Represented as a rhinoceros.

Lion: it leaps 3 squares orthogonally or 2 squares orthogonally followed by 1 diagonal step. It may leap over occupied squares. Therefore it combines the moves of the Camel and the Threeleaper of modern chess variant nomenclature.

Rules

King's privilege: for its first move, the King can go 2 squares in any direction, leaping over the intermediate square if it is occupied. It may leap to the 2nd square in straight line: straight ahead, diagonally or sideways, but not like a chess Knight. It may pass over an occupied square. The King cannot capture when jumping. It may not jump to escape a check or pass over a square controlled by the opponent.

Pawn's promotion: when a Pawn reaches the opposite side of the board it is replaced by the piece corresponding to the file on which it lands. On the g-file (the King's file), the Pawn is promoted to an Anqa (Gryphon).

End of game: win by checkmate or stalemate. Baring the opponent's King is also a victory.

Last revised by Jean-Louis Cazaux.