SOHO Chess

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

SOHO Chess is chess on a 10x10 board with Champions, FADs, Wizards and Cannons added. Below is a link to play on Game Courier.

A rules enforcing version is here

Setup

Rules

The Champion is a triple compound piece that moves like a wazir (one square orthogonally, that is by rank or file) or like an alfil (i.e. leaps 2 squares diagonally), or like a dabbabah (i.e. leaps 2 squares orthogonally). The FAD is a triple compound piece that moves like a ferz (one square diagonally) or like an alfil (i.e. leaps 2 squares diagonally) or like a dabbabah (i.e. leaps 2 squares orthogonally).

The Cannon moves as a rook but must hop over an intervening piece to capture. The Wizard may leap one space diagonally, as a ferz does, or it may make an angular 1-3 leap, as a camel does.

Castling occurs on the 2nd rank between the king & either rook, with conditions as in chess. Pawns act standardly too (e.g. an initial 2-step move & en passant capture allowed), the only difference is that they still promote on the last rank, but any of the piece types in the setup may be selected, except for a king.

Threefold repetition of position or stalemate is a draw as in standard chess, and the 50 move rule is also in effect in SOHO Chess (i.e. game drawn if no captures or pawn moves have been made before 50 consecutive moves by both sides).

Last revised by Kevin Pacey.