Chess Variants: Shatranj

Being considered one of the predecessor of modern chess, I am a bit reluctant in calling Shatranj a variant. Because it sounds like saying you were born before your mother! Then again, for the casual observer, that's the way this game would look like at first glance. But a few minutes into the game and you would get the feeling that indeed this game isn't a variant after all. Rather, it could have started it all.

Below is an excerpt from Schemingmind, which was also quoted from http://www.chessvariants.org/:

Shatranj first appeared in Persia around the 7th century AD and remained immensely popular throughout the Middle East for the next nine centuries. Shatranj is said to have supported professional players, produced several books and inspired its own body of chess problems or mansubat.Shatranj can be played with a traditional chess set, the start position is similar to that of standard chess, with Alfils replacing Bishops and Firzans replacing Queens.

• Shah (king) moves as in std chess
• Rukh (rook) moves as in std chess
• Faras (knight) moves as in std chess
• Baidaq (pawn) moves as in std chess
• Firzan (queen) moves to the first diagonal square
• Alfil (elephant, bishop) leaps to the second diagonal square, never occupying the first diagonal

The rules of Shatranj are similar to Standard Chess, with the following exceptions:

• There is no initial two-step Pawn move
• There is no en passant capture option
• There is no castling option
• Pawns arriving at the last rank always promote to Firzans
• Stalemate counts as a win
• Bare King counts as a win, provided that your King cannot be bared on the very next move
• Two bare Kings count as a draw

The first major adjustment I made in the game was in the way I treated the Firzan, or the equivalent of the Queen. Here, the Firzans are not as powerful as they are in modern chess. Moving only to the next diagonal squares around it, you can actually consider it as some sort of a bodyguard for the Shah. Which is quite logical and reasonable if you consider the way of the courts of the kingdoms of the world, where the "general" doesn't exactly go to the ends of the earth and leaves his sovereign.

The second thing to consider is the pace of the game. It's a whole new game if your Alfil has to take three moves to get to the other side of the board, rather than the sweeping motion it can normally do in chess. That, plus the restrained movement of the Firzan, and you have a much slower game, that unfolds more gradually. In my opinion, this game also requires more strategizing, rather than a "bring down the wall" type of chess that we often see.

It's also an influence on me to play on Schemingmind's piece set for Shatranj, as featured above. They succeeded in retaining the feeling of an "ancient" game. I can't help but feel and imagine those Persian folks dressed in their traditional garments, pushing rock sculptures of their digital counterparts that I click and drag.

I would have wanted to post my recent Shatranj game here, but I was thinking that chess publishers would probably render the Alfils and some other pieces in modern chess equivalent. Best that you head over to Schemingmind and try it yourself, as well as the rest that the site has to offer.

Know more about Variants! Click HERE!

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Chess Variants: An Introduction

Like a good song that has been around for quite some time, the popular form of chess as we know it is bound to have its own sets of "remakes" and "versions". It can even be argued that the chess we have right now is actually a derivation of an older form of the game. Current practice, however, does not actually make a distinction between whether a "variant" was a predecessor of the modern form of chess or was derived from it.

Some variants were conceived to solve a problem. It is said that Fischer Random or Chess960 is actually an attempt to remove the "advantage" of those who have mastered opening theory, thereby providing a game of chess that is intended to be more challenging and at the same time friendly for those new to the game. Others were popularized out of nostalgia, especially for those kinds that were perceived to be the predecessor of modern chess. Still others came about as a byproduct of the imagination and fun-lovingness of its creators. Some variants actually goes to elaborate lengths that a new set of somewhat complicated rules had emerged.

Of course, none of these innovations are not without its fault, especially for one who have a deep appreciation of chess in its natural form. And I have to say, having played a few of them, they aren't easy! It takes a whole lot of mental conditioning and immersion to be able to even play the games well. But if my experience are any indication, knowing a couple of these variants are a fun way to appreciate chess in its fullness, as well as take a respite from the usual lines.

As the number of these variants far exceed my ability (and interest) to know each one well enough to write about it, I will soon be featuring a couple of players who are avid fans of the variants they have chosen to play. Instead of the usual "Here are the rules, the pros and cons, and you can go on now" kind of writing, the writers will take you down on a journey, from how they first got introduced to their variants, and how they came to love it and stick with it (or hate it, if that's the case). I hope their experiences will entice you to dip your toes into these new rivers, as I have done lately. As this is intended to be a regular feature, I will be adding links in this post regarding variants as I feature them. Check them out:

• Suicide/Suicide 960 - a fun way to lose!
• Chess960/Fischer Random - no more opening lines!
• Shatranj - did this game started it all?

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