411 REFERENCE · Wikibooks
Chess Variants/Chancellor Chess
Reference material by Wikibooks contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
board 9 9
tright
rd nd bd qd kd cd nd bd rd
pd pd pd pd pd pd pd pd pd
pl pl pl pl pl pl pl pl pl
rl nl bl ql kl cl nl bl rl
Initial setup of chancellor chess.
Introduction
Chancellor Chess is a variant played on a 9 by 9 board with the chancellor added to the normal set of pieces.
History
Chancellor chess was created in 1887 by an American, Ben R. Foster, who published the rules in the local newspaper of St. Louis, Missouri, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Foster further described the variant's rules in a book titled Chancellor Chess in 1889, which he dedicated to "dedicated to all liberal-minded chess players throughout the world". The book was advertised in the chess magazine American Chess in October 1898.
However, the reception of chess authors to the variant was mostly negative as they felt standard chess was a perfect game, and one should not try to change it. The variant was soon forgotten, although it is occasionally revived from time to time.
Rules
Chancellor chess is played on a 9 by 9 board and features all of the standard pieces, as well as a new piece called the chancellor.
The chancellor (25x25px) moves like a combination of a rook and a knight. It may slide any number of unobstructed squares forward, backward or sidewyas like a rook, or jmup in an "L" shape like a knight, but not both in one move.
A pawn may promote to a chancellor alongside the usual promotion options.
All other rules are the same as standard chess.
Sub-variants
This chess variant does not have any notable sub-variants.