The Tamerlane chess!
The 14th century Timurid ruler preferred to play a more enlarged version of the game.
It is similar to European chess we play today, but with some extra figures like giraffe, elephant, vizier and war engine.
The board also includes a citadel on both sides!
The 14th century Timurid ruler preferred to play a more enlarged version of the game.
It is similar to European chess we play today, but with some extra figures like giraffe, elephant, vizier and war engine.
The board also includes a citadel on both sides!
The objective is the same as in Western chess too, to checkmate the king (shah).
But there is an extra element!
The citadel can only be entered by the enemy shah. When this happens the game is declared a draw.
Allegedly Timur himself invented this version of chess.
But there is an extra element!
The citadel can only be entered by the enemy shah. When this happens the game is declared a draw.
Allegedly Timur himself invented this version of chess.
Some extra information!
I studied the game a bit and there are very interesting changes to the Western game!
I will explain the key differences bellow.
1) Pawns move the same but each pawn is a pawn of a specific piece and reaching the end of the board it spawns as that piece.
I studied the game a bit and there are very interesting changes to the Western game!
I will explain the key differences bellow.
1) Pawns move the same but each pawn is a pawn of a specific piece and reaching the end of the board it spawns as that piece.
2) There is even a pawn of the king! It spawns as a prince, a king-like piece. This means that the opponent has to capture one of them before checkmating the other.
3) The newly introduced pieces (giraffe, elephant, camel and war engine) are basically overpowered.
3) The newly introduced pieces (giraffe, elephant, camel and war engine) are basically overpowered.
4) Both elephant and war engine move two squares and are unobstructed. That means they can capture two units at once. Elephants move diagonally and war engines vertically and horizontally. The camel moves in L-shape like knight but captures anything in the way.
This means that these overpowered pieces that don't exist in Western game are extremely important especially as there is no queen to wreak havoc.
5) Giraffe is a very weird addition. It moves one square diagonally and then a minimum of 3 squares horizontally or vertically.
5) Giraffe is a very weird addition. It moves one square diagonally and then a minimum of 3 squares horizontally or vertically.
So basically Tamerlane chess really was like a medieval version of a modern mod to video games, making the game bigger and adding overpowered units.
But it also looks like a very interesting game. Shame that it didn't get more popular as an alternative to Western chess.
But it also looks like a very interesting game. Shame that it didn't get more popular as an alternative to Western chess.
Another important rule difference in Tamerlane chess!
The white pieces didn't necessarily start first.
The player going first was determined by a role of dice!
The white pieces didn't necessarily start first.
The player going first was determined by a role of dice!
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