Very very creative and interestering
Formation chess
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Hi evertVB,
Do you think this is played best with only knights and one king, or are other chess pieces mixed in? Maybe we can try it on an "Infinite Plane" chessboard.
Do you think this is played best with only knights and one king, or are other chess pieces mixed in? Maybe we can try it on an "Infinite Plane" chessboard.
I just can't think if the knights should be about half of the total non-pawn pieces (like 8 knights, 6 other non-pawn pieces, and 14 pawns in front of them) per side, or should there be even more knights, for most intriguing play.
Also, adding walls or obstructions might be interesting, but I don't think that is necessary.
Please let me know your thinking. I'd like to try something, but I don't want to get too far without understanding your ideas first.
Jan 20, 2017
0
#4
A mix with other pieces would be great, but there should be just enough knights in order to have a reasonable chance that this extra feature will acually play a role in the game. 8 knights would be the minimum.
I doubt about the 1x2 formations going as Chu Shogi movers, because it could become too overwhelming. It needs to be tested.
OK, I'll try to create some initial formation of pieces. I think it's OK to have plenty of knights because they aren't too powerful, and when you line them up next to each other they don't attack redundant squares. When they do start to create a formation, it may not be wasted moves while they are forming a 2x2 block. I'll try to post here again in a day or two.
(I'd like to get to it even sooner, but other games are keeping me busy)
Here is one possible starting position. Each side has 12 knights! None are in formation yet (2x2) - there's some side-by-side, and some diagonal from each other. Two are in the back formations.
There's no bishops, two guards, and only one "super" piece - the queen. I'm not sure about the stacked pawns in files -2 and 11. Remove the leading one, take them both out, or move one in front of a knight? (or OK where they are)? Let me know what you think. This is all new, so any changes can be considered.
Jan 21, 2017
0
#7
This is great! And let's indeed try without the 2x1 and 1x2 formation option. Pls let me know when you can manage to start this game.
OK, I finished some other work, so now have time to start a game if you'd like.
Do you care if we just play on this thread or start a new one? Your diagram at the start looks good, so I'm OK with just proceeding from here. I removed two pawns and added two more knights. So the board now has (each side):
1 king
1 queen
2 rooks
2 guards
14 knights
20 pawns
1 queen
2 rooks
2 guards
14 knights
20 pawns
I like the simplicity of the pieces. Only 6 piece types, but lots of knights and pawns. Not a lot of new rules are needed, but to recap (and omiting the 1x2 and 2x1 formations):
All pieces move as in classical chess. The one variant piece:
Guard (G) - Moves and captures the same as a king but is not affected by check.
Pawns: play the same and promote at the same rank as in classical chess (white pawns promote at rank 8, and black pawns promote at rank 1). Pawns can promote to guard in addition to queen, rook, or knight. Pawns may capture en passant.
Knights: When in 2x2 formation they can move in a formation like a queen: all knights participating in the formation simultaneously move in the same direction, to end up elsewhere on the board in the same formation. As a result, each individual knight has made the same orthogonal or diagonal movement. The group should stop moving where at least one of the members encounters an occupied square. A group can capture an opponent’s piece, but with one restriction: only one and not more than one piece is captured.
Board Setup:
A red bracket indicates the a1 (1,1) square.
There is no castling.
All other rules are the same as in classical chess.
Your move notation from the other thread is a good idea (summarized here):
Numeric coordinates are used to identify piece locations as (file#, rank#). The "a1" square is (1,1) and is marked on the chess diagram with a small red bracket. Three examples of a move notation:
1) A rook moving from (8,4) to (1,4):
R(8,4)-(1,4) or R(1,4)
2) A rook moving from (1,4) and capturing a piece on (0,4):
R(1,4)x(0,4) or Rx(0,4)
3) A pawn advancing from (-1,7) to (-1,6):
(-1,7)-(-1,6) or (-1,6)
R(8,4)-(1,4) or R(1,4)
2) A rook moving from (1,4) and capturing a piece on (0,4):
R(1,4)x(0,4) or Rx(0,4)
3) A pawn advancing from (-1,7) to (-1,6):
(-1,7)-(-1,6) or (-1,6)
Btw, I did a quick Wikipeidia search. One of the largest chariot battles in history is the "Battle of Kadesh". It was around 1274 and involved 5000-6000 chariots. How about we call this game "Formation Chess - The Battle of Kadesh"?
I started white in our last game, so you may have white.
That's the first time I've seen a piece go backwards in an opening move. I was wondering if there's new unusual openings, like forming a tight defensive cluster (and waiting for your opponent to make first attack). But I better not say more.
1...N(5,6)
2...N(5,5)
3...N(1,8)-(3,7)
You invented formation chess, so if your formation wants to move, you have to let me see the notation style.
Jan 28, 2017
0
#15
NF(0,0)-(-6,-6)
(Night Formation, the bottom left knight on (0,0) moves to (-6,-6) and the others follow)
Good notation for a formation move. All moves so far have been knights. Another:
4...N(4,5)
5...N(-2,8)-(0,9)
Formation chess is played on a large board, 24x24 to start with.
Both players have lots of FIDE chess knights and one king. The aim is to capture the opponents king.
If some knights are in some particular formation, they get different movement abilities as a group. Three formations exist with the following movement:
2x2 formation can move like a queen
1x2 formation can move like a Chu Shogi side mover (horizontally as a rook and vertically one step)(TEMPORARILY ABANDONED)
2x1 formation can move like a Chu Shogi vertical mover (horizontally one step and vertically as a rook)(TEMPORARILY ABANDONED)