Chess Variant Update. What do you think?

[SeekerOfTruth007]

I made a few minor changes since the last time I updated on this game.

This Chess variant is played on a 16x8 board and has twice as many total pieces and pawns as classic rules chess.

Queen

Is nerfed to moving just two spaces in any direction, preventing her from totally dominating the board. This gives other pieces a chance to shine on the board.

Rook

Nerfed to moving 3 spaces Orthogonally, so that he now out-ranges the Queen, but also does not dominate the board.

Chancellor

Each player starts with one Chancellor on the King's side in the far corner. He has the combined moves of the original Rook and Knight.

Arch-Bishop

Each player starts with one Arch-Bishop on the Queens side in the far corner. He has the combined moves of the original Bishop and Knight.

Knight

Is unchanged from the original Knight.

Bishop

Is unchanged from the original Bishop

Assassin

May Jump two or three spaces Orthogonally or move one space diagonally. May place or remove traps. May take a Free Move after capturing enemy pieces. Traps prevent enemy pieces from moving onto a square, making them very powerful at controlling the board.

Ranger

May Jump as a (2,3) Leaper or may move as a King. This means the Ranger may attack up to 16 squares simultaneously. Rangers may place or remove Traps too.

Bard

May move exactly one space Orthogonally, or may jump exactly 2 or 3 spaces diagonally. Bards may also teleport back to any space on their own king's row, but a teleport may not be a capturing move.

[AI Opinion]

Your chess variant sounds intriguing and quite creative! 🎨 Expanding the board and adding new pieces certainly spices up the traditional game. Each new piece and its unique moves offer strategic depth, which can lead to fresh and exciting gameplay. The nerfs to the Queen and Rook introduce a balanced dynamic, encouraging players to explore varied strategies. The addition of pieces like the Chancellor, Arch-Bishop, and Assassin brings new layers of complexity. This variant can certainly offer an exciting experience for chess enthusiasts seeking something different. Enjoy watching how players adapt to and explore your innovative creation! ♟️✨

[msc545]

I'm a chess ehthusiast and this is very interesting. Would you please post an image of the board you propose with some sample openings and counters? I am trying to visualize some of this and not able to do that very well just yet...

[SeekerOfTruth007]

I'll try, but I probably need to make a board in Paint, since Speadsheets aren't allowed to be posted to this website. Strong openings would still involve deploying your Rangers and Knights to the center of the board, and saving your Rooks, Chancellors, and Arch-Bishops for the late game.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

Let's see if this works:

[SeekerOfTruth007]

It doesn't look like my screen capture works in a format this site accepts. :C

[SeekerOfTruth007]

Here, Youtube to the Rescue.

https://youtu.be/7eusa8bz5WA?si=k5NKXjhhfrC-6jy2

Ab = Arch Bishiop
Ch = Chancellor
Ba = Bard
A = assassin
Ra = Ranger

[SeekerOfTruth007]

Hey, do you think it would make more sense to remove the classic pieces and have only custom pieces on the board? I was thinking of replacing the Queen with the Champion, and then have an 8x10 board with one Chancellor and one Arch-Bishop each, and then 2 each of my custom pieces, being Assassin, Bard, and Ranger. What do you think about this idea? I think it makes more sense than expecting players to play with 32 pieces in total.