Game: Cazaux Chess
This file presents a family of several Chess variants invented by Jean-Louis Cazaux, with some other among the most popular.
Shako
Played over a 10x10 board with 44 pieces.
The idea of this variant is to make a new game without directly disposing the large heritage of the classical game. All rules of orthodox chess are kept. The way the pieces are placed in the opening setup allows the players to follow practical all the openings used for usual chess.
The new pieces (Cannon, Elephant) are inspired from Xiangqi (Chinese Chess), with the intention to bring back together the two branches of the game that went from India and Persia either east to China, and west to the Arabs and then to Europe.
Shako is presented in the French book "Guide des Echecs exotiques et insolites".
Invented in 1990. The name Shako means Chess in Esperanto,'another kind of non-conformism and utopia'.
Tamerlane 2000
Played over a 11x11 board with 56 pieces.
This game is a variant of Timur's Chess (or Tamerlane Chess).
Victory is obtained when opposite King is checkmated with no more possibility of replacement by a Prince. With this implementation, the game is won when the enemy King is checkmated.
This is the first chessvariant invented by Jean-Louis Cazaux. Based on Tamerlane II, a game invented in 1978, revised several times and renamed Tamerlane 2000 to mark the difference.
A variant proposed here is Wild Tamerlane played with strong pieces (Queens, Gryphons) since the beginning of the game.
Perfect 12
Played over a 12x12 board with 72 pieces.
For the Ancients, 12 was a perfect number. Much more than 10, since it can be divided by 2, 3 and 4. This game is a chess variant on a 12 x 12 board with 12 types of different pieces. A tentative to a well balanced game since there is the same number of Pawns than other pieces. The driving idea was to gather characters from most famous chess variations, historic and regional. Along the traditional Chess pieces, it has the Cannon from Xiang-Qi, the Lion from Chu Shogi, the Camel from Tamerlane Chess, the Gryphon from Spanish Grande Acedrex and the Prince from Courier Chess. The Elephant is a modern variation of medieval Alfil, also found in Shako. There are as many riders (Queen, Rook, Bishop and Gryphon) than leapers (Knight, Camel, Elephant and Lion). The piece density is 0.5 as for FIDE chess.
Gigachess
Played over a 14x14 board with 96 pieces.
This game is a very large chess variant on a 14 x 14 board with 20 types of different pieces coming from several famous chess variants. The piece density is almost 0.5 as for FIDE chess. This game is so far the biggest of the family.
Amazon is the strongest piece, followed by the Queen then the Gryphon. Corporals are stronger than Pawns.
Other popular games are given here and can be played using the same graphics.
Deciomega
Deciomega Chess is a variant of Omega Chess. It is played on a regular 10x10 board. The two new piece types, Champion and Wizard, are both able to jump. Usual chess rules apply. Proposed (1999) by Jean-Louis Cazaux from Omega Chess.
The same file allows to play the genuine Omega Chess invented by Daniel C. Macdonald.
Decimal Oriental Chess
Invented by Vernon Rylands Parton, 1897-1974, a very active Chess variant inventor (Alice Chess, Rettah Chess, etc.). Parton included this variant in his booklet 100 Squares Chess + Damante published in 1972.
For the game of Decimal Oriental the player has an army of twenty men which consist of two Chariots, two Cannons, two Horsemen, two Camels and two Elephants, with the Minister and Prince Commander, supported by eight soldiers.
Wildebeest Chess
In his very nice book New Rules for Classic Games, R. Wayne Schmittberger gives the rules and backgrounds of his large chess variant Wildebeest Chess. One of the design purposes of this variant was to balance the number of riders (pieces like Rook and Bishop) and leapers (pieces like the Knight).
e-mail:
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web page (another view on Chess) :
http://www.chez.com/cazaux/
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