Notable Examples
| Name | Parlett | Betza | Found in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aanca | t | Old historic piece. Moves one square like a rook followed by moving any number of spaces diagonally outwards (moving away from where it started). | ||
| Alfil | ~2X | A | Shatranj | A (2,2)-leaper. Compare to Elephant. Alternate notation: ~2/2 |
| Alibaba | ~2* | AD | Fairy Chess Problems | Combines the powers of Alfil and Dabbaba |
| Amazon | n*, ~1/2 | QN | Knightmare Chess | Combines the powers of the queen and the knight. Also called Superqueen. |
| Andernach grasshopper | Andernach chess | A Grasshopper that changes the colour of the hurdle it leaps over. Also known as a Chopper. | ||
| Archbishop | nX, ~1/2 | BN | Capablanca chess | Combines the powers of bishop and knight. Also called a Princess, Cardinal, Janus or Paladin. |
| Arrow pawn | o1+, c1X (Persson variant: o2+, c1X) |
mWcF (Persson variant: mR2cF) |
Arrow Pawn Chess | Moves one square orthogonally in any direction and captures diagonally in any direction. In the R. Persson 1938 variant it also moves two squares orthogonally (but cannot jump) and does not promote. |
| Balloon | Four Dimensional Chess | A bishop-like piece used in four-dimensional chess, i.e. it changes all coordinates simultaneously while moving. | ||
| Basilisk | on* (Immo~1/2) | mQ (Immo-N) | Nova Chess | A piece that moves as a queen but immobilizes any piece within a knight's move of itself, that is, it prevents it from moving or taking. If it is a fairy piece with additional powers it may or may not perform these other tasks depending on the case in question. A Basilisk that is caught by another Basilisk in this fashion, for example, may continue to immobilize others, including the other Basilisk. |
| Berolina pawn | o1X>, c1>, io2X> | mfFcfWimfF2 | Berolina chess | Moves one square diagonally forward (except on its first move, when it may move two), but captures by moving one square straight forward. Compare with pawn. |
| Bishop | nX | B | Orthodox Chess | Moves any number of free squares diagonally. |
| Boyscout | zB | Fairy Chess Problems | Moves like a bishop, but takes 90 degree turns after each step. Invented by J. de A. Almay in the first half of the 20th century. Rediscovered as Crooked Bishop by Ralph Betza. | |
| Bug-Eyed Monster | Fairy Chess Problems | Can jump to any square which would not be reachable by any orthodox chess piece. Since the Amazon is the sum of all orthodox chess pieces, the Bug-Eyed Monster is the complement of the Amazon. | ||
| Camel | ~1/3 | L | Tamerlane Chess | Old historic piece. Jumps 2 squares orthogonally followed by one square diagonally outwards. |
| Cannon | See "Pao" and "Korean Cannon" | |||
| Cardinal | See "Archbishop" | |||
| Champion | 1+, ~2* | WAD | Omega Chess | Combines the powers of the Wazir and the Alibaba. |
| Chancellor | n+, ~1/2 | RN | Capablanca chess | Combines the powers of the rook and knight. Also called Empress or Marshal. |
| Checker | cn(^2X>), o1X> King: cn(^2X), o1X |
Checkers | Multiple captures in one turn, or without capturing can move forward one diagonal space, but cannot move backward until after it has finished a turn on the far rank of the board. (cf. Draughts, Checkers) | |
| Chopper | See "Andernach grasshopper" | |||
| Colonel | n>, n=, 2/1> 1* | KfsRfN | Chess with different armies | Moves as forwards and sideways rook, the forwards moves of a knight, or a king. |
| Dabbaba | ~2+ | D | Tamerlane Chess | Old historic piece, also known as War machine or Machine. Alternate notation: ~0/2 |
| Dayrider | n(~2*) | AADD | Combination of Alfilrider and Dabbabarider. Also known as Alibabarider. | |
| Dummy | A piece with no moves at all. It may be captured, gain temporarily moving ability by relay, or pushed or pulled around by other pieces if there are pushing or pulling pieces on the board. Different from Zero. | |||
| Edgehog | n* | Q | Edgehog Chess | A queen that can move only to or from the edge of the board. Variant: when it moves from an edge, it may not move to an edge. Represented in diagrams by a queen rotated 90° counterclockwise. Invented by John Driver in 1966. |
| Elephant | 2X | nA | Xiangqi (Chinese) | A (2,2) leaper, but it cannot jump over an intervening piece. In Chinese Chess, the Elephant is restricted to its half of the board. |
| Empress | See "Chancellor" | |||
| Fers | 1X | F | Shatranj | Moves one square diagonally in any direction. |
| Fusilier | o1+, c1X | mWcF | Centennial Chess | Moves and captures like a pawn in all four directions. Invented by F. Marinelli in 1770. Also known as Steward or Quadrapawn. |
| Giraffe | ~1/4 | Old historic piece. Jumps one square diagonally followed by three squares orthogonally. See also Zurafa. | ||
| Gryphon | t | Old historic piece. Moves one square diagonally followed by moving any number of spaces like a rook outwards (moving away from where it started). | ||
| Gold General | 1+, 1X> | WfF | Shōgi | Moves in all four orthogonal directions, or diagonally forward. |
| Grasshopper | gQ | Fairy Chess Problems | A hopper which moves along the same lines as a queen and lands on the square immediately beyond that of the hurdle. One of the most popular fairy pieces. In diagrams, the Grasshopper is usually represented by an inverted queen. | |
| Graz Pawn | 1*>, io2*> | fWfFifmW2ifmF2 | Fairy Chess Problems | Combines the powers of the Berolina pawn and the standard pawn. Also known as the Sergeant, this piece was used as early as 1943 in Arno von Wilpert's Wolf Chess. It occurs (without the initial double move) as Iron General in large shogi variants from the 15th century, e.g., in Tenjiku shogi. |
| Horse | Xiangqi | See "Mao" | ||
| Immobilizer | on* (Immo1*) | mQ (Immo-K) | Ultima | The Immobilizer, invented by Robert Abbott, moves as a chess queen. At the end of its move, any enemy piece that is on a square adjacent to the Immobilizer is frozen in place, and can not move away until the Immobilizer moves away or is captured. The Immobilizer can never move to an occupied square and can not capture pieces. If two Immobilizers move next to each other, they are both frozen until the end of the game or until one is captured. An immobilised piece may commit suicide, e.g., to open a line of attack. This action counts as a move. |
| Janus | Janus chess | See "Archbishop" | ||
| King | 1* | K | Orthodox chess | Move one square in any direction. Royal in orthodox chess. A non-royal piece which moves in this way is sometimes called a Commoner or Man (sometimes Mann). |
| Khohn | 1X, 1> | FfW | Makruk | Move one square in any direction diagonally or one square straight forward. It has the same moves as the Silver General in shogi. |
| Knight | ~1/2 | N | Orthodox chess | It jumps one square orthogonally followed by another square diagonally. |
| Korean Cannon | pR | Korean chess (janggi) | Moves and captures along orthogonal lines by jumping exactly one piece, called the hurdle. There can be any number of free squares before and after the hurdle. Unlike the Pao it moves the same way for capturing and non-capturing moves. In chess problems it is sometimes called Rook Lion or Rion. | |
| Kraken | ~n/m | Leap to any square on the board, including the one it is currently on (leaping to the current square has the effect of passing a move). Compare with Universal leaper. | ||
| Leeloo | Quintessential Chess | Combines the powers of Quintessence and rook | ||
| Leo | on*, c^& | mQcpQ | Chinese | Combines the powers of the Pao and Vao; it moves like a queen when not capturing (that is, a (1,0) or (1,1) rider), but captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on the Leo's destination square (the captured piece can be any number of squares beyond the hurdle). |
| Lias' Pawn | o1>, o1=, c1X>, io2> | mfsWcfFimfW2 | Lias' proposal | An extended pawn which can also step one square sidewards. Proposed in the 1920s by A. G. Lias to improve standard chess |
| Lion | pQ | Fairy Chess Problems | A hopper which moves along the same lines as a queen and which can land on a square any distance beyond the hurdle. | |
| Maharaja | n*, ~1/2 | QN | Maharajah and the Sepoys | A royal Amazon, the only piece for white. |
| Mao | Chinese | Moves like a knight except that it does not leap. It steps one square orthogonally in any direction, then continues one square diagonally in the same general direction. The square stepped to orthogonally must be vacant. For example, with mao on b2 and pawn on b3, the mao is blocked from moving to a4 or c4; if the pawn were on c3, the mao could reach both squares. | ||
| Marshal | See "Chancellor" | |||
| Moa | Chinese | As the Mao, but the first step is diagonal and the second orthogonal, not the other way round. | ||
| Murray Lion | ~2*, c1* | ADcK | Can move and capture as an Alfil or Dabbaba, and capture only as a king. This piece stems from a misinterpretation of the Lion of chu shogi but has become popular in fairy chess problems and chess variants. It is named after the chess historian Harold James Ruthven Murray who brought it up. | |
| Nao | mNNcpNN | Chinese | A Chinese Nightrider moves as a normal Nightrider (that is, a (2,1) rider) when not capturing, but which captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on the Nao's destination square (the captured piece can be any number of knight moves beyond the hurdle). | |
| Nightrider | n(1/2) (in same direction) | NN | Fairy Chess Problems | A rider which moves any number of (2,1) cells (i.e., knight moves) in the same direction in a straight line. A Nightrider on b2 on an empty board, therefore, can move to a4, c4, d6, e8, d3, f4, h5 and d1. A pawn of the opposing colour on d6 could be captured, but the Nightrider could not move any further in that direction (i.e., it couldn't move on to e8). In diagrams, the Nightrider is usually represented by an inverted knight. One of the most popular fairy pieces. (See diagram below.) |
| Odysseus | Fairy Chess Problems | The Odysseus' move depends on the file where it is located: It moves as a rook on files a and h, as a knight on files b and g, as a bishop on files c and f, as a queen on file d and as a king on file e. Also known as Querquisite. | ||
| Pao | mRcpR | Chinese | Moves like a rook when not capturing (that is, a (1,0) rider), but captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on the Pao's destination square (the captured piece can be any number of squares beyond the hurdle). Found in xiangqi (in which context it is normally known in English as a Cannon). Compare with Korean Cannon. | |
| Pawn | o1>, c1X>, io2> | mfWcfFimfW2 | Orthodox Chess | Moves one square straight forward (except on its first move, when it may move two squares), but captures one square forward diagonally. Compare with Berolina pawn. |
| Pentere | Quinquereme Chess | Combines the powers of queen and Quintessence. | ||
| Princess | See "Archbishop" | |||
| Pterodactyl | ~3/3, ~5/5, ~0/15 | Chess mathematics | The simplest triple range amphibian. George Jelliss demonstrated a pterodactyl's knight's tour on a 16×16 board in 1985 | |
| Quang Trung Rook | Quang Trung Chess | Moves as rook but when capturing must move on square away from captured piece in the same direction. | ||
| Queen | n* | Q | Orthodox Chess | Combines the powers of the bishop and rook. |
| Quintessence | Quintessential Chess | A Nightrider who takes 90-degree turns in a zigzag manner on each step. First described in 2002 by Jörg Knappen and found in several chess variants since then. | ||
| Rao | mqNcpqN | Chinese | A Chinese Rose —moves as a normal Rose when not capturing, but captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on the Rao's destination square. The captured piece can be any distance beyond the hurdle. | |
| Reflecting Bishop | Moves like a bishop, but additionally is allowed to "bounce" off the edge of the board when making a move, similar to a hockey puck or billiard ball. Its path continues down the diagonal to any legitimate square after the "bounce". | |||
| RennCavalier | Renniassance Chess | Moves in the same move one square diagonally and any number of squares othogonally or any number of squares orthogonally and one diagonally. It has two paths to the same target square and must make at least a blockable knight's move. Called Cavalier in RennChess, but the name Cavalier is used for other pieces as well. Renniassance Chess was invented by 1980 by Eric V. Greenwood. | ||
| RennDuke | Renniassance Chess | Moves in the same move one square orthogonally and then any number of squares diagonally or any number of squares diagonally and then one straight. It has two paths to the same target square and must make at least a blockable knight's move. Called Duke in RennChess, but the name Duke is used for other pieces as well. | ||
| Rook | n+ | R | Orthodox Chess | Moves any number of free squares orthogonally. |
| Rose | qN | Fairy Chess Problems | Moves as a Nightrider, except that rather than moving in a straight line, it moves along pseudo-circular ones. A rose standing on e1 on an empty board, for instance, can move to any of the squares on the large circle c2, b4, c6, e7, g6, h4 and g2; as well as c2 and a1; or d3 and b4; or d3, e5 and g6; or f3, e5, c6 and a5; or f3 and h4. As with the nightrider, an opposite-coloured piece on any one of these squares can be captured, but prevents the rose from progressing any further along that line. See diagram below. | |
| Sergeant | See "Graz Pawn" | |||
| Spy | 2>, 2=, (1/1)> | fsDfF | Chess Empire | The Spy can move two spaces forwards or sideways, or can move like a knight one forward and then one horizontally or vice versa. It can leap over pieces and can only move two spaces; thus, it is "trapped" on its own color like a bishop. |
| Squirrel | ~0/2, ~1/2, ~2/2 | DAN | Fairy Chess Problems | Jumps to any field in a distance of 2. It was discovered independently several times and is also known as Centurion or Castle. |
| Superpawn | on>, cnX> | mfRcfB | Fairy Chess Problems | Moves without capture any number of fields forward, captures diagonally forwards like a bishop. Promotes on the 8th rank. Cannot capture en passant nor be captured en passant. May be placed in the first rank. Invented by Werner Speckmann in 1967. |
| Superqueen | See "Amazon" | |||
| Taxi | Fairy Chess Problems | Moves without capture one step forward or backwards, captures one square diagonally forwards like a pawn. When in the second rank can move one, two or three steps forward or one backwards. Can promote on the 8th rank or continue to be a Taxi. Can capture en passant other pawns or Taxis. May be placed in the first or eight ranks. | ||
| Universal leaper | Leap to any square on the board apart from the one it is on. Compare with Kraken. | |||
| Unicorn | Raumschach | In Raumschach it is a triagonal rider, moves through the vertices of the cubes. See diagram below. The name unicorn is also used for several pieces in 2 dimensions, e.g., for the Archbishop or for the combination of bishop and Nightrider also known as Banshee. | ||
| Vao | mBcpB | Chinese | Moves like a bishop when not capturing (that is, a (1,1) rider), but captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on the Vao's destination square (the captured piece can be any number of squares beyond the hurdle). | |
| Wazir | 1+ | W | Tamerlane Chess | Moves one square orthogonally in any direction. |
| Wizard | 1X, ~1/3 | FL | Omega Chess | Combines the movement of Fers and Camel. |
| Zebra | ~2/3 | J | Old historic piece. Jumps one square orthogonally followed by two squares diagonally outwards. | |
| Zero | ~0/0 | A piece which can make a zero move, i. e., jump and land on its starting square without any side effects. This gives the player the option to pass a move. Sometimes used as a component to more complex pieces. It is different from the piece with no move at all called Dummy | ||
| Zurafa | Tamerlane Chess | Starts with a (1,4) leap (like the modern Giraffe) and may continue moving outwards as a rook. |
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