Introduction
In Interloper Chess the pieces move as in orthodox chess, with the exception of the additional piece, the "Interloper". The Interloper slides one or two steps in any direction. If it is guarded then it is invulnerable and cannot be captured (except in case it has not yet moved from the initial square). Note! It is sufficient if the piece is visually guarded. This implies that it is viewed as guarded even if capturing back would expose the king. The Interloper seems stronger than a rook but weaker than a queen.
The pawns move as in orthodox chess, inclusive of the initial double-step and 'en passant'. The pawn can also make an initial triplicate step, which means that 'en passant' can also be performed when the enemy pawn stops on the rank behind the friendly pawn. Pawns promote as usual on the last rank. When castling, the king jumps three steps.
The Interloper should be rapidly developed. It's not only a dangerous attacking piece, it is also good at stymieing the attack of an enemy Interloper by simply standing in the way. Despite the fact that the armies are so far apart in this 10x10 variant, it is an aggressive variant and games tend to reach a decision soon. There are plenty of opportunities for counter-attacks, so don't despair if you lose material. In an additional variant Donkeys take the place of the knights. Interloper Chess and the new Interloper piece were invented by undersigned in August 2007.
The Interloper is invulnerable because
it is visually guarded.
• You can download my free Interloper Chess program here (updated 2007-08-14), but you must own the software Zillions of Games to be able to run it (I recommend the download version).
• Don't miss my other chess variants.
© M. Winther (August 2007).
