Arrangement Chess
(and Chess100)
rearranging the piece
array
Invented and implemented by Mats Winther
April 2009.
Primary piece graphics by
See also my
homepage.
| Abstract: The relocation method allows the players optionally to relocate the king and the queen before the play begins, whilst retaining the castling rights. The players can abstain from this if they both prefer the standard setup. It is a cogent method of rearranging the initial position to enhance opening ramification, while allowing the players to remain in control. The resultant positions, where the king positions are mirrored, are 100 by number. They deviate marginally from the standard position and would comply with the general chessplayer's perception of strategical soundness. |
Introduction
In Arrangement Chess Black can decide the initial positions of the kings, whose positions are mirrored, but the placement of the queens are decided independently. Arrangement Chess is like standard chess except that the players can, before play begins, swap places of the king + queen and another piece except the rooks. Thus, when the king is swapped (relocated), the other piece (the relocatee) ends up on the king's square. When the queen is swapped, the relocatee ends up on the queen's square. One restriction is that the bishops mustn't end up on the same square colour, and the king cannot become a relocatee (i.e. swapped by the queen). Note that black begins by swapping his king. Alternatively he can choose to leave the position as it is (by pressing the king). The white player then mirrors black's swap. After the kings thus have been swapped, Black can now relocate the queen, if he so wishes. Next White relocates his queen and immediately starts the game by making the first move.
Note that the king retains his castling rights even if it has been relocated. The castling rules derive from Fischer Random Chess. White castles in the following way (the Black procedure is equivalent). When castling left (O-O-O) , the king moves to c1 and the rook moves to d1. When castling right (O-O) the king moves to g1 and the rook moves to f1. The following conditions must be true: the king must not move to, from or over an attacked square; the king and rook have never moved; there is no other piece on any square over which the king and rook move.
Note! If the king starts the game on a castling destination square (c or g), castling on that side is done by moving the rook instead of the king.
Curtailed castling: in an alternative variant, if the king is positioned on the g or b file, castling is restricted to the side on which the king is positioned. The variant could be useful to enhance strategical predictability.
Discussion
With these relocation rules the rooks remain in their natural positions, and the bishops are always positioned so that there is still a choice to develop them on either of the queen's or the king's wing. This maintains the strategical ambiguity of the initial position, while sound positions are produced where no definitive advantage can be obtained. Black relocates first. Thusly white gets a chance to make a strategical decision and create an initiative, as in the standard position. The initial positions are a subgroup of Fischer Random Chess. The most conservative relocation, it seems, is to change place between king and queen, which is a convenient way of avoiding theory. Remember that the resultant castling positions are always the same as in standard chess.
Arguably,
this method of reconfiguration of the initial array makes the procedure of
randomization redundant (cmp.
Fischer
Random Chess). Thus it answers to the chessplayer's predilection for
remaining in control. Black can choose to relocate to a position which somewhat
improves his chances against, for instance, the e4 openings. But White can
adjust to this and try to predict his opening plans and on which side Black is
going to castle. This can inform his choice of queen positioning. The standard
position is an active and strategically ambiguous position, which could often be
advantageous to White. However, as Black, the standard position is not
necessarily the best defensive position. As White is recompenced by giving him
the last word in the setup of the pieces, I believe that this gives him a slight
possibility to maintain an advantage. It is necessary to maintain the first move
advantage in order to retain the strategical tension.
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Randomization
The randomized version of Arrangement Chess (Arrangement Random Chess) implies that the initial position of each side is independently randomized according to the above rules of king and queen relocation. It is supported in the program. It is also called Chess100 as there are 100 possible board positions. It is comparable to Fischer Random Chess. Arrangement Chess is designed to overcome the problem of opening monotony.
Online play
You can play Chess100 (Arrangement
Random Chess) online or by email
here.
To play you must have installed "Zillions of Games". Either
double-click on ArrangementChess.zrf or
1. Run "Zillions of Games"
2. Choose "Open Game Rules..." from the File menu
3. Select "ArrangementChess.zrf" in the Open dialog and click "Open"
ArrangementChess.zrf is a rules file used by the Windows program "Zillions
of Games". Zillions of Games allows you to play any number of games
against the computer or over the Internet. Zillions of Games can be purchased
online. For more information please visit the Zillions of Games website
www.zillions-of-games.com
Black has relocated the king to g8 and the relocatee to e8. White is compelled to mirror this move. Black has then relocated the queen to e8 and the relocatee to d8. White, finally, has relocated the queen to b1 and the relocatee to d1. Black can later castle short by moving the rook to f8, or castle long by moving the king to c8, as usual. Despite the many pieces in between, the likelihood of long castle is, paradoxically, greater. This is because the king, thanks to its protected position, can wait a longer time before deciding on which side to castle. Now white begins the play.