CHESMAYNE
begin the beguine
wings - band on the run
Shatranj
View out
window to Arabian-style settlement of stone buildings
Shatranj is the Arabic name
under which chess was known from the 7th century of the first
millennium. It has been (and still is)
played in the Islamic world. This variant of chess is the
forerunner of traditional
western chess. The Firzan and Fil (MPs) are used instead of
QU1, BS1 and BS2. Shatranj uses an 8 x
8 unchequered board. The mps are called ‘Baidaqs’ (BQs). Shatranj is slow and is inclined to be
positional. Positions in which the ELs and AD1 are active are
considered good. Weak cells (:w$) are
those that can not be covered by AD1, EL1 and EL2. Strong cells (:s$) are those that can be
covered by AD1, EL1 and EL2 (there are eight of each colour). Because AD1, EL1 and EL2 are weaker than QU1, BS1 and BS2 used in
traditional chess, the KI is
often used as a fighting unit. Most
conflicts do not start until about the 15th move of a game (when
captures begin to take place).
Sometimes :A and :B make a
mutually agreed set of opening moves (called ‘Ta’bia’). However, the MPs/mps are not allowed to
cross into the opponents half of the board.
This is the first known version of chess (Chaturanga) and was very
popular for many centuries. It is
played on an unchequered board 8 x 8. BQs promote on reaching
rank-8, becoming an EL (in some versions, a GE). Another rule allows the KI to be moved to
the cell of one of his other MPs (transposed), so long as this does not result
in check.
01 The KI is allowed to move one
cell in any direction.
02 The Adviser (AD), is only allowed
to move one cell ‘diagonally’ in any direction. This MP is called a ‘Firzan
’ in Shatranj.
A-AD1, B-AD1 and A-AD2, B-AD2 can never come into contact during a game
(opposing colours).
03 The Fil or, elephant (EL) moves two cells in any direction and is permitted
to hop over any intervening MP/mp. There
are two other types of elephant used in Chesmayne and the monograms ET and EP are used for
these (please see ‘Thai’, ‘Burmese’ and ‘Cambodian’
chess for details). An EL can only
reach seven cells on the 8 x 8 board and cannot attack each other.
04 The Faras (KT) moves in the same fashion as his traditional
occidental counterpart.
05 The Rukh (RO) is the most powerful MP and has
exactly the same motion as our modern equivalent.
06 The BQs (Baidaqs) move one cell at a time (FMO)
and one cell thereafter (AOM). They may
only be promoted to EL (EL3, EL4, EL5 etc).
Desert tent scene
07 Castling
is not permitted as this double-move was introduced to chess some 800 years
after the introduction of Shatranj, in the 15th century.
08 :A may commence a game of Shatranj on rank-1 and rank-2
or on rank-7 and rank-8.
link: Figure
1 Islamic ivory chess pieces, draughtsmen and dice in the Ashmolean Museum
09 Shatranj has its own canon of names for openings etc:
Goat Peg, Wonderful and Lovely, Pharaoh’s Fortress and the Sword Opening being
examples, which are called ‘Tabia’. Please see
below for a more in depth discussion and examples in the Chesmayne format. In the 15th century the
convention of allowing white to open was introduced. The main difference between Shatranj and
traditional western chess as we know it, is that in Shatranj, a win can be achieved
by taking all of your adversary’s MPs/mps, except the KI - you do not need to
force checkmate (++CM).
10 A player who is in stalemate may exchange the position of his
KI with any of the other MPs/mps as long as this does not leave his KI in
check. This exchange is regarded as a
single move! It is called a ‘transposition.’
11 The KI and AD1 may be reversed in the ISP but must be
done by both players.
Desert seen from inside cave
1 - L06 Shatranj
(8 x 8 board)
This particular (game-tree) of chess has been played
in Islamic countries for more than ten centuries.
The Chesmayne chess MPs/mps are triangular shaped. Large triangles are used for the MPs and
small triangles are used for the mps.
Each triangle has the monogram of the MP/mp printed on it ie:
BQ1, BQ2, BQ3, BQ4, BQ5, BQ6, BQ7 and BQ8 for the mps on :L06 (Shatranj). The monograms RO1, RO2, EL1, EL2, KT1, KT2,
AD1 and KI for the MPs on :L06 (Shatranj).
:L06 Set-up the board as follows - Initial Starting
Position (ISP)
Diagram of :L06
Board…
-A-
-B- -C- -D- -E- -F- -G- -H-
RO2 KT2 EL2 AD1 -KI EL1 KT1 RO1 rank-1
BQ8 BQ7 BQ6 BQ5 BQ4 BQ3 BQ2 BQ1 rank-2
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- rank-3
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- rank-4
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- rank-5
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- rank-6
BQ1 BQ2 BQ3 BQ4 BQ5 BQ6 BQ7 BQ8 rank-7
RO1 KT1 EL1 AD1 -KI EL2 KT2 RO2 rank-8
Rules of Shatranj
01 In the game of
Shatranj a ‘stalemate’ (++ST) is considered a loss.
02 Bare KI (a lone KI on the board without MPs/mps for
his own protection loses the game and is called ‘baring chess’.
03 Castling is not permitted.
04 The :ep (en passant) move is not permitted.
05 The mps (BQs) are only allowed to move one cell at a
time. On the first move the BQ is not
allowed to advance two cells.
06 The light or dark MPs/mps can make the opening move in
Shatranj.
07 Flank
openings are considered the best.
08 The mps are developed first, followed by the
MPs in the rear.
The 16 MPs/mps used in the game of Shatranj
There
are six types of MP/mp used in Shatranj (traditional chess also has 6).
01 King KI
02 Adviser AD AD1
03 Rook RO RO1 and RO2
04 Elephant EL EL1 and EL2
05 Knight KT KT1 and KT2
06 Baidaq BQ BQ1 BQ2 BQ3 BQ4 BQ5 BQ6 BQ7 BQ8
How the MPs/mps move in the game of
Shatranj
KI: Allowed
to move one cell in any direction.
AD: Allowed
to move one cell diagonally in any direction.
RO: Moves in the
same manner as the traditional RO. RO1 and RO2 are normally brought together on
R$02 after the mps have been moved. In
traditional chess (:L01 Chesmayne) the ROs are normally linked together on
R$01.
KT: Moves
in the exact same way as the traditional KT (2 x 1).
BQ:
The Baidaq is allowed to move forward
one cell at a time. On reaching R$08
the BQ can only be promoted to an AD (Adviser). The :ep (en passant) move and the option of
a two-move advance of the BQ from the ISP (Initial Starting Position) is not
allowed. The BQ captures one cell
diagonally.
EL:
Must be moved two cells diagonally
when played on the board. The EL can jump
over an intervening MP/mp to complete their two cell move. It should noticed that the ELs cannot occupy
a cell on the top rank of the board due to the size of the 8 x 8 board. The word ‘elephant’ (EL) is translated from
the Sanskrit ‘gaja’. Each EL has only
eight cells to which they may move on an 8 x 8 board.
A-EL2 is
more important than ELI for :A because EL2 can protect AD1 (EL1 cannot protect
AD1).
B-EL1 is
more important than EL2 for :B because EL1 can protect AD1 (EL2 cannot protect
AD1).
The moving ability of the EL on an 8
x 8 board
Set-up the board and place the MPs/mps as shown
below. Notice that an EL cannot occupy
a cell on the top rank of an 8 x 8 board.
Each EL can only occupy eight different cells on an 8 x 8 board.
:A EL2: $F01 $H03 $F05 $H07 $D03 $B01
$B05 and $D07
:B EL2: $C08 $A01 $A06 $C04 $E06 $E02 $G08 and $G04
---------------------------------------------------
:A EL1: $C01 $A03 $C05 $A07 $E03 $G03
$G05 and $E07
:B EL1: $F08 $B04 $B08 $D02 $D06 $F04 $H02 and $H06
:L06 Shatranj - sample game on an 8 x
8 board
How to set-up the Shatranj
board…
:A RO2 KT2 EL2 AD1
KI EL1 KT1 RO1 Rank-8
BQ8 BQ7 BQ6 BQ5 BQ4 BQ3 BQ2 BQ1 Rank-7
-----------------------------------------
:B BQ1 BQ2 BQ3 BQ4 BQ5 BQ6 BQ7
BQ8 Rank-2
RO1 KT1 EL1 AD1 KI EL2 KT2 RO2 Rank-1
Note: :A is playing from the top of the board
(ranks 7 and 8) in this game (normally :A plays from ranks 1 and 2). Set-up the board and play through the moves
shown below. The XY notation is shown on the left. The acentric notation is indicated on the
right.
01A BQ3-F07/F06 BQ3-C12/B07
01B BQ6-F02/F03 BQ6-C05/B04
02A BQ3-F06/F05 BQ3-B07/B06
02B BQ6-F03/F04 BQ6-B04/B05
03A KT1-G08/F06 KT1-D16/B07
03B KT2-G01/F03 KT2-G01/B04
04A BQ6-C07/C06 BQ6-C15/B10
04B BQ5-E02/E03 BQ5-C04/B03
05A BQ6-C06/C05 BQ6-B10/B11
05B EL2-F01/H03 EL2-D06/D10
06A BQ2-G07/G06 BQ2-C11/C10
06B KT2-F03/H04 KT2-B04/D11
07A BQ4-E07/E06 BQ4-C13/B08
07B BQ2-B02/B03 BQ2-C01/C20
08A AD1-D08/E07 AD1-D19/C13
08B AD1-D01/E02 AD1-D04/C04
09A EL1-F08/H06 EL1-D17/D13
09B BQ7-G02/G03 BQ7-C06/C07
10A KI-E07/F07 KI-D18/D17
10B KT2-H04/F03 KT2-D11/B04
11A RO1-H08/D08 RO1-D15/D19
11B KT2-F03/E05+CH KT2 B04/A03+CH
12A KI-F07/G08 KI-C12/D16
12B KT2-E05/D03 KT2-A03/B02
13A BQ5-D07/D06 BQ5-C14/B09
13B KT2-D03/F02 KT2-B02/C05
14A KT2-B08/C06 KT2-D21/B10
14B BQ4-D02/D03 BQ4-C03/B02
15A BQ7-B07/B06 BQ7-C16/C17
15B BQ5-E03/E04 BQ5-B03/A02
16A BQ3-F05*E04-BQ5 BQ3-B06*A02-BQ5
16B BQ4-D03*E04-BQ3 BQ4-B02*A02 BQ3
17A BQ5-D06/D05 BQ5-B09/A04
17B AD1-E02/D03 AD1-C04/B02
18A BQ6-C05/C04 BQ6-B11/B12
18B BQ2-B03*C04-BQ6 BQ2-C20*B12-BQ6
19A BQ5-D05*C04-BQ2 BQ5-A04*B12-BQ2
19B AD1-D03*C04-BQ5 AD1-B02*B12-BQ5
20A EL2-C08/A06 EL2-D20/D24
20B AD1-C04/D03 AD1-B12/B02
21A RO2-A08/C08 RO2-D24/D20
21B KT1-B01/C03 KT1-D02/B01
22A KT2-C06/B04 KT2-B10/C19
22B KT1-C03/A04 KT1-B01/D26
23A RO2-C08*C02-BQ3 RO2-D20*C02-BQ3
23B EL2-H03/F01 EL2-D10/D06
24A EL2-A06/C04 EL2-D24/B12
24B KT2-F02/H03 KT2-C05/D10
25A KT1-F06*E04-BQ4 KT1-B07*A02-BA4
25B BQ1-A02/A03 BQ1-D28/D27
26A RO2-C02/E02+CH RO2-C02/C04+CH
26B KI-E01/D01 KI-D05/D04
27A KT2-B04*D03-AD1 KT2-C19*B02-AD1
27B EL2-F01*D03-KT2 EL2-D06*B02-KT2
28B RO1-D08*D03-EK2++CM RO1-D19*B02-EL2++
++WN for :A ++LS for :B
Note: in the final position above B-KI is prevented
from capturing the A-RO2 due to EL2 on $C04 (if the KI captured RO2 on $E02 the
KI would still be in +CH by EL2 on $C04.
Example game of Shatranj
The
XY notation is shown on the left. The
centric notation is indicated on the right.
01A BQ4-D02/D03 BQ4-C03/B02
01B BQ6-C07/C06 BQ6-C15/B10
02A BQ4-D03/D04 BQ4-B02/A01
02B BQ7-B07/B06 BQ7-C16/C17
03A BQ3-C02/C03 BQ3-C02/B01
03B BQ6-C06/C05 BQ6-B10/B11
04A BQ4-D04/D05 BQ4-A01/A04
04B KT1-G08/F06 KT1-D16/B07
05A BQ3-C02/C03 BQ3-C02/B01
05B BQ7-B06/B05 BQ7-C17/C18
06A BQ2-B02/B03 BQ2-C01/C20
06B BQ6-C05/C04 BQ6-B11/B12
07A BQ2-B03*C04-BQ6 BQ2-C20*B12-BQ6
07B BQ7-B05*C04-BQ2 BQ7-C18*B12-BQ2
08A EL1-C01/A03 EL1-D03/D27
08B EL2-C08/A06 EL2-D20/D24
09A KT1-B01/D02 KT1-D02/C03
09B KT1-F06*D05-BQ4 KT1-B07*A04-BQ4
10A RO1-A01/C01 RO1-D01/D03
10B KT2-B08/C06 KT2-D21/B10
11A Next move ? Next move ?
11B Next move ? Next move ?
Set-up the Shatranj board and play through the moves
shown above and then continue the game.
Opening (Shatranj)
The openings in Shatranj have canonical names. These are known as ‘Tabia/Tabiat’. A Tabia is a particular mp formation that is
built up from the ISP (Initial Starting Position) of the MPs/mps ie…
01 Mujannah: flank opening (links RO1
and RO2 on rank-2 and secures $F04).
02 Sayyal: torrent opening (BQ6 is advanced - the
torrent BQ).
03 Muwashshah: richly-girdled opening.
04 Watad al-Farz: Goat Peg opening.
05 Sword opening.
06 Pharoh’s Fortress opening.
07 Ghariba wa Malubi: Wonderful and lovely
opening.
08 The sheikh’s opening (:B moves BQ4 and BQ5 into the
center).
09 Slave’s Banner.
Some of these openings are listed
below…
The Sheikh’s Opening
In this opening, :B moves BQ4 and BQ5 into the center
on move 10 and 11. The XY notation is
shown on the left. The Acentric
notation is indicated on the right.
01A BQ6-F02/F03 BQ6-C05/B04
01B BQ3-F07/F06 BQ3-C12/B07
02A BQ6-F03/F04 BQ6-B04/B05
02B BQ4-E07/E06 BQ4-C13/B08
03A BQ3-C02/C03 BQ3-C02/B01
03B BQ6-C07/C06 BQ6-C15/B10
04A BQ3-C03/C04 BQ3-B01/B12
04B BQ5-D07/D06 BQ5-C14/B09
05A KT2-G01/F03 KT2-D07/B04
05B BQ2-G07/G06 BQ2-C11/C10
06A KT1-B01/C03 KT1-D02/B01
06B BQ7-B07/B06 BQ7-C16/C17
07A BQ5-E02/E03 BQ5-C04/B03
07B KT2-D08/D07 KT2-D21/C14
08A BQ7-G02/G03 BQ7-C06/C07
08B KT1-G08/E07 KT1-D16/C13
09A BQ2-B02/B03 BQ2-C01/C20
09B AD1-D08/C07 AD1-D19/C15
10A BQ4-D02/D03 BQ4-C03/B02
10B BQ5-D06/D05 BQ5-B09/A04
11A RO2-H01/G01 RO2-D08/D07
11B BQ4-E06/E05 BQ4-B08/A03
12A RO1-A01/B01 RO1-D01/D02
12B AD1-C07/D06 AD1-C15/B09
13A BQ2-B03/B04 BQ2-C20/C19
13B BQ1-H07/H06 BQ1-D14/D13
14A EL1-C01/A03 EL1-D03/D27
14B EL2-C08/A06 EL2-D20/D24
15A BQ6-F04*E05-BQ4 BQ6-B05*A03-BQ4
15B BQ3-F06*E05-BQ6 BQ3-B07*A03-BQ6
16A BQ3-C04/C05 BQ3-B12/B11
16B AD1-D06/C07 AD1-B09/C15
17A BQ2-B04/B05 BQ2-C19/C18
17B BQ6-C06*B05-BQ2 BQ6-B10*C18-BQ2
18A KT1-C03*B05-BQ6 KT1-B01*C18-BQ6
18B KI-E08/D08 KI-D18/D19
19A KT1-B05/C03 KT1-C18/B01
19B BQ7-B06*C05-BQ3 BQ7-C17*B11-BQ3
20A EL1-A03*C05-BQ7 EL1-D27*B11-BQ7
20B KT2-D07*C05-EL1 KT2-C14*B11-EL1
21A KT2-F03*E05-BQ3 KT2-B04*A03-BQ3
21B Next move ? Next move ?
22A Next move ? Next move ?
Set-up the Shatranj board and play through the moves
shown above and then continue this game.
Torrent opening (Sayyal opening)
:A advances BQ4 to $F05 on move 20A. The XY notation is shown on the left. The acentric notation is shown on the right.
01A BQ7-G02/G03 GQ7-C06/C07
01B BQ1-H07/H06 BQ1-D14/D13
02A BQ7-G03/G04 BQ7-C07/C08
02B BQ3-F07/F06 BQ3-C12/B07
03A BQ8-H02/H03 BQ8-D09/D10
03B BQ1-H06/H05 BQ1-D13/D12
04A BQ7-G04/G05 BQ7-C08/C09
04B BQ3-F06/F05 BQ3-B07/B06
05A BQ8-H03/H04 BQ8-D10/D11
05B BQ2-G07/G06 BQ2-C11/C10
06A BQ6-F02/F03 BQ6-C05/B04
06B RO1-H08/H07 RO1-D15/D14
07A BQ6-F03/F04 BQ6-B04/B05
07B RO1-H07/F06 RO1-D14/D12
08A BQ5-E02/E03 BQ5-C04/B03
08B BQ4-E07/E06 BQ4-C13/B08
09A BQ4-D02/D03 BQ4-C03/B02
09B BQ5-D07/D06 BQ5-C14/B09
10A BQ3-C02/C03 BQ3-C02/B01
10B BQ6-C07/C06 BQ6-C15/B10
11A BQ2-B02/B03 BQ2-C01/C20
11B BQ7-B07/B06 BQ7-C16/C17
12A KT1-B01/D02 KT1-D02/C03
12B KT2-B08/D07 KT2-D21/C14
13A EL2-F01/H03 EL2-D06/D10
13B KT1-G01/E07 KT1-D16/C13
14A KT2-G01/E02 KT2-D07/C04
14B AD1-D08/C07 AD1-D19/C15
15A RO2-H01/F01 RO2-D08/D06
15B RO2-A08/B08 RO2-D22/D21
16A KT2-E02/G03 KT2-C04/C07
16B BQ8-A07/A06 BQ2-D23/D24
17A BQ5-E03/E04 BQ5-B03/A02
17B BQ3-F05*E04-BQ5 BQ3-B06*A02-BQ5
18A BQ4-D03*E04-BQ3 BQ4-B02*A02-BQ3
18B BQ4-E06/E05 BQ4-B08/A03
19A BQ6-F04/F05 BQ6-B05/B06
19B BQ2-G06*F05-BQ6 BQ2-C10*B06-BQ6
20A BQ4-E04*F05-BQ2 BQ4-A02*B06-BQ2
20B Next move ? Next move ?
21A Next move ? Next move ?
Set-up the Shatranj board and play through the moves
shown above and then continue the game.
After move 20A, :A has two :pa-mps (passed) on rank-5.
Sample game of
Shatranj
01A BQ6-F02/F03 BQ6-C05/B04
01B BQ3-F07/F06 BQ3-C12/B07
02A BQ6-F03/F04 BQ6-B04/B05
02B BQ3-F06/F05 BQ3-B07/B06
03A BQ3-C02/C03 BQ3-C02/B01
03B BQ6-C07/C06 BQ6-C15/B10
04A BQ3-C03/C04 BQ3-B01/B12
04B BQ6-C06/C05 BQ6-B10/B11
05A KT2-G01/F03 KT2-D07/B04
05B KT1-G08/F06 KT1-D16/B07
06A KT1-B01/C03 KT1-D02/B01
06B KT2-B08/C06 KT2-D21/B10
07A BQ5-E02/E03 BQ5-C04/B03
07B BQ4-E07/E06 BQ4-C13/B08
08A BQ7-G02/G03 BQ7-C06/C07
08B BQ2-G07/G06 BQ2-C11/C10
09A BQ2-B02/B03 BQ2-C01/C20
09B BQ7-B07/B06 BQ7-C16/C17
10A BQ4-D02/D03 BQ4-C03/B02
10B BQ5-D07/D06 BQ5-C14/B09
11A RO2-H01/G01 RO2-D08/D07
11B RO1-H08/G08 RO1-D15/D16
12A RO1-A01/B01 RO1-D01/D02
12B RO2-A08/B08 RO2-D22/D21
13A BQ8-H02/H03 BQ8-D09/D10
13B RO2-B08/B07 RO2-D21/C16
14A RO1-B01/B02 RO1-D02/C01
14B RO2-B07/G07 RO2-C16/C11
15A RO1-B02/G02 RO1-C01/C06
15B BQ1-H07/H06 BQ1-D14/D13
16A BQ7-G03/G04 BQ7-C07/C08
16B BQ3-F05*G04-BQ7 BQ3-B06*C08-BQ7
17A BQ8-H03*G04-BQ3 BQ8-D10*C08-BQ3
17B BQ2-G06/G05 BQ2-C10/C09
18A BQ6-F04/F05 BQ6-B05/B06
18B BQ5-D06/D05 BQ6-B09/A04
19A BQ6-F05*E06-BQ4 BQ6-B06*B08-BQ4
19B BQ5-D05*C04-BQ3 BQ5-A04*B12-BQ3
20A BQ2-C03*C04-BQ5 BQ2-C20*B12-BQ5
20B EL2-C08*C06-BQ6 EL2-D20*B08-BQ6
21A KT1-C03/D05 KT1-B01/A04
21B AD1-D08/E07 AD1-D19/C13
22A KT1-D05*F06-KT1+CH
KT1-A04*B07-KT1+CH
22B AD1-E07*F06-KT1 AD1-C13*B07-KT1
23A Next move ? Next move ?
23B Next move ? Next move ?
Set-up the Shatranj board and play through the moves
shown above and then continue this game.
The
first known variant of Chess, Chaturanga, came from India to Persia and
the rest of the Arabic world, around the seventh century after the birth of
Christ. Small changes were made to the
rules, and the game receives the name Shatranj.
It was immensely
popular for many centuries. There were
professional players (often in the service of a ruler); and several books have
been written. Also, several
Shatranjproblems, or mansubat, have been composed.
The game is played on an uncheckered board of 8 by 8
fields by two players. Every player
starts the game with eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two elephants, a
general and a king.
The opening setup is
the same as in normal chess (with elephants on the spots of bishops, and
generals on the spots of queens). The
game was also played with on both sides general and king transposed, so in all
cases, king and general are on the same vertical line.
White:
King e1; General d1; Rook a1, h1; Knight b1, g1; Elephant c1, f1; Pawns a2, b2,
c2, d2, e2, f2, g2, h2.
Black:
King e8; General d8; Rook a8, h8; Knight b8, g8; Elephant c8, f8; Pawns a7, b7,
c7, d7, e7, f7, g7, h7.
The king, rook, and knight move as in the usual chess
game, but there is no castling. The elephant jumps two diagonal. The general moves one diagonally. The pawn moves as a usual pawn, but
does not have the possibility of a double first step.
Pawns promote when reaching the last rank, and always
to a general. A player wins the game by
mating the opponent, by stalemating the opponent, or by ‘bare king’: by taking the last non-king
piece of the opponent. However, in the
last case, the opponent can make the game a draw by baring the other king too
in its next move.
Pritchard mentions another rule, which is
not found with some other authors: a stalemated king may be transposed with one
of its other pieces, as long as this doesn’t result in check.
See also:
Too
few people realize the high level of culture that was achieved by the Arabs
1001 years ago. Many foundations of
our present culture were not only laid by Greeks or Romans, but also by the
Arabs. Chess for instance, was highly
cultivated in Arab countries starting around the sixth century after the birth
of Christ. At these ages and places,
also the origins can be found of what we now call ‘Chess Problems’.
What
remains now of these origins are several manuscripts, containing hundreds of Mansubat, or Shatranj problems. (Shatranj is the old form of Chess played
in the Arab countries starting around the 6th century after birth of
Christ.) Fortunately, the great chess historian Murray, in his monumental work A History of Chess, gives diagrams of many
of these problems.
Some
of these problems are erroneous, and the solution given in the ancient
manuscript is wrong. Some of these
problems are simple, and might be uninteresting. But also, several of these
problems are hard, ingenious, and/or show highly talented design.
Many
of the manuscripts date from the 9th century after the birth of
Christ. It is interesting to realize
that someone designed a chess puzzle, more than 1000 years ago, that is so
hard, that we have a hard time solving it.
Here
you find a selection of such shatranj problems, that were deemed by me
interesting for some reason. More
problems might be added in the future. All problems are taken from Murray’s History of Chess, but in some
cases, small changes (mentioned at the respective problems) were made, and in most
cases, solutions are given in a more extended form as by Murray. For more historic backgrounds, I refer you
to Murray’s History of Chess.
I
hope you will have some nice moments, solving these mansubat, or chess problems
of 1001 years ago.
1.
Dilaram’s Problem. An ancient chess problem, with a charming story of love, sacrifice and chess.
2.
A modern exercise?. This simple problem uses only
‘modern’ pieces and rules.
3.
The water wheel. A problem, famous enough to receive a name: the water wheel. An ingenious construction.
4.
Check! Problem, typical for many mansubat.
5.
The right way to check. In what order must black check
white?
This
problem is typical for many mansubat (shatranj problems): White is almost
mated: it is easy to see that if black were to move, he can mate white in one
move (here: R h6 - h8). However, it is
white’s turn to play, and white can continue to give check to black, until he
mates black.
White:
King e8; General g3; Rook b2; Knight a8, c4; Elephant c1, f1; Pawns b5, c3, c7,
d7, g4, h2. (13 pieces)
Black:
King f3, Rook g7, h6; Knight b7, c5; Elephant d6; Pawns a5, g6. (8 pieces).
White to play and
win.
White:
King e8; General g3; Rook b2; Knight a8, c4; Elephant c1, f1; Pawns b5, c3, c7,
d7, g4, h2. (13 pieces)
Black:
King f3, Rook g7, h6; Knight b7, c5; Elephant d6; Pawns a5, g6. (8 pieces).
White to play and
win.
The
original diagram does not have a white pawn on c7, and allows a shorter
solution: when white would play in his third move N a8 - c7, it would be
mate. This was not the intention of the
original composers, as the old manuscripts carry the longer solution with
them.
1. N c4-e5+, K
f3-e4
2. R b2-e2+, K e4-d5
3. N a8-b6+, K d5-e6
4. N e5-c6+, N c5-e4 (or see below)
5. R e2xe4+, K e6-f6
6. N b6-d5+, K f6-g5
7. R e4-e5+, K g5xg4
8. N d5-e3+, K g4-f3
9. N c6-d4+, mate
If black would
move 4. ..., K e6 - f6, we have, similar as above: 5. N b6-d5+, K f6-g5. 6. R
e2-e5+, K g5xg4. 7. N d5-e3+, Kg4-f3. 8. N c6-d5, mate.
Mating
position. If black has played 4. ..., K
e6-f6, there is an additional black knight on c5.
One of the widely
played variants of Shatranj was Shatranj al-husun, or Citadel
chess. The description here is based on the description in Gollon's book; in the books of Pritchard and Murray a description of the game can also
be found. (Actually, most probably, all other sources base their information on
Murray's description.) The game is played
on a 10 by 10 board, which has four additional fields: the citadels. There are
several different opening setups, we give here only one; for the others we
refer to the other sources mentioned above. The four fields at the corners are
the citadels.
Players have the
usual pieces of Shatranj plus two war machines, or dabbabah's,
and two extra pawns.
The opening setup
is the following:
A 10 by 10 board
is augmented with four extra, empty squares, diagonally adjacent to each of the
four corners. So, squares a2-a11; b1-k1; b12-k12; l2-l11 do not exist.
White:
King f2; General g2; Rook b2, k2; Knight c2, j2;
Elephant c2, i2; War machine d2, h2; Pawn b3, c3, d3, e3, f3, g3, h3, i3, j3,
k3.
Black:
King f12; General g12; Rook b12, k12; Knight c12,
j12; Elephant c12, i12; War machine d12, h12; Pawn b11, c11, d11, e11, f11,
g11, h11, i11, j11, k11.
The pieces move as
follows:
King, knight (actually: Horse), rook (actually: chariot, called: rukh) move as in orthodox chess.
The general moves one square diagonally.
The elephant moves exactly two squares
diagonally, and can jump the intervening square.
The pawn (actually: soldier) moves as a
normal pawn from FIDE-chess, but does not have the possibility of a first
double move. Pawns promote to generals, when reaching the last row.
The war machine or dabbabah moves as a
bishop from FIDE-chess.
When a king
reaches a citadel at the opposite side of the board, the game is drawn. A
player wins the game, by mating or by stalemating his opponent.
This game has - in
contrast to Shatranj and some of its variants, no
`bare king' rule, i.e., the game continues normally when one player has lost
all its pieces but his king.
Use Zillions of Games to play this game! If
you have Zillions of Games installed, you can download this game and play it.
Written by Hans
Bodlaender.
