Jess Rudolph
European Chess of the Middle Ages
Its History and Variants
The game of chess has often been associated as the game of kings and their court and
armies in battle, the game of the nobles in medieval Europe. And true, chess was a very popular
sport in the Middle Ages but the game did not originate in Europe even if medieval scholars often
attributed its invention to ancient Troy or Greece. Medieval chess – as it is often called – did
evolve into the game that had some of the most radical changes of any normal sized variant, the
game now called modern chess that is well known today. It is also called international chess for
its popularity has spread throughout much of the world (even if its Chinese cousin still attracts
more players). Europe might have given birth to one of the most popular chess games but did
not invent the first.
No one is sure with full accuracy where chess originally came from. However, most
evidence points to India during the fifth century of the current era. This game – called chaturanga
– was played on an unchequered board of sixty-four squares and with sixteen pieces per side,
many with identical or similar moves to international chess. It soon made its way into Persia and
then into Arab lands where it was renamed shatranj. Shatranj has been called the very first
international chess game for it reached lands from Persia to the Baltic to the Atlantic. This was
the chess that found its way into Europe and though its name and some of its style changed, for
the first few hundred years it could be considered the first European chess as well.
In the seventh century, shatranj was carried by the Moorish conquers of Spain and the
Islamic invaders of Sicily from which it spread north into central and western Europe. Trade from
the Byzantine Empire brought chess to eastern Europe at the end of the century, and into Russia
at the beginning of the next. That same century trade with Persia gave the game to the Vikings.
They most likely introduced chess into parts of northern Europe. By the end of the first
millennium, chess was fully integrated into the games of all European culture.
Possibly the best way to track chess’s migration is by studying the history of its language,
as one of the foremost researchers of chess – H. J. R. Murray – did nearly a hundred years ago.
One problem was that few Europeans of any culture or language knew Arabic. Other than
countries with close ties to Islamic lands, the name for the game was reinvented not just
repronounced as it was by the Arabs. Close to Byzantium and Arabia, the Greeks called it
zatrikion and because of the Moorish occupation of the Iberian peninsula, Spanish chess was
called ajedrez (originally pronounced ashedres) and Portuguese chess was xadrez (pronounced
she-dres), derived from ash-shatranj meaning “The Shatranj” or “The Chess” in Arabic.
Everywhere else – even in the Catalan dialect in the northeast of Spain – the game was to take
on a name that had nothing to do with shatranj.
Oddly enough, the first inspiration did come from an Arabic term. It was custom when
playing shatranj to verbally declare attacks that were checking the Shah (their equivalent to the
King piece). For example, ”shah wa rukh” was to “check the Shah with a Rukh.” Verbs derived
from this included shaha, ashaha, and inshaha meaning “to say shah” which equals “to check.”
These evolved into the Latin scac, scacus, sacum that traveled through Europe. The French
called these terms eschec and the English check. Confusion about the meaning of scaccarium
from Latin led to another meaning for check in English. Scaccarium was thought to mean
“chessboard” which scacio in Italian, escaque in Spanish, and check in English to mean “square
of the chessboard” and hence the term chequered or checkered.
From here, the Latin scacus also came to mean chessmen – the pieces with which the
game is played (later it came to mean game piece or simply man which was used in other games
such as rythmochia, tables, and merles). The pure skill game of the Roman Republic and Empire
was called ludus latrunculerum (or lotronum or calculorum) because the pieces were called
latrunculs (or latrones or calculi). Chess followed this custom and in Latin was called ludus
scacorum meaning “the game of the chessmen” though modern writers have mistakenly called it
“the royals game”. It was shortened to simply scaci. From here the Italians called it scacchi, in
Catalan it was escachs, the French echecs, the English chess, the German schachspiel, the
Dutch schankspel, the Danish schak’spil, the Icelandic skaktafl, the Swedish shak-spil, the Lettish
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schachaspehle, the Czech sanchy, the Polish szachy, the Croatian sah, the Servian shkak, the
Romanian sah, and the Hungarian sakkjatek. The Welsh too took their name for chess – seccyr
– from Latin but not from scaci but the longer name of ludus scacorum.
To diverge for a moment, a similar situation happened for other games. The Arabic nard
became ludus tabularum (tabulae) (“the game of table-men”) which became tables and the Arabic
qirq became ludus marellorum (merelli) (“the game of counters”) which became mereles.
Another Arabic term filtered into European languages and not just for use in chess.
Shahmat was first renamed in Latin to scac mat and scac et mat and from there to Italian scacco
matte, French echec mat, German schach matt and the English checkmate. The Arabic mat
followed with and because of the popularity of chess in the age went into common use in
languages such as English for meanings not pertaining to the game.
Examining when these words show up in the various languages of Europe tells when
chess became known to the country. In probability, the game was already being played before
the terms appeared and were modified. If not, soon thereafter. Even though actual documents
about chess were not found until later, this nomenclature shows the game was well known in
most of Europe before the year 1000 and probably over a hundred years earlier.
Like when the Indian chaturanga was adopted into the shatranj of Arab culture, the earlier
names for the pieces were usually dropped and the words for similar meanings adopted in
European languages. The Shah was called by the word for king in all European languages. The
Faras initially retained its meaning of horse but in some places was called a horse-man and later
a knight. The Baidaq piece also kept being called a foot soldier, which was called in England a
pawn – a name still in use today.
However, because of the common lack of understanding Arabic, some pieces did not
translate well. In shatranj the Rukh is the chariot but its meaning was probably lost to Europeans.
Instead, a modified word that sounds like the original Rukh was used – including the English
Rook. It has sometimes been associated not with a chariot but with a castle because of how the
early piece was shaped. A few places tried to rename the piece which was meaningless to them;
the Germans tried marchio (“marques”, the lord of the marches), the Italians had rector and
comes and the English biceps Janus. None of these were widely used.
The Firzan / Firz of shatranj means “general” or “advisor” as it stands next to the Shah.
The meaning was lost but like the Rukh, the name was kept in some nations, like Spain, France,
and England, the later who called it a Fers though they still did not know what it represented. At
some point, someone or multiple people in northern and central lands decided to rename the
piece and called it a Queen for it was standing to the side of the King. The Queen made its way
into England where it was used at the same time as Fers and did not immediately replace that
name. Of course this gave rise to the Pawn problem. Pawns still promoted to the piece that
stood next to the King as they did in shatranj. However, now this meant they changed gender
and each side could have multiple queens – something that was found immoral by many. One
attempt to correct this was to prohibit promotion if another allied Queen existed on the board, a
rule present in earlier chess variants but for different reasons. This, however, was felt to reduce
the enjoyment of the game so was not accepted by everyone. A different solution was done in
the western countries where two names for the Queen were still present. In England, the
promoted Pawn became a Fers. Sometime in the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries, Italy followed
the idea but used another word for queen – domina. The Domina as a promoted Pawn later
became used in France and England and also led to the name of the game of draughts
(checkers) since pieces were also called Domina for they moved the same way as the original
Queen or promoted Pawn once reaching the eighth rank.
The final piece from shatranj was the most renamed in Europe. The Fil / Al-fil was the
Elephant though even when this meaning was known, Europeans did understand why such an
animal – that was almost unknown to them – was present in a war game. Before the thirteenth
century, the Spanish knew what the name meant because of the heavy Moorish influences.
Some western languages tried to use the word without its meaning but like the Firzan, it was
eventually replaced by names of European origin. Sages, counts, and fools were used as well as
bishops and other eclastical figures and this later name stuck in England.
See the table on page 8 for names of each piece in some European languages.
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Shatranj had been played in Islamic lands for centuries and many books had been written
on the subject and style of play as well as problems composed to be mastered. However, chess
came into Europe virtually alone with none of the corresponding science. European players had
to create their own studies from scratch. Even the bare king and stalemate rules from shatranj
might have been unknown. Probably because of the lack of knowledge of the principles of the
early game, Europeans seemed to have found the game too slow and less enjoyable than they
had expected with such a widely popular Arab game. So, attempts were made to change and
improve the game. These included rearranging the pieces, enlarging the board, or adding new
pieces. These often proved ineffective except for one case of widening the board while keeping
the pieces as close together – see Courier chess on page 5. No change was done universally so
many different rules arose from region to region, even city to city. Many of these variations were
forgotten during the incredible reforms in the late fifteenth century.
The thirteenth century experienced many changes to the European game. Throughout
the continent, the board was now chequered – every other square colored – which was a practice
begun the prior century. This was to make it easier to visualize piece movements and was
successful enough that even shatranj boards began to use it. To increase the speed in the early
game, Pawns were allowed to move two spaces on their first turn, later the en passent rule
invented. By this time, bare king and stalemate wins had become known. Privilege leaps were
sometimes granted to the King and Queen (and promoted Pawns) on their first move. These
differed from Knight leaps to leaps to the second square either orthogonally, diagonally, or both.
Often these could only be done if the piece was not making a capture or if the King was not doing
so to escape a check. Though was initially done to speed up the early game, it proved useful to
reserve for the end of the game that completely threw out much of end game strategy and
removed situations that would have led to a draw in shatranj. Privilege leaps also began to show
up in Arabia and India after this. None of these rules, however, was universal.
The next big changes to medieval chess were the greatest. These came about around
1485 and made the game into modern chess and almost all the rules used today were present.
Chess was still considered slow and not as intriguing as desired. Creating new and faster pieces
did not help – and sometimes hindered – the slower moving pieces. At some point, probably a
single inventor in either Spain or Italy, whose name was never known, decided more powerful
pieces were needed. Instead of adding them, he or she replaced the three weakest non-Pawn
pieces: the Queen and the two Bishops. The Bishop was made into a diagonal Rook (though in
some places it was limited that it could not stop on the first squares) – a move that had been tried
before but only by adding new pieces. The Queen was given powers of the Rook and the new
Bishop; such a powerful move had probably never existed before in the west (a large Chinese
variant seems to have had such a move and several variants in Japan had such a piece for a few
centuries earlier). The Queen was obviously the choice for the more powerful move since it was
a single piece and two might have thrown the game out of balance. Plus, the excuse for why the
Queen was now so much more powerful than the King was explained that she used her powers
to protect her husband in the sexist society. For understandable reasons, some began to call this
variant the Chess of the Mad Queen for the wild and enormous influence this piece placed on the
game.
These two changes mark an incredible radical evolution of chess. The primary variants –
those that kept the same size board with the same number of pieces or with little difference – did
not usually see so many powerful pieces. This was also the first change to a normal sized game
where the Rook was no longer the most powerful piece. In shatranj and prior medieval chess, the
first stage of the game took some time and lasted until the two armies met. During this, players
would all but ignore their opponent while they moved their pieces into a better array. The new
Queen and Bishop meant the confrontation could happen within the first half a dozen moves or
so. Players had to be careful and watch each other and often did not have time develop their
position before they were already attacking or defending themselves. The entire style of play was
different, all the old science made for the game for the previous nine hundred years, had to be
thrown out for they no longer worked. The players loved the change and the new game became
very successful, displacing the medieval version everywhere it went. By 1510 it was dominant in
Spain, a little before 1540 in France and Germany, and before 1550 in England. Before the end
of the century it had spread throughout most of Europe and was even making its way back east;
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the Firzan and Fil kept their original meanings usually but did gain the powers of their European
descendants.
The final significant change was written about in a book by priest and chess player Ruy
Lopez de Seguara in 1561. The rule was what is called castling today and caught on everywhere
by the seventeenth century except for Italy where a variety of similar moves was played until the
last century. Other castling rules existed for at least awhile before the one known today became
the standard. Castling is the simultaneous first moves of the King and a Rook toward each other,
the King moving two squares, the Rook jumping over the King to the space passed over, with a
few restrictions.
Chess was mainly played by the upper class, the nobles and the aristocracy. The
working class usually had little time or motivation to play the game though it had caught on in
bars and taverns. In central Europe, rythmochia tried to become the dominant thinking game and
it did require more thought, calculation, and planning, but did not spread very far. Often chess
was even seen as a time for sexual equality – both male and female players were considered
equals, at least during a game.
Chess, however, could not keep its claim as one of the top games of Europe. Even by
the fourteenth century, playing cards were beginning to cause a decline in the popularity of chess.
New changes in life styles and cultures were allowing people of all society more time to play and
games were becoming more of a leisure than a distraction and cards being easier to play and
learn and better to gamble with were quickly gaining interest. The Queen and Bishop reforms of
the fifteenth century managed to keep chess popular for a while longer but finally the various card
games replaced it before the end of the eighteenth century.
See page 9.
Grande Acedrex – Grand Chess
In 1283 Alphonso the Tenth, the King of Spain, requested a book on games to be
compiled – the Libro del Acedrex. Grande Acedrex was one of the games mentioned. Though
Alphonso attributes this game to India, it was more so inspired by Muslims, sharing some
elements with the large shatranj kamil variants. In fact, the most powerful piece in this game, the
Aanca (“Gryphon”), is a beast from Islamic mythology. Most of the other pieces are also
fantastical (the Cocatriz meaning “Crocodile” was not really an exception since such an animal
was probably seen as mythological to western Europeans). Given the Moorish influence in Spain
mentioned several times above, it is easy to see where the inspiration for this game came from.
The board is twelve by twelve squares with twenty-four pieces (twelve Pawns) per side.
As evident in a picture in the Libro del Acedrex, the board was already chequered. In an attempt
to avoid the sluggish movement of the Pawns (which had not gained their double step yet in this
game), they had been moved up two rows so the armies met faster. Other than the Rey (“King”),
all the other slow pieces were removed – even the Horse / Knight – and replaced with ranging or
jumping pieces.
As normal, the object is to checkmate the opponent King. Stalemate and bare king rules
are not known but most likely allowable given how close this game is to shatranj. The Rey was
also allowed one privilege jump; on its first turn it could leap to the second square in all the
directions available to it.
See page 10.
Acedrex de Los Quatros Tiempos – Chess of the Four Seasons
Another game found in Libro del Acedrex was the most significant four-handed chess
variant of medieval Europe. Given it was in that book, it was obviously played in the thirteenth
century though researcher Van der Linge says references show this game as far back as 1031.
Four different colors were used for the four players and each army represented certain qualities –
a season, an element, and a humor: green was spring, air, and blood; red was summer, fire, and
choler; black was autumn, earth, and melancholy; and white was winter, water, and phlegm.
Four Seasons was played on a regular sized chess board – eight by eight. By the time of
Alphonso the Tenth, the board was chequered and diagonal lines were draw across the central
sixteen squares, as shown in his book. It is unclear what these lines were used for – and modern
recreations do not always even draw them. They might have been just to make the game easier
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to visualize the division between the four players. Another speculation is they were barriers that
no piece could cross which would make a very interesting game. Player should decide before the
game commences which rules they wish to use.
The same number of pieces as regular chess are used though each player only has eight
pieces. A regular set could be used – with Queens representing other Kings – as long as pieces
are marked to differ between colors. In this way, it is similar to the four player chaturaji of India,
which could have been an inspiration for this, or this could have been entirely of western
invention. Unlike the Indian game, in Four Seasons each player’s four Pawns are divided in half
– two moving down files, two moving down ranks; they do not have any double step privilege.
Pawns promote on the final square of the direction they go to an Alfferza (“Fers”) which has the
same moves as the shatranj Firzan and medieval Queen – one square diagonally. Each player
has one of each other type of piece except the Fers / Queen, which are not present in this game
except for promoted Pawns. The pieces move as they normally do in medieval chess, including
the Alfil (“Elephant”) that leaps to the second square – represented in this document by the
Bishop symbol.
Play begins with the green side, following anti-clockwise with red, black, and finally white.
The game might have been played with no restrictions but some research suggests any piece
may be captured by any player but the King may only be checked and mated by the preceding
player. The rules for what happens after a mate are also varied. Some say the checkmating
player gains the remaining pieces of the lost player added to his own army, sometimes even the
King is included as a non-royal piece, presumably not giving the player an extra turn, just extra
pieces. Others say the mated player’s pieces remain frozen and unplayable, possibly still able to
be captured, possibly not. When a side was stalemated, it is reported that all his pieces were
removed from the board. Given the non-uniformity of rules from village to village, it is plausible
each of these rules existed and once again players should decide which to follow before starting
a game. The last remaining side wins.
Though the version without is said to be more interesting, this game – like all chess –
could be played with dice and this one probably often was. A Rey moved with a roll of a six, an
Alfferza (once one appeared) with a five, a Cabello (“Horse”) with a four, a Rogue (“Rook”) with a
three, an Alfil with a two, and a Peon (“Pawn”) with a one. At times two dice were used and the
player chooses which number to play upon. When a number is rolled but no move can be made,
the turn is lost.
See page 11.
Courier Chess
This German variant, dating back to the twelfth century (it was mentioned in Wigalois of
Wrunt and Gravenberg written in the first few years of the following century), was possibly the first
great chess game entirely of European origin (Grande Acedrex had been heavily influenced and
possibly crafted by western Moors). Though it probably did not leave central Europe, it was very
successful for some time, even surviving the Queen / Bishop reforms and the end of the Middle
Ages; it lasted until the nineteenth century in the famous chess-playing village of Ströbeck in
Germany.
The reason for its success verses other great chess games was its inventor was smart
enough when adding new pieces and files to fit them, did not add ranks to keep the board square.
Instead, the board remained only eight ranks long so the Pawns and other slow moving pieces
did not take any longer to engage the opponent. Also helping was that two of the new pieces
were range movers. These pieces were called Curriers (“Couriers”) – symbolized as a man
galloping on a horse with a horn to his lips probably leading the army into battle. This piece was
a diagonal Rook, moving any number of unobstructed spaces diagonally – though this is not
thought to be an inspiration for ranging Bishop move three hundred years later for the Courier
was probably unknown in Spain and Italy. This game was named after the Courier for it had the
claim as the most powerful piece on the board because it was thought more easily able to
penetrate the opponent’s line. However, it still proves weaker than the Rook; on a clear board,
the Courier at most could travel a maximum of eight squares before it reached the edge of the
board and could only reach half the squares while the Rook could travel up to twelve and reach
every square. The Courier was still powerful and helped make an enjoyable game.
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Courier chess also had two other new pieces. Both of these were single in number and
part of the King’s court – including facing their respective number on the opponent line like the
King and Queen do. Also both pieces were single steppers and were better used for defense of
the King than attacking. The Schleich (“Fool”) – or Kurtzweyliger Raht – was an orthogonal
version of the Fers and medieval Queen – one square in an orthogonal direction. The Mann
(“Man”) – or Gehener Raht – was a long bearded sage that moved just like the King – one square
in any direction – but did not have to worry about being checked.
The other pieces moved like normal medieval chess, including the weaker Queen and
Bishop. The Pawns here mostly did not have the initial double-step however before the game
began, both players moved their Rook and Queen’s Pawns two spaces forward. After this, each
player also moved the Queen up two squares, just behind her Pawn. When this was
accomplished, play continued like normal. It is unknown how Pawns promoted when reaching
the final rank but probably to a medieval Queen. A checkmate was, of course, a win though a
stalemate could either be a win for the stalemater or considered a draw.
See page 12.
Gala – Farmer’s Chess – the Peasant’s Game
Gala is a very interesting variant, also from Germany, played until recently only in some
of the farming villages in Schleswig-Holstein and some old sets can probably still be found in old
attics and distant farmhouses. Its origins are unknown though probably from the very end of the
medieval period, possibly invented because of the new and powerful Bishop move.
The chequered board is ten by ten squares though this game does not exactly fall into
the normal category of great chess. The central two ranks and files make a cross and the
borders between them and the four by four square sections on each corner are called deflection
lines. The game is played with only four of the types of pieces from regular chess. Each side has
two Gala (“King”), five Korna (“Rook”), five Horsa (“Bishop”), and eight Kampa (“Pawn”).
The Gala act like normal Kings for the most part. They move the same and must avoid
check when possible – even if the other Gala is still present on the board. If a Gala is on one of
the central four squares, it or its allied King may, on a following turn, instantly move to any empty
square on the board that did not originally contain a piece and would not place it in check. A Gala
may only capture when moving across a deflection line.
Korna move like a normal Rook when in one of the corners but as a ranging Bishop when
on cross squares. It is possible to start a move in one area, cross a line, and contain the
movement the other way in the second area. Probably, it could cross two lines in one turn. The
Korna too had to cross a deflection line when making a capture. The Horsa was the converse; it
moved like a regular Bishop in the corners and like a Rook when in the cross. It could begin a
move, cross a line, and finish the range motion, possibly able to cross another deflection line. It
too had to cross a line to capture but was further limited that it could not capture if it had moved
only a single square like a Rook.
Kampa, unlike the other pieces, always move slightly differently than in regular chess. In
this game, the Pawns begin by moving one square diagonally toward the center and opposite
corner of the board. They can move two squares if they do not cross a deflection line when doing
so. Pawns in the central four squares or in the four by four corners of the opponent could move
one space in any direction. If a Kampa returned to a corner of its own side, it had to move
diagonally toward the center again. They could only take after they crossed at least one
deflection line. Capture rules are unclear but they probably still capture diagonally – the same as
they were moving – but players could decide exactly what rules to use at the beginning. Pawns
here probably did not promote but were still able to move even when reaching the most distant
squares.
When a player places an opponent King in check, he says “Gala” and the checked King
must attempt to escape. If not possible, it is captured like any other piece. Both Gala must be
mated to win the game. If the only pieces left on both sides are one King per player, the game
was a draw.
See page 13.
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Other German Variants
The village of Ströbeck mentioned above had one variant named after it. This game was
played on a regular board with regular pieces and it was barely different from the normal
medieval game. It took some of the rules from Courier chess including advancing the Rook and
Queen’s Pawns and the Queen up two squares. One other Pawn – after the game began – was
allowed a double-step on its first turn. Pawns did promote on the eighth rank but had to return to
their starting row but a series of “joy-leaps” orthogonally backward – each leap being the second
space behind it. The Pawn was immune from capture on the eighth rank but not once it left and it
also could not capture while moving in reverse. Once it returned to its started row, it promoted to
a medieval Queen.
Another game played in the northern Rhine and the Netherlands has been called Knight’s
Chess because of the powers of the Knight piece. A Knight moved like normal but during its
move was allowed to “ride down” any Pawns it passed over. Riding down was seen as the
pieces were trampled under the horse’s hooves and removed from the game. The Knight’s
moved was standardized as two spaces out followed by one to either side. Local variations
differed on whether the Knight road down any Pawn or just the opponent Pawns and sometimes
the Knight was not allowed to leap over a piece that was not a Pawn.
A variant of the above game was played in the same area beginning in the sixteenth
century but was outlawed by the Catholic Church for the following three hundred years because
of the symbolism of the game. It was called Papal Chess because an extra piece, not belonging
to either side, was added, standing on the intersection of the center four squares of the board.
This piece, called the Pope, could not move or be captured. Winning this game was not done by
checkmating the opponent King but by gaining control over the Pope. This was accomplished by
placing a Bishop and a King or a Queen on two of the squares the Pope touched while no
opponent pieces were on either of the remaining two squares. The Knight was made even more
powerful as it could ride down pieces of any value, not just Pawns. If a Knight reached the final
rank and returned to a square adjacent to its King or the Pope, it promoted to a Bishop. Kings
could be captured and if that was done, the game continued. A Knight or Bishop could promote
to a King after such a capture if it reached a square the Pope was on and then returned to the
King’s original position. The Bishops had a range motion but only up to four squares diagonally.
However, a Bishop reaching the corner square of the opponent side could move to the other
corner if it was empty and change colors – meaning it could now travel across the squares it
could not have reached before but can longer reach the spaces it originally could. Pawns
promoted when reaching the seventh rank and became Knights. Such promoted Knights could
not become Bishops unless they returned to their first or second rank and then went across the
board again.
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Shah
(King)
Latin
Firzan / Firz
(Fers)
(Queen)
Rex
Spanish
Rey
Portuguese Rei
Alfferza
Rukh
(Rook)
Regina
Rochus
Reyna
Roque
Rogue
Reina
Roch
Rocco
(Sage)
Curvus
Calvus
Senex
Catean
Italian
Rey
Re
French
Rei
Fierce
Fierge
Royne
Reyne
Roc
Ros
English
King
Fers
Quene
Rok(e)
Rook
German
König
Kunegin
Roch
Konigrinne Rog
Alte
Alde
Dutch
Koning
Coninginne Roch
Oude
Icelandic
Swedish
Drottning
Drottning
Hrokur
Rok
Ollin
Danish
Lettish
Czech
Konugur
Konuy
Kung
Hast
Konge
Karalis
Kral
Dronning
Rok
Kralevna
Hroch
Polish
Croetian
Servian
Krol
Kralj
Kraly
Fil
(Bishop)
Faras
(Horse)
(Knight)
Cornutus
Stoltus Equus
Espiscopus Stolidus
Caluus
Cornu
Sage
(Fool)
Baidaq
(Soldier)
Eques
Miles
Pedes
Pedo
Pedinus
Caballo
Cavallo
Cavallero
Cavallerio
Peon
Piao
Pedes
Cavallo
Cavaller
Cavaliero
Peo
Pedona
Pedina
Cheralier
Pion
Knight
Pawn
Ritter
Riddor
Vende
Pard
Riddor
Pion
Vinne
Hast
Riddari
Riddar
Ped
Finna
Fol
Bishop
Nair
Biskup
Riddor
Pop
Konik
Rytier
Konik
Piezek
Pjesak
Peon
Kon
Konits
Hungarian Kiraly
Lo
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Peses
Pisek
Huszar
Gyalog
Medieval Chess
Chess of the Mad Queen
Modern Chess
King :
Quene / Queen / Fers :
Sage / Bishop / Count / Fool :
Horse / Horseman / Knight :
Rok(e) / Rook :
Pawn :
E1; E8
D1; D8
C1, F1; C8, F8
B1, G1; B8, G8
A1, H1; A8, H8
A2, B2, C2, D2, E2, F2, G2, H2; A7, B7, C7, D7, E7, F7,
G7, H7
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Grande Acedrex
Rey (King) :
Aanca (Gryphon) :
Cocatriz (Crocodile) :
Zaraffa (Giraffe) :
Unicornio (Unicorn) :
Leon (Lion) :
Rogue (Rook) :
Peon (Foot Soldier / Peasant) :
F1; F12
G1; G12
E1, H1; E12, H12
D1, I1; D12, I12
C1, J1; C12, J12
B1, K1; B12, K12
A1, L1; A12, L12
A4, B4, C4, D4, E4, F4, G4, H4, I4, J4, K4, L4; A9, B9, C9, D9,
E9, F9, G9, H9, I9, J9, K9, L9
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Acedrex de Los Quatros Tiempos
(Chess of the Four Seasons)
Rey (King) :
Rogue (Rook) :
Cabello (Horse) :
Alfil (Elephant) :
Peon (Foot Soldier / Pawn) :
A1; A8; H8; H1
B1; B8; G8; G1
A2; A7; H7; H2
B2; B7; G7; G2
C1, C2, A3, B3; C8, C7, A6, B6; F1, F2, H3, G3; F8, F7, H6, C6
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Courier Chess
König (King) :
Konigrinne (Queen) :
Mann (Man / Counselor) :
Schleich (Fool) :
Currier (Courier) :
Alte (Sage) :
Ritter (Knight) :
Roch (Rook) :
Vende (Pawn) :
F1; F8
G1; G8
E1; E8
H1; H8
D1, I1; D8, I8
C1, J1; C8, J8
B1, K1; B8, K8
A1, L1; A8, L8
A2, B2, C2, D2, E2, F2, G2, H2, I2, J2, K2, L2; A7, B7, C7, D7,
E7, F7, G7, H7, I7, J7, K7, L7
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Gala
(Farmer’s Chess)
Gala (King) :
Korma (Rook) :
Horsa (Bishop) :
Kampa (Pawn) :
A1, J1; A10, J10
A3, B2, C1, I1, J2; A9, B10, H10, I9, J8
A2, B1, H1, I2, J3; A8, B9, C10, I10, J9
A4, B3, C2, D1, G1, H2, I3, J4; A7, B8, C9, D10, G10, H9, I9, J10
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The first six are the only pieces in both Medieval chess and the modern variant developed by the
end of the fifteenth century. For pieces that changed over time, all the rules are given. The
names are given in English. See page 8 for their names in other European languages.
King – the King piece has changed little since its creation in the original game. It is
the primary piece of the game – the capture of it provides a checkmate win. The King
cannot move into check and must make every effort to move out of check. It normally
moves one step in any of the eight directions per turn. In some regional variants, it
was allowed a privilege move on its first movement – usually as long as it was not in
check or attacking: a leap like a Knight or to a second square. A sixteenth century
rule, the King and a Rook could perform a castling move – the King moves two spaces
toward the Rook, the Rook moves to the space crossed by the King – if neither had
moved before; it could not be done if the King was in check, either of the two spaces
the King moved across were under attack, or any pieces existed between the King and
Rook. See page 16, diagram 1.
Fers / Queen – regardless of what regional name was used, this King’s companion
piece had the same movement throughout most of the middle ages. Originally it could
only move diagonally one space. In some regional variants, it was allowed a “joy leap”
on its first movement. Before the sixteenth century, a new Queen was spreading fast:
it became the most powerful piece on the board, being able to move any number of
unobstructed spaces in any directions. See page 16, diagrams 2 and 8.
Sage / Bishop / Count / Fool – this piece was also very limited when it first entered
Europe, keeping the same moves as it had in Shatranj. Originally, the Bishop could
only jump to the second square in any diagonal direction making it a very weak piece
as each could only reach eight squares on the board and none they shared with their
allied Bishop or an opponent Bishops. By the end of the fifteenth century, in probably
the same revolution that gave birth to the modern Queen, the new Bishop rule allowed
it to move as a diagonal Rook – any number of unobstructed spaces four diagonally. It
was still weaker in effectiveness than the Rook. See page 16, diagrams 4 and 7.
Horse / Horseman / Knight – the Knight’s move has not changed since its creation in
the original game. The Knight moves out one space orthogonally followed by one
space diagonally, leaping over the intervening squares. After the Bishop was made
more powerful, the Knight became the only jumping piece in the regular eight by eight
game. See page 16, diagram 5.
Rook – the Rook has remained unchanged since the original game. The Rook travels
any number of unobstructed squares in any orthogonal direction. Before the Queen
gained its new and greatly powerful move, the Rook was the strongest piece in regular
chess in the middle ages. See page 16, diagram 6.
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Pawn – the Pawns have also remained mostly the same. To speed up the game, a
twelfth century invention allowed a Pawn to move forward two spaces on its first turn –
though in some places this rule was restricted to only certain pawns. Either
simultaneously or soon thereafter, Pawns were allowed to capture en-passant – if a
Pawn double-steps to the fourth row and an enemy Pawn is on the square to the left or
right of where it lands, the enemy Pawn on the next turn may take a step diagonally to
the square that the double-stepping Pawn passed over and capture the Pawn – even
though it did not end its move on that square. The regular moves of this piece were
inherited from Shatranj – one step forward at a time to move passively and one step to
a diagonal square only when making a capture and only capturing when doing so.
When a Pawn reaches the last rank, it promotes to a piece with the powers of a Queen
or Fers (its name depending upon the location). In some games, a Pawn could only
promote – or even step to the final rank – if the Queen had been captured. When the
Queen was made more powerful, the promoted Pawn also gained this power. See
page 16, diagram 3.
The following pieces are used in some of the variants of chess played in Europe that had
additionally pieces – the first five from Grande Acedrex and the last three from Courier chess.
Aanca ( Gryphon ) – the Aanca is a strong piece inspired by the Islamic mythological
creature said to be a “bird so big it can lift elephants.” It may move one space in any
diagonal direction and then may move orthogonally outward from that square any
unobstructed distance. See page 17, diagram 14.
Unicornio ( Unicorn ) – on its first move, the Unicornio moves just like a Knight but it
may not capture. For the rest of the game, it moves any number of unobstructed
spaces in a diagonal direction – like the modern Bishop. See page 16, diagram 10.
Cocatriz ( Crocodile ) – the Cocatriz moves like the Unicornio though it does not have
the initial Knight-like move. It always moves any number of unobstructed spaces in a
diagonal direction – like the modern Bishop. See page 16, diagram 11.
Leon ( Lion ) – the Leon jumps to the third square in any orthogonal direction. See
page 17, diagram 13.
Zaraffa ( Giraffe ) – the Zaraffa has an extended Knight’s move; it moves one square
diagonally followed by three squares outward in an orthogonal direction. Like a
Knight, it leaps over all the spaces it passes. See page 17, diagram 15.
Currier ( Courier ) – this is the piece the game is named after because it was falsely
believed the Currier was the most powerful piece on the board – though the Rook was
still stronger. The Currier moved any number of unobstructed spaces in a diagonal
direction – like the modern Bishop though probably unrelated. See page 16, diagram
9.
Schleich ( Fool ) – the Schleich was to be the orthogonal version of the Queen (which
in this game was still weak). It could move one space in any orthogonal direction.
See page 17, diagram 12.
Mann ( Sage / Man ) – the Mann has the same moves as the King – one space in any
direction. However, it did not have any check limitations like the King. See page 17,
diagram 16.
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16
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Bibliography
Botermans, Jack, Tony Burret, Peter van Delft, & Carl van Splunteren. World of Games, The.
Facts On File, New York, NY, 1989.
DeLuca, Jeffrey A. Medieval Games: Third Edition. 1995.
Hooper, David & Kenneth Whyld. Oxford Companion to Chess: Second Edition, The. Oxford
University Press, Oxford, UK, 1992.
Howe, David & Hans Bodlaender (editors). Chess Variants Page, The. Web document http://www.chessvariants.com/
Murray, H. J. R. History of Chess, A. Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK, 1913.
Parlett, David. Oxford History of Board Games, The. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 1999.
Pritchard, David Brine. Encyclopedia of Chess Variants, The. Games & Puzzles, Godalming,
1994.
Pritchard, David B. Popular chess variants. B.T. Batsford, London, UK, 2000.
Sunnucks, Ann. Encyclopedia of Chess, The. St. Martin’s Press, New York, NY, 1970.
This report – and others – are also available at http://home.cwru.edu/cwrums/chess-reports.html .
Jess Rudolph
jrr10@po.cwru.edu
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