Pocket mutation chess

Last updated
Pocket mutation chess
Designers Mike Nelson
Genres Chess variant
Players2
Skills Strategy, tactics

Pocket mutation chess is a chess variant invented by Mike Nelson in 2003. [1]

Contents

In this game, a player can take a piece from the board and put it into a pocket. The piece in the pocket can be put back on the board later. When placing the piece into the pocket the player can mutate the piece, i.e. change it to a different piece.

The game was one of the Recognized Chess Variants at The Chess Variant Pages before the program was discontinued. [2]

Rules

The starting position in this game is the same as in standard chess and players make moves as in standard chess. Instead of moving, a player can take one of their own pieces from the board and put it into the pocket, provided that the pocket is empty. If the piece is placed into the pocket from the last rank, it gets promoted to a piece of higher class. Otherwise the player has an option to mutate the piece into a different piece of the same class. The choice of mutating (or not) must be made at the time the piece is removed. White cannot use the pocket on the first move. The king cannot be placed into the pocket.

As a players move, a piece in the pocket can be dropped on any empty position on the board, except the last rank. A pawn can make only a single step from the first rank, but can do a double step from the second one, even if dropped there or moved from the first rank. The en passant rule applies as in standard chess. Pawns that reach the last rank do not get promoted immediately. Instead, they can be placed into the pocket and promoted to a piece of higher class.

There is no castling in this chess variant. The game is declared a draw if no capture or promotion was made for 50 consecutive moves.

Classes of the pieces

Besides usual pieces there are several fairy chess pieces in this game. All pieces are divided into the following classes. All pieces from the same class are of presumably the same (or close) value.

ClassUsual piecesCombined with knightCombined with nightriderCombined with kingCombined with nightrider and king
1 Chess plt45.svg pawn
2 Chess blt45.svg bishop Chess nlt45.svg knight
3 Chess rlt45.svg rook Chess Nlt45.svg nightridersuper bishop (bishop+king)
4 Chess alt45.svg cardinal (bishop+knight)super rook (rook+king)
5 Chess qlt45.svg queen Chess clt45.svg chancellor (rook+knight)cardinal rider (bishop+nightrider)super cardinal (bishop+knight+king)
6chancellor rider (rook+nightrider)super chancellor (rook+knight+king)super cardinal rider (bishop+nightrider+king)
7 Chess Alt45 Amazon.svg amazon (queen+knight)super chancellor rider (rook+nightrider+king)
8amazon rider (queen+nightrider)
abcdefgh
8
Chessboard480.svg
Chess xxt45.svg
Chess xxt45.svg
Chess xxt45.svg
Chess xxt45.svg
Chess xxt45.svg
Chess xxt45.svg
Chess xxt45.svg
Chess Nlt45.svg
Chess xxt45.svg
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Nightrider makes any number of knight moves in the same direction.

References

  1. Pritchard, D. B. (2007). "Pocket Mutation Chess". In Beasley, John (ed.). The Classified Encyclopedia of Chess Variants. John Beasley. p. 164. ISBN   978-0-9555168-0-1.
  2. The Chess Variant Pages: Recognized Chess Variants