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Kevin Pacey wrote on Tue, Dec 22, 2020 03:04 AM UTC:

I should have mentioned that the distinction between major and minor pieces in chess variants is not always clear-cut. In chess a major piece (R or Q) is a piece that when aided just by the K can mate a lone K. In the case of fairy pieces, some such pieces could have the numerical value of at least a rook, but do not have mating potential, like a rook does in chess - an example would be a Nightrider piece (NN). Perhaps a NN should be called a strong minor piece. On the other hand, some fairy pieces that could have the numerical value of a chess minor piece (B or N) happen to have mating potential, like a rook does - an example would be a Dabbabah-Wazir compound piece (a Q is an example of a compound piece, acting as R or B). The DW compound piece was called a 'Woody Rook' by Ralph Betza, when he included it in his classic game Chess With Different Armies (CWDA for short). Perhaps a DW should be called a weak major piece. Finally, I'd note that the Amazon fairy piece (QN compound piece) is so powerful in terms of mating potential that she can mate a lone K all by herself, without the help of her K.

One term that I have seen used, at least informally(?) is 'superpiece'. An Amazon or a Q would definitely qualify, but I personally do not yet know if a R or even a NN would qualify (I'd guess not in both cases). One last thing: I have seen K and Q referred to as the royal pieces in chess, but in chess variant terms that is incorrect - the K is the (usually sole) Royal piece in many chess-like games, as in such a winning goal is to checkmate a Royal piece. However, games like Anti-King Chess, where both sides have a K and Anti-King, can mess with this otherwise tidy view of things.

https://www.chessvariants.com/piececlopedia.dir/knightrider.html

https://www.chessvariants.com/piececlopedia.dir/dabbabah.html

https://www.chessvariants.com/piececlopedia.dir/wazir.html

https://www.chessvariants.com/piececlopedia.dir/amazon.html

https://www.chessvariants.com/unequal.dir/cwda.html

https://www.chessvariants.com/diffobjective.dir/anti-king-chess.html


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