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Mastodon Chess. Standard pieces plus two Mastodons per side. A strategical big-board variant.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

💡📝M Winther wrote on Sat, May 3, 2008 05:47 PM UTC:

Well, it's not a reduced queen because it can jump. It has some very interesting tactical capacities not known in standard pieces. Mastodon Chess is designed to be a relaxed variant yet with an initial weakness in the pawn structure so that games aren't too long and tedious. The tactical capacity of the Mastodon helps to shorten games, too. I think that big board variant can be designed to be easier to play than Fide-chess, yet not too drawish. Placing the pawns on the third rank is a concept that could be tried out more. My bifurcation pieces are interesting to the mathemathical  minded, but those games are more difficult.

The Mastodon is a very old piece. The earliest reference I know is Paulovits's Game, c.1890, where it is called Pasha. ( http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/paulovitsgame.htm ). King + Mastodon wins against King + Bishop or Knight, and draws against King + Queen.

Mats