Tamerlane Chess

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Tamerlane Chess was popular for centuries in Persia.

Most distinctive is that each pawn promotes in its own way.

The Pawn of the Pawns promotes to a blue pawn. It cannot be captured on its promotion square. It may be moved to any square where it forks two enemy units, or where it attacks a unit that cannot then be moved. In doing so, it can displace any non-royal unit.

When the blue pawn promotes, it becomes a golden pawn and goes to the original square of the Pawn of the Kings as soon as that square is empty. (That was my interpretation.) The golden pawn promotes to the Accessory King.

Only the ranking king (original, then prince, then accessory) may enter the enemy citadel. If this happens, the game is a draw.

Once in the game, the king may get itself out of check by swapping with another friendly unit. Getting stalemated loses. Only an accessory king can enter the friendly citadel. No other unit can enter either citadel, though they can check an accessory king in its citadel (my interpretation).

If you have two or three kings I have allowed you to move into check.

	King	As in FIDE chess
	General	One square diagonally
	Vizier	One square orthogonal
	Giraffe	One square diagonally, then any distance orthogonally, but must stop at least 3 ranks or files away from starting square. Still working on it.
	Knight	As in FIDE chess
	Rook	As in FIDE chess
	Picket	Along diagonals, must move at least two squares
	Elephant	2,2 jumper
	Camel	1,3 or 3,1 jumper
	War Engine	2,0 or 0,2 jumper
	Accessory King	As FIDE king, can occupy own citadel.
	Second King ("Prince")	As FIDE king
	Pawn of the Elephants	Promotes to Elephant
	Pawn of the General	Promotes to General
	Pawn of the King	Promotes to King
	Pawn of the Pickets	Promotes to Picket
	Pawn of the Rooks	Promotes to Rook
	Pawn of the War Engines	Promotes to War Engine
	Pawn of the Knights	Promotes to Knight
	Pawn of the Camels	Promotes to Camel
	Pawn of the Vizier	Promotes to Vizier
	Pawn of the Giraffes	Promotes to Giraffe
	Pawn of the Pawns	Promotes special

Hans Bodlaender on Tamerlane Chess

Hans Bodlaender's Chess Variants

Ed's Chess Variants

These are simple illustrations rather than strong opponents.

Bug Reports -- Thank you! Keep them coming!

Written by Ed Friedlander