Elkrider Chess
introducing the Elkrider
Elkrider Chess
introducing the Elkrider
In Elkrider Chess "Elkriders"
take the place of the Rooks. The Elkrider moves differently depending on the
colour of the square. If positioned on a black square it moves like a Rook. If
positioned on a white square it moves like a Nightrider: it can make continuous
Knight jumps in the same direction, provided that the interim squares are empty.
The Elkrider's value is 5, that is, the same as a Rook. Castling is performed
with an Elkrider instead of a Rook. In regular chess the Rooks play a passive
role in the first half of the game. The new Elkrider piece has part of the
Rook's power, which can now be utilized early in the game. It is powerful enough
to give mate to a lonely King. The Elkrider's image also changes when it moves
to a square with a different colour (it rotates). This makes it easier to
understand the piece.
The elk (amer. "moose") has actually
been trained for battle service, in the cavalry of
The Elkrider is a very interesting piece for the tactician.
Positionally, too, it could be quite dangerous because one can sometimes
sacrifice an Elk for a light piece (knight or bishop) to achieve positional
ends. There is also a variant where Scorpions take the place of the pawns (see
Scorpion Chess). Elkrider Chess can be played on a
real board by using a Rook on the black squares, and turning it upside down on
the white squares.
The Elkrider, standing on a white
square, can jump like a
knight, but
also has the continuous knight jumps.
On a black square it
moves like a
rook.
 You
can download my free Elkrider Chess program
here, (updated
2006-07-18) but you must own the software
Zillions of Games to be able to
run it.
Try playing
Elkrider Chess by e-mail, against a human opponent,
here. Don't miss my other
chess variants. |
© M.
Winther 2006
