Twinmove Chess
a fully practicable double-move chess
Introduction
Twinmove Chess is a double-move variant. The objective is to capture the
enemy king. The double-move consists of a pawn move followed by a piece move,
which is mandatory. There exist two variants of Twinmove Chess. In one
variant pawn moves are compelled, until there exist no more pawn moves, when the
pieces can continue moving without being preceded by a pawn move. Should a pawn
become free to move again, it is compelled to move. In the other variant the
player may abstain from the pawn move, and instead move a piece, but then he has
lost his double-move.
Note that a player, when the king is threatened,
can make a pawn move before taking measures to protect the king. He can also
make a pawn move that discloses his king to an enemy piece, but he is well
adviced to protect his king in the subsequent move. This implementation only
allows promotion to queen. The 'en passant' rule does not exist, simply because
a pawn move cannot occur prior to the opponent's turn. Games always begin with a
pawn move, otherwise the rules are the same as in orthodox chess.
Twinmove Chess was invented and implemented by undersigned, April 2006.
Somewhat surprisingly, this is a sophisticated and fully functional form of
chess.
Discussion
What makes this game so interesting is that pawn moves are both for
good and bad. It's not always advantageous to move a pawn. This circumstance
creates a strategical tension in the game. Pawn moves often cause irreparable
damage to the position. In the variant with compulsory pawn moves, to be
forced to make that extra pawn move could sometimes be regarded a punishment,
rather than a reward. In the variant with uncompelled pawn moves the
situation is less acute, since one is not forced to weaken one's pawn chain in
critical situations. The positional laws of chess are fully valid in the uncompelled
variant, although the double-move creates interesting tactical possibilities,
both in defense and attack. The missing 'en passant' move facilitates the
defense, as a counterweight to the forceful attacks occuring in this chess
variant. Note that a pawn can promote to queen and immediately move, since it
satisfies the condition of pawn move + piece move. Don't give up if you're
losing material. There are many opportunities for counterattacks in this game.
Game Alchemy
It's an amazing fact how
relatively easy it is to create fully practicable chess variants. It can be
viewed almost as an art form, nourished by chess variant societies, like the
British Chess Variants Society,
chess variants journals, and webpages like
The Chess Variants pages.
It is reminiscent of medieval alchemy, an activity that mixed rational "scientific"
content with imaginative creations. It is something about this mixture which is
quite compelling.
Looking closer at the central notions of medieval
alchemy, we will find certain striking similarities with the occupation with
board games/puzzles. The focal point in alchemy was the Vas Hermeticum,
the alembic, or the alchemical retort, which are all different
names for the alchemist's vessel where the warring elements were
subjected to heat and underwent circular distillation. In the gaming
business the board, as such, is the equivalent of the hermetic vessel, while in
it the warring elements are added and sealed off from the outside world. In
alchemical manuscripts this is depicted as the coniunction of Sol et Luna,
Rex and Regina, winged and wingless dragon, etc. The latter bite each
other's tail, forming a circle, symbolic of the process. The same idea is also
portrayed as the Uroboros, the tail-biting serpent.
In alchemy, the circular distillation implies that dissolutio
(the forming of vapour) follows upon coagulatio (the forming of
substances on the bottom of the retort) in a circular motion. I came to think
about this mythologem when I developed Bario, which
uses this recycle concept. However, the cyclic motion is, in itself, a more
general symbol. It implies the maintenance of a transformative process in a
substance that from the beginning lay inert. The goal of the process was the
appearance of a spiritual substance, i.e., the alchemist's gold,
or the red elixir, etc. From the chaos, the prima materia, of
crude material substances, will arise a refined spirit, the Spiritus
Mercurius, the
Stone of the Philosophers, which had wonder-working properties.
So, my point is that, unconsciously, the board gamers do follow the
alchemists' procedure when they tend to get obsessed by the transformations in
their vessels, that is, their board games. This is essentially the same as the
alchemist's labourings with his chemicals. So we are in fact trying to
synthesize the most holy substance from our games. I think that involved in this
work is a phantasy of "The Perfect Game." We search to find this game
that will have wholesome effects on the ones who play it, and will make them
healthy, and bestow on them long lives, and also have benevolent effects on the
surrounding world.
Ancient and medieval people viewed board games as doorways to the
spritual sphere. I think this fantasy is still going on in our unconscious. But,
unlike the ancients, modern people are generally unaware of such spiritual
aspects of things. However, when one comes to understand this then one can
better understand medieval mind's obsession with board games, which they
notoriously carved into temple walls and roofs. In Gloucester Cathedral,
according to Murray, there are several Fox and Geese boards incised on the stone
seats. From the well in Norwich castle (a holy place) was retrieved a game
scratched on a flat stone. Fox and Geese boards also occur inside, and on the
outside walls of, the cloisters of San Paolo, Rome. In India, according to
Clearly, the board
game represents a spiritual mystery, a vessel in which the spirit is captive,
and this is where our fascination stems from.
 You
can download my free Twinmove Chess program
here (updated
2006-05-02), but you must own the software
Zillions of Games to be able to
run it.
Try playing
Twinmove Chess (compulsory) by e-mail, against a human opponent,
here. Try playing Twinmove Chess
(uncompelled) by e-mail, against a human opponent,
here. Don't miss my other
chess variants. |
© M. Winther 2006
