Bear Chess

BEAR CHESS

Bear Chess is a chess variant proposed by Mikhail Sosnovsky in 1985 in Tver (formerly Kalinin, USSR). 

This variant is played on a 10 x 10 board (100 squares) and it includes an additional piece, the Bear, which gives the variant its name.

The Bear is positioned on squares d1 and g1 for White, and d10 and g10 for Black, next to the King and Queen.

The Bear moves two squares vertically, horizontally, and diagonally, in addition to having the movement of a Knight.  It can jump over pieces.

Value: 

In my opinion, the Bear, with its ability to move like a Knight and also like a Bishop or Rook (but only for up to 2 squares), is an incredibly powerful piece. To estimate its value, I’ve broken down its capabilities.

First, it has Knight movement, which is already around 3 points in standard chess. Also, the Bear can move like a Bishop or Rook, though limited to 2 squares. While this limitation prevents it from having the full board control of those pieces, it still adds a bit of flexibility.  

I believe the Bear would be stronger than either a Knight or Bishop (3 points), but not quite as powerful as a full Rook (5 points) because of range limitation. I would say around 4 and 4.5 value strength.

Promotion: 

Pawns can promote to a Bear in the same way they can promote to other standard pieces. 

- On their first move, pawns can advance 1, 2, or 3 squares, depending on the player's choice. 

- En Passant is allowed on either of the squares when a pawn moves three squares forward.

 

Castling:

The King moves 3 squares on the queenside and 2 squares on the kingside.

All other rules are the same as in standard chess (Checkmate and Stalemate).

 

On June 16, 2024, an open Bear Chess game was held in Tver at "House 36," where fans played for over three hours.

How to play:

https://www.chessvariants.com/rules/bear-chess

Sources:

https://vk.com/bearchess?to=L2JlYXJjaGVzcz90bz1MMkpsWVhKamFHVnpjejkwYnoxTU1rcHNXVmhLYW1GSFZucGplamd0