Astral Chess
The idea of Astral Chess, or rather Astral Chess Pieces, came to me several years ago. I have always been interested in how the paranormal phenomena that people encounter in this reality would be projected into the world of chess. What would paranormal phenomena look like in chess, what would a chess game with supernatural events be like?
I invite you to take part in an experiment that will allow us to touch the first metaphysical plane, the subtle world of another reality different from the material nature of our existence.
Ordinary chess and chess pieces endowed with special properties will serve as a tool for us to achieve the density of worlds.
An astral chess piece is an ordinary chess piece which, however, has four astral projections located orthogonally on the adjacent free squares adjacent to it. Astral projections have no physical presence on the board and appear to us only in our imagination.
So an ordinary chess Pawn on the board
has the following astral projections:
Thus, the Astral Pawn has nine squares available for capturing enemy pieces:
The remaining Astral pieces with four astral projections, have the following coverage areas on the chessboard:
Astral Knight
Astral Bishop
Astral Rook
Astral Queen
Astral King
As you can see, the Astral Queen, with four astral projections, is a monstrous paranormal force capable of controlling 60 squares of a chessboard from its center.
Astral projection on any adjacent orthogonal square of a piece appears only if such a square is free.
If one of the orthogonal squares next to the piece is occupied by a white or black piece, then astral projection cannot appear on such a square.
Here, in the picture above, the white Pawn d4 has only three astral projections. Square d5 is occupied. There is no astral projection of the white Pawn on it.
The placement of a piece on the chessboard also affects its astral projections.
So in the corner of the board the Astral piece will have only two astral projections, and on the edge of the board there will be three.
For example, here the Rook on a1 has two astral projections:
the Pawn on a5 has three astral projections:
The astral projections of the piece are not material and are not tangible on the chessboard. However, they can only capture real or material enemy pieces.
The astral projection cannot make a move without capturing.
When an Astral piece makes a capture, then its astral projections also, if possible, make a capture, moving parallel to the trajectory of such an Astral piece.
Astral projections make a capture only on the last square of their path, next to their astral piece.
For example, in this position:
The white Astral Pawn d4 captures the black Astral Pawn on c5, destroying the black Astral Pawns on c4 and c6:
Astral projections of The white Astral Pawn d4 also took part in this process:
Astral projections of a piece cannot independently move around the board, except for making an effective move in the form of capturing the enemy’s material piece.
As stated above, when an astral projection makes a capture, the Astral piece moves parallel to its movement. It is important that there are no obstacles on the path of such movement of the material piece, either friendly or enemy pieces. Thus, astral projections of a piece can capture enemy pieces that are directly inaccessible to itself.
For example, here the white Astral Pawn d4 can capture the black Astral Pawn b5, thanks to its astral projection on c4:
Astral projection c4 captures the black Astral Pawn on b5, while simultaneously moving the white Astral Pawn d4 to c5:
The result of such a capture will be the following position:
If there were, for example, a white Astral Knight on the c5 square, then
such a capture would be impossible, since the c5 square is inaccessible to the white Astral Pawn d4 - its friendly Astral Knight interferes.
If there was a black Astral Pawn on square c5:
then the result would be similar to capture by astral projection:
In any case, if an Astral piece makes a capture, then its astral projections shift parallel to the movement of such an Astral piece, destroying at the end of its path any enemy piece, provided that along the entire path of movement of such an astral projection there were no obstacles in the form of friendly or opponent pieces.
For example, in this position:
The white Astral Bishop b3 and its astral projection b4 can capture the black Astral pieces on e6 and e7 respectively:
It is impossible to capture with the projection a3 - the white Astral Bishop cannot get to the f7 square, since this is prevented by the Black Astral Pawn e6.
It is also impossible to capture with the projection c3. There is the Astral Pawn d4 in its path.
As already described above, a capture can be made by both the Astral piece and its projections. The position of the Astral piece will depend on the choice of one or another astral projection.
For example:
In this position, White's Astral Bishop cannot capture, but its astral projections can.
Let us consider the possible and impossible capturing of each of its four astral projections.
Let's start with the astral projection b4:
We remember that all astral projections are immaterial and invisible. They appear only in our imagination. In order to facilitate the visualization of the described examples, here I will place each of these astral projections separately in the pictures.
The move b4xa5 is impossible, since the Astral Bishop cannot be on the a4 square. But you can play b4xd6, moving the Astral Bishop parallel to d5:
Astral projection c3:
can capture on h8:
However, capturing c3xa5 is impossible not so much because there is a piece in the way of the Astral Bishop, but because it is impossible to move this Astral Bishop parallel to capturing its astral projection - the geometry of the board will not allow it. If the right astral projection of a piece ends its turn on a certain square, then the Astral piece itself must be to the left of this projection. In the example presented this is not possible.
This can be seen more clearly in the following example:
Astral projection b2 can only make one capture, namely b2xc1:
The Astral Bishop moved parallel to the capture.
The move b2xh8 is impossible, since in this case the Astral Bishop would have to end up on the h9 square, following its projection in parallel. But such a square does not exist in the nature of an 8x8 chessboard...
Astral projection a3 can make two captures:
a3xd6:
a3xс1:
From these examples it becomes clear that the choice of capturing by one or another astral projection leads to a different position of the material piece generating these projections after the completion of the move.
Here it would be possible to delve into metaphysical and esoteric issues that reveal the cause-and-effect relationships of our reality, but this would take too much time and space, which is hardly appropriate in describing the new concept of the abilities of chess pieces.
Astral Stalemate, Checkmate and Astral King.
The Astral King and the astral projections of the Astral King can be attacked by enemy astral pieces or their projections.
As in regular chess, checkmate is a natural condition for ending the game. This is true here as well, but since Astral Chess is not entirely normal chess, I would even say paranormal, then stalemate must also be included in the conditions for victory. This follows both from the very logic of the game with projections, and from the mutual contact of astral projections with each other on the chessboard.
If a situation arises when the player whose turn it is to move is not in check and has no legal move, then an Astral Stalemate is declared, which brings victory to the player who made the last move in the game.
If the Astral King or at least one of his astral projections is in check, and the player cannot make a single move to avoid such a check, then this situation is called Astral Checkmate.
For example, in this position White to move and mate in one:
1. g5-g6#
White's Astral Pawn gives check to Black's Astral King on h7, and its astral projection to g7 checks to Black's Astral King on h8:
Black cannot make the move neither 1. ...h7xg6 nor 1. ...h8xg7, since with any of these captures the Astral King of Black will end up on the g7 square, which, as we know, is unacceptable - two kings cannot be next to each other with a friend on adjacent squares of the chessboard.
Before us is the Astral Checkmate, amazing and unique:
Let's look at a few more examples about the Astral Checkmate in order to finally draw a conclusion for ourselves - is it worth calling a priest or is it still worth trying to figure out the events taking place on the board on your own.
White to move and mate in two
It’s not possible to think by the standards of ordinary chess here, but the general motive is not difficult to catch:
1. Be8-f7+ comes from the projection g7.
1. ...Bb2-g7 Black's only move
2. f6xg7#
The astral projection of the white Bishop on f6 puts the final point in the game - it captures the Black Astral Bishop and declares checkmate.
Black's Astral King cannot capture White's Astral Bishop or escape to g7, since the astral projection of the white King is on the f7 square.
White to move and mate in one
1. g1xe3#
Both astral projections of the black King on a7 and b8 are attacked by four astral projections of the white Astral Bishop. Checkmate.
As you can see, puzzles with Astral pieces have a rather unique structure of relationships and their own logical conditionality. The content of the chess composition is expanding not only in the direction of increasing thematic variations, but also in the discovery of new, hitherto unknown themes and ideas of chess creativity, chess poetry, which are the puzzles and problems of any chess variant.
The question of whether it is practically possible to play using Astral pieces in a classical chess setup remains open.
After 1. e2-e4 White has very strong control over the center and therefore has the initiative. Thus, the first-move advantage becomes significant.
However, in my opinion, the following arrangement looks more balanced, allowing to level out the advantage of the beginning side, which is so characteristic of many logical games on the board:
This initial arrangement already creates astral projections of all pieces and does not give any significant advantage to White.
I hope many will be curious about such a new concept as an Astral piece with its astral projections, as well as those puzzles and problems that can be created using the abilities of Astral pieces.
