Grand Triple Chess

The size of the playing field is perhaps the most basic problem of Standard Chess, which, unfortunately, many do not want to admit.

The innovators of the past, who endowed Alfil with the ability to move any number of cells diagonally, discovered not only a new chess piece of the Bishop, but also a completely new version of Shatranj, later called Chess. An amazing world opened up for them, as it seemed to them, of wondrous beauty and unlimited possibilities.

Shatranj was and remains a game of slow-moving pieces. Four rooks on 64 squares was enough for a good game. With the advent of Bishops and Queens, this ratio became 10 long-range pieces per 64 squares, which certainly gave dynamism and intensity, but completely distorted the gameplay and the scale of events taking place on the board.

Imagine that you are playing table tennis with lawn tennis rackets and a lawn tennis ball. Don't you think that something is wrong here?

In the same way we play Standard Chess on a board designed for a completely different game, where slow-moving pieces dominated.

No, I do not want to say that chess as a variant of Shatranj has no right to exist, I just want to draw your attention to the fact that the quality and quantity of chess pieces directly affect the size of the board where these same pieces are used.

Therefore, when people experiment with the size of the board and the number of standard chess pieces without resorting to fairy ones, in an attempt to get a harmonious and interesting version of chess, then this can only be welcomed.

Not so long ago I proposed Triple Chess, trying to show all the beauty and possibilities of the coordinated work of three sets of chess pieces on three boards. However, it is only now that I have come to understand true perfection:

Just stop for a moment and look at this beauty. Try to mentally make the first few moves for White and Black. Try to find weaknesses in the initial positions of both sides and you will see that for every action there is a reaction. Everything is perfectly balanced and the whole structure is just perfect. Trinity - three in one and one in three. Before us is the concept of being, the DNA of a chess game.

Here everything works and is subordinated according to the law of Standard Chess, with the exception of castling, which is completely absent in the game due to the ability of the king to easily maneuver in the rear of his army, and the promotion of pawns, which, having reached the 12th rank (5th for Black), must change their role to a knight, bishop, rook or queen, all in strict accordance with the rules of Standard Chess.

The rules of Grand Triple Chess are simple and understandable for chess players of any level.

Grand Triple Chess

Grand Triple Chess is played on an 16 x 24 board (i.e. six boards) with 3 sets of pieces. Two Queens are substituted for two Kings though.

The board doubles in height and triples in width, and the game begins with one king, six knights, six bishops, six rooks, 24 pawns and five queens on each side.

The moves of the pieces remain the same as in Standard Chess.

Pawns promote as normal when they reach the 12th rank (5th rank for Black). Therefore, Pawns advance as far as they would on a regular board before promotion.

There is no castling.

En passant rules, Check and Checkmate rules, Stalemate and Draw conditions, Winning conditions remain the same as in Standard Chess.