Nightrider: wild and fury

2025 will mark the centenary of Thomas Dawson's invention of the amazing fairy chess piece Nightrider.

This short article is partly dedicated to this significant event, which changed the diverse and unique world of fairy chess variants.

Nightrider is wild and unbridled, instilling fear and awe, capable of covering any distance in the blink of an eye - it is truly terrible and beautiful at the same time.

While not possessing impressive power compared to other representatives of the fairy chess fauna, Nightrider keeps all the enemy pieces on the black and white squares of the playing field in suspense.

This piece is one of the few whose abilities are clearly manifested on large boards and, moreover, its role on odd boards becomes truly sinister.

As an example of the extraordinary talents of this fairy chess piece, consider three problems from the Fairy Eater Chess, a chess variant that uses the most nightriders in the game than any other known fairy chess variant.

White to move and mate in 1

With his last move, Black made a fatal mistake by capturing the white piece on square f6 with the Shield. White's response leads to immediate defeat for Black:

1. Cxd7#

The teamwork between Nightrider and Sower of Chaos is impressive:

White to move and mate in 4

The motive is the same as in the example above.

1.Na3

After this move, Black loses - he cannot keep the square e8 under control:

1. ... Re6 2. Cxe6 Cxe6 3. de=G Cf6 4. Ce8#

In this example, the role of Nightrider on a3 is so large-scale and beautiful that it can captivate any connoisseur of fairy chess.

Black to move and mate in 3

Black Nightrider support couldn't come at a better time:

1. ... Rc3+

2. Sd2 (2. Sd4 Gb6#) Ne4+ 3. Se1 Re3#:

Well friends, when you are experimenting with board size and fairy chess pieces, don't forget about such an amazing piece as Nightrider.

Direct link to play against a bot (no registration required): https://dagazproject.github.io/checkmate/fairy-eater-chess.htm

or you can play Fairy Eater Chess on Dagaz Server: https://games.dtco.ru/map