Titan Pieces: A New Dynamic in Chess

Introduction

Titan Pieces introduce a new mechanic in chess: they are indestructible and, instead of being captured, they are pushed when an enemy sliding piece occupies their square.
 Titan Pieces are not a new type of piece but rather a special ability or trait that can be applied to any chess piece, whether in standard chess or variants.
 This mechanic radically changes the game’s strategy, creating new tactical opportunities and unexpected situations.

The term "Titan" is inspired by the mighty Titans of Greek mythology. In ancient myths, the Titans were powerful deities known for their indestructibility and their epic battles with the gods of Mount Olympus. After their defeat, the Titans were cast into the Tartaros, a deep and dark part of the underworld, symbolizing their inability to be destroyed. Much like their mythological counterparts, Titan Pieces in chess cannot be captured, but rather, they can only be "exiled" from the board. This is the only way to eliminate a Titan: by pushing it off the board, reflecting the idea that their fate is one of exile, rather than destruction.

General Rules of Titan Pieces

1️⃣ Movement and Capture

✔ A Titan Piece moves and captures like its normal equivalent (for example, a Titan Rook moves and captures like a regular rook, and the same applies to a Titan Bishop, Titan Queen, Titan Knight, Titan Camel, Titan Pawn, etc.).

2️⃣ Indestructibility and Pushing

✔ Titan Pieces cannot be captured (their nature is indestructibility, hence the name "Titan"). Instead, when an enemy piece occupies their square, the Titan Piece is pushed one square beyond in the same direction as the attacking piece.

✔ If the Titan cannot be pushed because it would be forced off the board, it is eliminated —this is the only way to remove a Titan—.

✔ If a Titan is pushed and there is a normal piece behind it (ally or enemy), that piece is crushed by the Titan and removed from the board.

✔ If there is another Titan behind the pushed Titan, it is not crushed but is also pushed, creating a chain reaction of pushes, crushing any normal pieces that may be behind.

3️⃣ Push Restrictions

✔ A Titan cannot be pushed by a piece of its own side. The action of pushing a Titan is equivalent to capturing a non-Titan piece, and pieces of the same side cannot capture each other.

✔ A Titan cannot be pushed if doing so would put the pushing player's own king in check.

4️⃣ Interaction with Special Pieces

✔ Sliding pieces (rooks, bishops, queens, pawns, kings in their normal movement) can push Titans. Note that pawns can only push a Titan Piece with its capturing movement, as the action of pushing a Titan replaces the action of capturing.

✔ Jumping pieces (knight, grasshopper, camel, wildebeest, elephant, dabbaba, alibaba, etc.) cannot push Titans, as their movement is based on jumps rather than sliding. Therefore, none of these pieces can occupy the square of a Titan Piece, as they are unable to push it.

✔ The Xiangqi horse, which moves one square straight and then one diagonally without jumping, can push a Titan in the direction of its final diagonal movement.
Thanks to this circumstance, the Xiangqi horse has a compensation for its handicap of not being able to jump, in contrast to the regular knight, which can never move a Titan.

5️⃣ Interaction with the King and Check

✔ If a Titan is adjacent to the enemy king and delivering check, the king cannot push it away because it would still be in check, unless the push removes the Titan from the board, which would happen if the Titan is at the edge of the board and is pushed off.

✔ If the push does not remove the Titan from the board, the king must escape, or the Titan must be pushed by another allied piece to eliminate the check.

Graphical Design of Titan Pieces
Titan Pieces should visually resemble their normal counterparts but with the addition of a shield as a symbol of their indestructibility.



For example, as seen in the image above, a Titan Rook would have the usual rook design but with a shield in front of it. This concept would apply to all Titan Pieces, ensuring they are easily distinguishable while maintaining the classic aesthetics of chess pieces.

Conclusion
Titan Pieces add a completely new layer of strategy to chess, requiring players to think not only about captures but also about how to handle pushes and position Titan Pieces effectively. This mechanic allows for more dynamic and tactical chess variants, offering new opportunities for both attack and defense.