The FAIRY PIECES

Shift-clicking on pieces shows how they move!                                          

Welcome to my class.

I am going to be teaching you all about the fairy pieces. Shadowmoon_KE said that it was an update in 4PC, and I think he/she is right. I am going to teach you about the large pieces first, in alphabetical order. Then I am going to teach you about the pawns, from weakest to strongest. Each will have their own explanation and stats. It will be a fun class.

Thank you, and be great students!

ChimpReturns

A is for AMAZON

You may think the QUEEN is the most powerful, but guess what? The AMAZON is the most powerful. It can zoom Up, Down, to the Sides and Diagonally! It can also make knight moves - L SHAPED movements (2 forward, 1 to the side), and when it is used as a knight, it jumps over other pieces! It can't if it is used as a queen, though. It looks like a queen-crowned chess knight - and it has a whopping 12 points of exchange!

Directions*: N, S, E, W, NE, SE, SW, NW, NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW, NNW

Range: 1-13 for queen uses, 2-1 for knight uses

Can jump over other pieces: Only on Knight uses

Exchange Value: 12 points

* The compass points are used, to enhance what I am saying. The NORTH is at YELLOW's side, and SOUTH at RED's side.

B is for BISHOP

This is a basic piece, but the only difference is that it's worth 5 POINTS of exchange.

Direction: NE, SE, SW, NW

Range: 1-10

Can jump over other pieces: No

Exchange Value: 5 points

C is for CAMEL

You can tell it's a CAMEL because it is a knight with a pointy bottom. It moves 3 squares forward and 1 to the side. It can jump over other pieces.

Direction: NNNE, NENE, SESE, SSSE, SSSW, SWSW, NWNW, NNNW, ENNE, EENE, EESE, ESSE, WSSW, WWSW, WWNW, WNNW

Range: 3 squares forwards, one to the side

Can jump over other pieces: Yes

Exchange Value: 3 points

E is for ELEPHANT

This is highly dangerous. It moves rookways*, moves like a knight, and jumps on knight uses. 7 points worth of exchange.

Direction: N, S, E, W, NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW, NNW

Range: 1-13 on rook uses, 2-1 on knight uses

Can jump over other pieces: Only on knight uses

Exchange Value: 7 points

*ROOKWAYS is a word I invented myself. It means "In the direction of the rook."

Okay, time for a break.

F is for Ferz

This piece is no good. It only moves one square diagonally - and why is it worth 1 point of exchange?!

Direction: NE, SE, SW, NW

Range: 1

Can jump over other pieces: No

Exchange Value: 1 point

G is for GRASSHOPPER

Jumping over other pieces for this piece is compulsory. When a piece is behind another piece, one square North, one square South, one square to the sides or one square diagonally, with the piece I am talking about in the line of the pin/skewer, and there is no piece in between, then it is attacked.

Direction: N, S, E, W, NE, SE, SW, NW

Range: 2-14

Can jump over other pieces: Always

Exchange Value: 3 points

H is for HAWK

It is a knight and bishop combined. Be careful when that is on the board.

Direction: NE, SE, SW, NW, NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW, NNW

Range: 1-10 on bishop uses, 2-1 on knight uses

Can jump over other pieces: Only on knight uses

Exchange Value: 7 points

I is for ALFIL

I know that the piece's name does not begin with an I, but that is what they put in for the notation. Anyway, it jumps two squares diagonally. Just 1 point, like the Ferz.

Direction: NE, SE, SW, NW

Range: 2

Can jump over other pieces: Yes

Exchange Value: 1 point

J is for Alfil-Rider

Repeated Alfil moves.

Direction: NE, SE, SW, NW

Range: 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10

Can jump over other pieces: Yes, but not over the squares it lands on. Once there is a piece in a square attacked by the J, the way is blocked. The J cannot move further.

Exchange Value: 5 points

K is for KING

The ROYAL King is the most important piece on the board! Once it is captured, or in checkmate, that is it. You are out of the game. This has the exception of ANTICHESS and the variant Royal Queens. It can move in any direction, but one square at a time. Non-royal kings get exchanged for 3 points. Royal kings (except for CAPTURE THE KING) must not step into check.

Direction: N, S, E, W, NE, SE, SW, NW

Range: 1

Can jump over other pieces: No

Exchange Value: 3 points (if you get the king that's not royal), 20 points (if you get the king that's royal), 40 points (if the game is a +40 game)

L is for CAMEL-RIDER

It has repeated camel moves

Direction: NNNE, NENE, SESE, SSSE, SSSW, SWSW, NWNW, NNNW, ENNE, EENE, EESE, ESSE, WSSW, WWSW, WWNW, WNNW

Range: Repeated 3-1 moves

Can jump over other pieces: Yes, but not over the squares it lands on. Once there is a piece in a square attacked by the L, the way is blocked. The L cannot move further.

Exchange Value: 7 points

M is for GENERAL

A combined King-Knight.

Direction: N, S, E, W, NE, SE, SW, NW, NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW, NNW

Range: 1 for king uses, 2-1 for knight uses

Can jump over other pieces: Only on knight uses

Exchange Value: 5 points

N is for KNIGHT

This is the only basic piece that jumps over other pieces. It moves in an L-shaped movement. And it's weaker than BISHOPS.

Direction: NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW, NNW

Range: 2-1

Can jump over other pieces: Yes

Exchange Value: 3 points

O is for KNIGHT RIDER

This is a strong piece. It moves very far on those 2-1 moves, as far as it likes, as long as the squares it attacks do not have any other pieces. EEEEERP! CRASH! Like the Camel Rider, when it could land on an enemy piece, the Knight Rider stops in a dead end of its line and you need to wait another turn to continue. It is blocked if it is a piece on its side.

Direction: NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW, NNW

Range: Repeated 2-1 moves

Can jump over other pieces: Yes, but not over the squares it lands on. Once there is a piece in a square attacked by the O, the way is blocked. The O cannot move further.

Exchange Value: 7 points

Q is for QUEEN

There are two types of queens: REAL QUEENS (Left) and FALSE* QUEENS (Right).

Real Queens are worth 9 points, and they start as a queen, and also appear on QRBN promotion games, while False Queens are worth 1 point and are found when pawns promote on 1-Point Q promotion games. Anyway, both types of queens move as far as they like in any direction: rookways and diagonally. The thing that queens are rubbish at is JUMPING OVER OTHER PIECES. If it hits a friendly piece, it must go to the square behind it on the line, between the piece and the square the queen started on for the move. If it captures an enemy, it takes the enemy's place.

Direction: N, S, E, W, NE, SE, SW, NW

Range: 1-13

Can jump over other pieces: No

Exchange Value: 9 points (Real Queens), 1 point (False Queens)

*False Queens are 1-Point Queens

R is for ROOK

Rooks are the basic pieces that move in files and ranks: UP, DOWN, AND TO THE SIDES. They move very far. The rims and friendly pieces are the blocks of the line, even capturing pieces stops the rook from continuing to move. They're 5 points each.

Direction: N, S, E, W

Range: 1-13

Can jump over other pieces: No

Exchange Value: 5 points

S is for DABBABA

These 1-point pieces jump two squares rookways. But if one of its four directions has a friendly piece on its square that it will land on, it will not move in that direction. If one of its four directions has an enemy piece on it, it must capture it. It can jump over a piece that is next to it, as far as I'm concerned...

Direction: N, S, E, W

Range: 2

Can jump over other pieces: Yes

Exchange Value: 1 point

T is for DABBABA-RIDER

Repeated Dabbaba moves.

Direction: N, S, E, W

Range: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

Can jump over other pieces: Yes, but not over the squares it lands on. Once there is a piece in a square attacked by the T, the way is blocked. The T cannot move further.

Exchange Value: 5 points

V is for WILDEBEEST

Combining the CAMEL and the Knight will make an unstoppable 5-point piece...

Direction: NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW, NNW, NNNE, NENE, SESE, SSSE, SSSW, SWSW, NWNW, NNNW, ENNE, EENE, EESE, ESSE, WSSW, WWSW, WWNW, WNNW

Range: 2-1 for Knight uses, 3-1 for Camel uses

Can jump over other pieces: Yes

Exchange Value: 5 points

W is for WAZIR

These pieces are weak. They only move one square rookways, and would only give you 1 point if you wanted to captured it.

Direction: N, S, E, W

Range: 1

Can jump over other pieces: No

Exchange Value: 1 point

Y is for ALIBABA

This 3-point piece is a Dalibabba and an Alfil combined together.

Direction: N, S, E, W, NE, SE, SW, NW

Range: 2

Can jump over other pieces: Yes

Exchange Value: 3 points

Z is for ALIBABA-RIDER

This is the last large piece in the collection. Next we will meet the pawns. Anyway, this piece makes repeated Alibaba moves.

Direction: N, S, E, W, NE, SE, SW, NW

Range: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 (Diagonal range ends on 10), 12

Can jump over other pieces: Yes, but not over the squares it lands on. Once there is a piece in a square attacked by the Z, the way is blocked. The Z cannot move further.

Exchange Value: 7 points

Now it is time to meet the pawns. They always go forward or on the forward diagonal squares and move one square at a time. On the start, it can move two, it can only capture on one square and all 5 types are worth 1 point. Pawns get promoted at a certain rank (for warm coloured sides) and a certain file (for cool coloured sides).

The BASIC PAWN

The Basic Pawn is what you will most find on most board games. It moves forward and captures on the forward diagonals.

The Berolina (α)

AKA the REVERSED pawn, because it moves on the forward diagonals and attacks forward. If there are pieces on its forward diagonals and none on its forward square, the poor pawn can't move past!

The Soldier (β)

AKA the FORWARD pawn, because it can move and capture on the forward squares only. The warm-coloured sides' soldiers stay on the same file while the cool-coloured sides' soldiers stay on the same rank. Those two happen until they get promoted.

The Stone General (γ)

AKA the DIAGONAL pawn, because it can move and capture on the forward diagonal squares only.

The Sergeant (δ)

AKA the SUPER pawn, because it can move and capture on the forward AND forward diagonal squares.

However, if you encounter a swarm of sergeants, what should your king do? RUN AS FAST AS HE CAN!

CRASH!

OH NO!!! THEY'RE INSIDE!!!

Those are all the pieces and pawns that I need to teach. So, you are ALL great students! Well done! Remember what their notations are and their moves! Thank you,

ChimpReturns

in games, of Well duh, I know in games, what type

open any game (or New Game -> Analysis Board) -> Edit Position (bottom right corner) => click on the fairy piece in the top right corner.

These are not errors for the most part (for one, he's Australian, it's normal for him to use the British spelling of "color"/"colour", and he explicitly defines the term "rookways").