Mitred Framing 1: 8x8 to 10x10

Thirteen letters followed by a digit? Yes, it's a second, again less-than-ten-page, series of Gilman variants! This one builds on the principle used in Mitregi with compounds of duals and Wildeurasian Mitregi. It follows the same pattern of taking a pre-existing variant with Pawns and symmetric pieces, adding a rim one cell deep around it, filling the new back ranks with forward-only (FO) versions of the symmetric pieces, and putting extra Pawns on the new cells of the Pawn rank.

Those variants largely place each FO piece diagonally out from the corresponding symmetric one rather than directly behind it. These ones do likewise. This suggested to me the image of a window frame, and as the windows in my home (at the time of inventing) have wooden frames I immediately think to the complex carpentry in them and particularly mitring, as the piece that I term Mitre recurs throughout the series. As I incorporated the piece's name into existing variants I decided to use it in the series name and add the rim only to games having a Bishop in the original back row. Thus Shoxiang 108 does not fit the pattern, even in the Shogi-heavy form, as it frames Xiang Qi and adds the Bishop in as a traditional Shogi piece.

This first page of the series deals exclusively with adding a rim to an 8 by 8 board. The next page in this series also ends up as 10x10, but from 9-file original variants.

Setup

All these variants have an intimate connection between how pieces are represented and how they are promoted. The same array with different physical representations is a different variant, with different promotion rules. In particular, only pieces represented by Shogi pieces are promotable and only those and Silvers represented by Pawns (which are in sufficient supply to represent with a switch of opposite-coloured ones) can return from capture. For this reason unpromoted Points always represent Pawns and unpromoted Silvers Mitres. Unless otherwise stated other pieces represent themselves.

MITRED CHESS uses one FIDE and one Shogi set minus the Shogi King/Rook. The Shogi Bishop represents the tenth Pawn and Pawns Silvers.
MITRED BISHOGI and MITREGI DE LA DAMA use two Shogi sets. A Gold represents the Queen, and Promoted Wings/Helms/Silvers Golds/Knights/Silvers.
MITRED FRONTOFHOUSE uses two Shogi sets. A Rook represents the Queen, Bishops Silvers, and promoted Wings/Helms/Silvers Rooks/Knights/Bishops.

MITRED CATHOLIC BISHOGI use two distinguishable Shogi sets minus the small King/Rook. The large-set back rank represent FIDE pieces, the large-set Rook/Bishop their Knight compounds, large Points the array Silvers, and the small Bishop the tenth Pawn.

MITRED NOTCHESS uses one FIDE and one Shogi set. Pawns represent Camels, the FIDE King the Gnu, and Shogi Rooks/Bishops/Golds Princesses/Handymen/Humps. The Shogi King is not in the array but represents the Hump promoted to Silver. As there are neither 10 of any piece nor a spare piece to duplicate, I omit the Pawn in front of the Gnu as the one contributing least to shielding the back rank. MITRED FRONTOFHOUSE NOTCHESS uses two Shogi sets. Shogi Kings/Rooks/Bishops/Golds represent Camels/Princesses/Handymen/Humps, and promoted Rooks/Bishops/Wings/Helms/Silvers Queens/Gnus/Rooks/Knights/Bishops. Both use this array:

Pieces

Pieces are listed by my preferred English name for them, with an actual or suggested Japanese name and its translation in brackets. If someone who knows the Japanese for Crab can fill in this gaps in my knowledge please do so in a comment. Pieces returning as a lesser piece can be promoted back to their array piece type, and promotees always return unpromoted.

The KING (Japanese name varies between armies) moves one cell along any of the eight radials, and must be kept out of Check. It is unpromotable, and return from capture does not arise.

The QUEEN (Japanese name varies between variants) moves any distance through empty intermediate squares along any of the eight radials. It is unpromotable, cannot return from capture in Mitred Chess and Mitred Notchess, and returns as whatever array piece it started as in the other variants.

The PRINCESS (no suggestion) is the Queen restricted to the three forward directions. It is promotable to a PRINCE (Taishi) that moves like the King in Mitred Notchess, and to Queen in Mitred Frontofhouse Notchess. It always returns from capture as itself.

The ROOK (Hisha=Flying Chariot) is the Queen restricted to the four orthogonals. In Mitred Chess and Mitred Notchess it cannot be promoted or return from capture. In Mitred Bishogi and Mitred Catholic Bishogi it is promotable to Queen and returns as itself. In Mitregi de la Dama it is promotable to a CHATELAINE (Ryuo=Dragon King) by the addition of the remaining King moves, and returns as itself. In Mitred Frontofhouse and Mitred Frontofhouse Notchess it is unpromotable and returns as a Wing (see next).

The WING (Kyoosha=Fragrant Chariot) is the Queen restricted to the single forward orthogonal. It is promotable to Rook in Mitred Frontofhouse and Mitred Frontofhouse Notchess and to Gold (see next) in other variants. It always returns from capture as itself.

The GOLDGENERAL (Kinsho), Gold for short, moves like a King restricted to orthogonals and forward diagonals. It is unpromotable. It returns as a Wing in Mitred Bishogi and Mitregi de la Dama, and as whatever array piece it started as in other variants.

The BISHOP (Kakugyo=Angle Mover) is the Queen restricted to the four diagonals. In Mitred Chess and Mitred Notchess it cannot be promoted or return from capture. In Mitred Bishogi and Mitred Catholic Bishogi it is promotable to Queen and returns as itself. In Mitregi de la Dama it is promotable to a PRIMATE (Ryuma=Dragon Horse) by the addition of the remaining King moves, and returns as itself. In Mitred Frontofhouse and Mitred Frontofhouse Notchess it is unpromotable and returns as a Mitre (see next).

The MITRE (Yohei=Ramshead Soldier) is the Queen restricted to the two forward diagonals. It is promotable to Bishop in Mitred Frontofhouse and Mitred Frontofhouse Notchess and to Silver (see next) in other variants. It always returns from capture as itself.

The SILVERGENERAL (Ginsho), Silver for short, moves like a King restricted to diagonals and the forward orthogonal. It is unpromotable. It returns as a Mitre in Mitred Bishogi and Mitregi de la Dama, and whatever array piece it started as in other varints.

The KNIGHT (Choma=Jumping Horse) makes any 2:1 leap and cannot be blocked. In Mitred Chess and Mitred Notchess it cannot be promoted or return from capture. In Mitred Catholic Bishogi it is promotable to Queen and returns as itself. In other variants it is unpromotable and returns as a Helm (see next).

The HELM (Keima=Honourable Horse) is the Knight restricted to the two leaps taking it 2 ranks forward. In Mitred Chess and Mitred Catholic Bishogi it is promotable to a CRAB (sugg. direct translation) by the addition of the two leaps taking it 1 rank backward. In Mitred Notchess it is promotable to Gold. In other variants it is promotable to Knight. It always returns from capture as itself.

The CAMEL (no suggestion) makes any 3:1 leap and cannot be blocked or promoted. In Mitred Notchess it cannot return from capture, and in Mitred Frontofhouse Notchess it returns as a Hump (see next).

The HUMP (no suggestion) is the Camel restricted to the two leaps taking it 3 ranks forward. It is promotable to Silver in Mitred Notchess, and to Knight in Mitred Frontofhouse Notchess. It always returns from capture as itself.

The GNU (no suggestion) combines the Knight and Camel moves and cannot be blocked or promoted. In Mitred Notchess it cannot return from capture, and in Mitred Frontofhouse Notchess it returns as a Handyman (see next).

The HANDYMAN (no suggestion) combines the Helm and Hump moves. It is promotable to a PRINCE (Taishi) that moves like the King in Mitred Notchess, and to Gnu in Mitred Frontofhouse Notchess. It always returns from capture as itself.

The MARSHAL (sugg. Masha=Horse Chariot) combines Rook and Knight moves, and the CARDINAL (no suggestion) Bishop and Knight moves. They are specific to Mitred Catholic Bishogi, in which both are promotable to an ACE (no suggestion) combining all three moves and return from capture as themselves.

The PAWN (sugg. Sekijin=Stone Sword) moves one step forward at a time, diagonally if capturing otherwise orthogonally. In Mitred Bishogi and Mitred Catholic Bishogi it is promotable to Queen (see below), in other variants it is promotable to a STEWARD (no suggestion), which moves one step along any diagonal if capturing otherwise along any orthogonal.

Rules

Pawns have an initial double-step move from their player's first three ranks, and can immediately be captured En Passant by any enemy Pawn that could have captured normally had they moved only the single step.

At the end of a move entering, moving within, or leaving the enemy camp a player may promote that piece, if it is of a promotable type and not already promoted. If the piece can move no further unpromoted, promotion is required. A player capturing an enemy piece may reintroduce it unpromoted in place of a normal move.

Castling, Check, Checkmate, and Stalemate are as in FIDE Chess, except in Mitred Notchess and Mitred Frontofhouse Notchess. The latter variants have victory by capturing all of any of the following groups (including those promoted to other pieces):
* Rooks, Wings, Queens, Princesses;
* Bishops, Mitres, Queens, Princesses;
* Knights, Helms, Gnus, Handymen;
* Camels, Humps, Gnus, Handymen.
Mitred Notchess also allows (as with Wildeurasian Mitregi) a win for a player having the maximum 4 Princes and the enemy not immediately capturing one.

Notes

In the notes to the third page in this series I discuss a possible variant, Los Generales, that though not strictly Mitred uses much the same concept. On the scale dealt with here, an OKISAKI LOS GENERALES would be possible. The back rank would be Wing-Helm-Princess-Silver-Gold-Gold-Silver-Princess-Helm-Wing, the second rank empty-Rookranker-Nightranker-Queenranker-empty-empty-Queenranker-Nightranker-Rookranker-empty, the third empty-empty-Rook-Knight-Queen-King-Knight-Rook-empty-empty, and the fourth rank full of Pawns. The big question is what would be promotable to what in each promotion style.

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By Charles Gilman.
Web page created: 2009年03月28日. Web page last updated: 2016年03月24日