CHESMAYNE

begin the beguine                                                         wings - band on the run

 

 

Shatranj 

 

  

View out window to Arabian-style settlement of stone buildings

Shatranj is the Arabic name under which chess was known from the 7th century of the first millennium.   It has been (and still is) played in the Islamic world.   This variant of chess is the forerunner of traditional western chess.   The Firzan and Fil (MPs) are used instead of QU1, BS1 and BS2.   Shatranj uses an 8 x 8 unchequered board.   The mps are called ‘Baidaqs’ (BQs).   Shatranj is slow and is inclined to be positional.    Positions in which the ELs and AD1 are active are considered good.    Weak cells (:w$) are those that can not be covered by AD1, EL1 and EL2.   Strong cells (:s$) are those that can be covered by AD1, EL1 and EL2 (there are eight of each colour).   Because AD1, EL1 and EL2 are weaker than QU1, BS1 and BS2 used in traditional chess, the KI is often used as a fighting unit.   Most conflicts do not start until about the 15th move of a game (when captures begin to take place).   Sometimes :A and :B make a mutually agreed set of opening moves (called ‘Ta’bia’).   However, the MPs/mps are not allowed to cross into the opponents half of the board.   This is the first known version of chess (Chaturanga) and was very popular for many centuries.   It is played on an unchequered board 8 x 8.   BQs promote on reaching rank-8, becoming an EL (in some versions, a GE).   Another rule allows the KI to be moved to the cell of one of his other MPs (transposed), so long as this does not result in check. 

01 The KI is allowed to move one cell in any direction. 

02 The Adviser (AD), is only allowed to move one cell ‘diagonally’ in any direction.   This MP is called a ‘Firzan

’ in Shatranj.   A-AD1, B-AD1 and A-AD2, B-AD2 can never come into contact during a game (opposing colours). 

03 The Fil or, elephant (EL) moves two cells in any direction and is permitted to hop over any intervening MP/mp.  There are two other types of elephant used in Chesmayne and the monograms ET and EP are used for these (please see ‘Thai’, ‘Burmese’ and ‘Cambodian’ chess for details).   An EL can only reach seven cells on the 8 x 8 board and cannot attack each other. 

04 The Faras (KT) moves in the same fashion as his traditional occidental counterpart. 

05 The Rukh (RO) is the most powerful MP and has exactly the same motion as our modern equivalent. 

06 The BQs (Baidaqs) move one cell at a time (FMO) and one cell thereafter (AOM).   They may only be promoted to EL (EL3, EL4, EL5 etc). 

Desert tent scene

07 Castling is not permitted as this double-move was introduced to chess some 800 years after the introduction of Shatranj, in the 15th century. 

08 :A may commence a game of Shatranj on rank-1 and rank-2 or on rank-7 and rank-8. 


link: Figure 1 Islamic ivory chess pieces, draughtsmen and dice in the Ashmolean Museum

09 Shatranj has its own canon of names for openings etc: Goat Peg, Wonderful and Lovely, Pharaoh’s Fortress and the Sword Opening being examples, which are called ‘Tabia’.   Please see below for a more in depth discussion and examples in the Chesmayne format.   In the 15th century the convention of allowing white to open was introduced.   The main difference between Shatranj and traditional western chess as we know it, is that in Shatranj, a win can be achieved by taking all of your adversary’s MPs/mps, except the KI - you do not need to force checkmate (++CM). 

10 A player who is in stalemate may exchange the position of his KI with any of the other MPs/mps as long as this does not leave his KI in check.   This exchange is regarded as a single move!   It is called a ‘transposition.’ 

11 The KI and AD1 may be reversed in the ISP but must be done by both players. 

Desert seen from inside cave

1 - L06 Shatranj (8 x 8 board)

This particular (game-tree) of chess has been played in Islamic countries for more than ten centuries. 

          The Chesmayne chess MPs/mps are triangular shaped.   Large triangles are used for the MPs and small triangles are used for the mps.   Each triangle has the monogram of the MP/mp printed on it ie: BQ1, BQ2, BQ3, BQ4, BQ5, BQ6, BQ7 and BQ8 for the mps on :L06 (Shatranj).  The monograms RO1, RO2, EL1, EL2, KT1, KT2, AD1 and KI for the MPs on :L06 (Shatranj). 

:L06 Set-up the board as follows - Initial Starting Position (ISP)

Diagram of :L06 Board…

                                            -A- -B- -C- -D- -E- -F- -G- -H-

RO2 KT2 EL2 AD1 -KI EL1 KT1 RO1 rank-1

BQ8 BQ7 BQ6 BQ5 BQ4 BQ3 BQ2 BQ1 rank-2

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- rank-3

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- rank-4

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- rank-5

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- rank-6

BQ1 BQ2 BQ3 BQ4 BQ5 BQ6 BQ7 BQ8 rank-7

RO1 KT1 EL1 AD1 -KI EL2 KT2 RO2 rank-8

Rules of Shatranj

01 In the game of Shatranj a ‘stalemate’ (++ST) is considered a loss. 

02 Bare KI (a lone KI on the board without MPs/mps for his own protection loses the game and is called ‘baring chess’. 

03 Castling is not permitted. 

04 The :ep (en passant) move is not permitted. 

05 The mps (BQs) are only allowed to move one cell at a time.   On the first move the BQ is not allowed to advance two cells. 

06 The light or dark MPs/mps can make the opening move in Shatranj. 

07 Flank openings are considered the best. 

08 The mps are developed first, followed by the MPs in the rear. 

 The 16 MPs/mps used in the game of Shatranj

There are six types of MP/mp used in Shatranj (traditional chess also has 6).

01 King KI

02 Adviser AD AD1

03 Rook RO RO1 and RO2

04 Elephant EL EL1 and EL2

05 Knight KT KT1 and KT2

06 Baidaq BQ BQ1 BQ2 BQ3 BQ4 BQ5 BQ6 BQ7 BQ8

 

How the MPs/mps move in the game of Shatranj

KI: Allowed to move one cell in any direction. 

AD: Allowed to move one cell diagonally in any direction. 

RO: Moves in the same manner as the traditional RO. RO1 and RO2 are normally brought together on R$02 after the mps have been moved.   In traditional chess (:L01 Chesmayne) the ROs are normally linked together on R$01. 

KT: Moves in the exact same way as the traditional KT (2 x 1). 

BQ: The Baidaq is allowed to move forward one cell at a time.   On reaching R$08 the BQ can only be promoted to an AD (Adviser).   The :ep (en passant) move and the option of a two-move advance of the BQ from the ISP (Initial Starting Position) is not allowed.   The BQ captures one cell diagonally.

EL: Must be moved two cells diagonally when played on the board.   The EL can jump over an intervening MP/mp to complete their two cell move.   It should noticed that the ELs cannot occupy a cell on the top rank of the board due to the size of the 8 x 8 board.   The word ‘elephant’ (EL) is translated from the Sanskrit ‘gaja’.   Each EL has only eight cells to which they may move on an 8 x 8 board. 

A-EL2 is more important than ELI for :A because EL2 can protect AD1 (EL1 cannot protect AD1). 

B-EL1 is more important than EL2 for :B because EL1 can protect AD1 (EL2 cannot protect AD1). 

 

The moving ability of the EL on an 8 x 8 board

Set-up the board and place the MPs/mps as shown below.   Notice that an EL cannot occupy a cell on the top rank of an 8 x 8 board.   Each EL can only occupy eight different cells on an 8 x 8 board. 

:A EL2: $F01 $H03 $F05 $H07 $D03 $B01 $B05 and $D07

:B EL2: $C08 $A01 $A06 $C04 $E06 $E02 $G08 and $G04

---------------------------------------------------

:A EL1: $C01 $A03 $C05 $A07 $E03 $G03 $G05 and $E07

:B EL1: $F08 $B04 $B08 $D02 $D06 $F04 $H02 and $H06

 

:L06 Shatranj - sample game on an 8 x 8 board

How to set-up the Shatranj board…

:A RO2 KT2 EL2 AD1 KI EL1 KT1 RO1 Rank-8

    BQ8 BQ7 BQ6 BQ5 BQ4 BQ3 BQ2 BQ1 Rank-7

-----------------------------------------

:B BQ1 BQ2 BQ3 BQ4 BQ5 BQ6 BQ7 BQ8 Rank-2

  RO1 KT1 EL1 AD1 KI EL2 KT2 RO2 Rank-1

Note: :A is playing from the top of the board (ranks 7 and 8) in this game (normally :A plays from ranks 1 and 2).   Set-up the board and play through the moves shown below.   The XY notation is shown on the left.   The acentric notation is indicated on the right. 

 

01A BQ3-F07/F06 BQ3-C12/B07

01B BQ6-F02/F03 BQ6-C05/B04

02A BQ3-F06/F05 BQ3-B07/B06

02B BQ6-F03/F04 BQ6-B04/B05

03A KT1-G08/F06 KT1-D16/B07

03B KT2-G01/F03 KT2-G01/B04

04A BQ6-C07/C06 BQ6-C15/B10

04B BQ5-E02/E03 BQ5-C04/B03

05A BQ6-C06/C05 BQ6-B10/B11

05B EL2-F01/H03 EL2-D06/D10

06A BQ2-G07/G06 BQ2-C11/C10

06B KT2-F03/H04 KT2-B04/D11

07A BQ4-E07/E06 BQ4-C13/B08

07B BQ2-B02/B03 BQ2-C01/C20

08A AD1-D08/E07 AD1-D19/C13

08B AD1-D01/E02 AD1-D04/C04

09A EL1-F08/H06 EL1-D17/D13

09B BQ7-G02/G03 BQ7-C06/C07

10A KI-E07/F07 KI-D18/D17

10B KT2-H04/F03 KT2-D11/B04

11A RO1-H08/D08 RO1-D15/D19

11B KT2-F03/E05+CH KT2 B04/A03+CH

12A KI-F07/G08 KI-C12/D16

12B KT2-E05/D03 KT2-A03/B02

13A BQ5-D07/D06 BQ5-C14/B09

13B KT2-D03/F02 KT2-B02/C05

14A KT2-B08/C06 KT2-D21/B10

14B BQ4-D02/D03 BQ4-C03/B02

15A BQ7-B07/B06 BQ7-C16/C17

15B BQ5-E03/E04 BQ5-B03/A02

16A BQ3-F05*E04-BQ5 BQ3-B06*A02-BQ5

16B BQ4-D03*E04-BQ3 BQ4-B02*A02 BQ3

17A BQ5-D06/D05 BQ5-B09/A04

17B AD1-E02/D03 AD1-C04/B02

18A BQ6-C05/C04 BQ6-B11/B12

18B BQ2-B03*C04-BQ6 BQ2-C20*B12-BQ6

19A BQ5-D05*C04-BQ2 BQ5-A04*B12-BQ2

19B AD1-D03*C04-BQ5 AD1-B02*B12-BQ5

20A EL2-C08/A06 EL2-D20/D24

20B AD1-C04/D03 AD1-B12/B02

21A RO2-A08/C08 RO2-D24/D20

21B KT1-B01/C03 KT1-D02/B01

22A KT2-C06/B04 KT2-B10/C19

22B KT1-C03/A04 KT1-B01/D26

23A RO2-C08*C02-BQ3 RO2-D20*C02-BQ3

23B EL2-H03/F01 EL2-D10/D06

24A EL2-A06/C04 EL2-D24/B12

24B KT2-F02/H03 KT2-C05/D10

25A KT1-F06*E04-BQ4 KT1-B07*A02-BA4

25B BQ1-A02/A03 BQ1-D28/D27

26A RO2-C02/E02+CH RO2-C02/C04+CH

26B KI-E01/D01 KI-D05/D04

27A KT2-B04*D03-AD1 KT2-C19*B02-AD1

27B EL2-F01*D03-KT2 EL2-D06*B02-KT2

28B RO1-D08*D03-EK2++CM RO1-D19*B02-EL2++

++WN for :A ++LS for :B

Note: in the final position above B-KI is prevented from capturing the A-RO2 due to EL2 on $C04 (if the KI captured RO2 on $E02 the KI would still be in +CH by EL2 on $C04.   

 

Example game of Shatranj

The XY notation is shown on the left.   The centric notation is indicated on the right. 

01A BQ4-D02/D03 BQ4-C03/B02

01B BQ6-C07/C06 BQ6-C15/B10

02A BQ4-D03/D04 BQ4-B02/A01

02B BQ7-B07/B06 BQ7-C16/C17

03A BQ3-C02/C03 BQ3-C02/B01

03B BQ6-C06/C05 BQ6-B10/B11

04A BQ4-D04/D05 BQ4-A01/A04

04B KT1-G08/F06 KT1-D16/B07

05A BQ3-C02/C03 BQ3-C02/B01

05B BQ7-B06/B05 BQ7-C17/C18

06A BQ2-B02/B03 BQ2-C01/C20

06B BQ6-C05/C04 BQ6-B11/B12

07A BQ2-B03*C04-BQ6 BQ2-C20*B12-BQ6

07B BQ7-B05*C04-BQ2 BQ7-C18*B12-BQ2

08A EL1-C01/A03 EL1-D03/D27

08B EL2-C08/A06 EL2-D20/D24

09A KT1-B01/D02 KT1-D02/C03

09B KT1-F06*D05-BQ4 KT1-B07*A04-BQ4

10A RO1-A01/C01 RO1-D01/D03

10B KT2-B08/C06 KT2-D21/B10

11A Next move ? Next move ?

11B Next move ? Next move ?

Set-up the Shatranj board and play through the moves shown above and then continue the game.  

Opening (Shatranj)

The openings in Shatranj have canonical names.  These are known as ‘Tabia/Tabiat’.   A Tabia is a particular mp formation that is built up from the ISP (Initial Starting Position) of the MPs/mps ie…

01 Mujannah: flank opening (links RO1 and RO2 on rank-2 and secures $F04). 

02 Sayyal: torrent opening (BQ6 is advanced - the torrent BQ). 

03 Muwashshah: richly-girdled opening. 

04 Watad al-Farz: Goat Peg opening. 

05 Sword opening. 

06 Pharoh’s Fortress opening. 

07 Ghariba wa Malubi: Wonderful and lovely opening. 

08 The sheikh’s opening (:B moves BQ4 and BQ5 into the center). 

09 Slave’s Banner. 

Some of these openings are listed below… 

 

The Sheikh’s Opening

In this opening, :B moves BQ4 and BQ5 into the center on move 10 and 11.  The XY notation is shown on the left.   The Acentric notation is indicated on the right. 

01A BQ6-F02/F03 BQ6-C05/B04

01B BQ3-F07/F06 BQ3-C12/B07

02A BQ6-F03/F04 BQ6-B04/B05

02B BQ4-E07/E06 BQ4-C13/B08

03A BQ3-C02/C03 BQ3-C02/B01

03B BQ6-C07/C06 BQ6-C15/B10

04A BQ3-C03/C04 BQ3-B01/B12

04B BQ5-D07/D06 BQ5-C14/B09

05A KT2-G01/F03 KT2-D07/B04

05B BQ2-G07/G06 BQ2-C11/C10

06A KT1-B01/C03 KT1-D02/B01

06B BQ7-B07/B06 BQ7-C16/C17

07A BQ5-E02/E03 BQ5-C04/B03

07B KT2-D08/D07 KT2-D21/C14

08A BQ7-G02/G03 BQ7-C06/C07

08B KT1-G08/E07 KT1-D16/C13

09A BQ2-B02/B03 BQ2-C01/C20

09B AD1-D08/C07 AD1-D19/C15

10A BQ4-D02/D03 BQ4-C03/B02

10B BQ5-D06/D05 BQ5-B09/A04

11A RO2-H01/G01 RO2-D08/D07

11B BQ4-E06/E05 BQ4-B08/A03

12A RO1-A01/B01 RO1-D01/D02

12B AD1-C07/D06 AD1-C15/B09

13A BQ2-B03/B04 BQ2-C20/C19

13B BQ1-H07/H06 BQ1-D14/D13

14A EL1-C01/A03 EL1-D03/D27

14B EL2-C08/A06 EL2-D20/D24

15A BQ6-F04*E05-BQ4 BQ6-B05*A03-BQ4

15B BQ3-F06*E05-BQ6 BQ3-B07*A03-BQ6

16A BQ3-C04/C05 BQ3-B12/B11

16B AD1-D06/C07 AD1-B09/C15

17A BQ2-B04/B05 BQ2-C19/C18

17B BQ6-C06*B05-BQ2 BQ6-B10*C18-BQ2

18A KT1-C03*B05-BQ6 KT1-B01*C18-BQ6

18B KI-E08/D08 KI-D18/D19

19A KT1-B05/C03 KT1-C18/B01

19B BQ7-B06*C05-BQ3 BQ7-C17*B11-BQ3

20A EL1-A03*C05-BQ7 EL1-D27*B11-BQ7

20B KT2-D07*C05-EL1 KT2-C14*B11-EL1

21A KT2-F03*E05-BQ3 KT2-B04*A03-BQ3

21B Next move ? Next move ?

22A Next move ? Next move ?

 

Set-up the Shatranj board and play through the moves shown above and then continue this game.

 

Torrent opening (Sayyal opening)

 

:A advances BQ4 to $F05 on move 20A.   The XY notation is shown on the left.   The acentric notation is shown on the right.

01A BQ7-G02/G03 GQ7-C06/C07

01B BQ1-H07/H06 BQ1-D14/D13

02A BQ7-G03/G04 BQ7-C07/C08

02B BQ3-F07/F06 BQ3-C12/B07

03A BQ8-H02/H03 BQ8-D09/D10

03B BQ1-H06/H05 BQ1-D13/D12

04A BQ7-G04/G05 BQ7-C08/C09

04B BQ3-F06/F05 BQ3-B07/B06

05A BQ8-H03/H04 BQ8-D10/D11

05B BQ2-G07/G06 BQ2-C11/C10

06A BQ6-F02/F03 BQ6-C05/B04

06B RO1-H08/H07 RO1-D15/D14

07A BQ6-F03/F04 BQ6-B04/B05

07B RO1-H07/F06 RO1-D14/D12

08A BQ5-E02/E03 BQ5-C04/B03