Wolf chess

Chess variant

This example uses algebraic notation.

Wolf chess (German: Wolf-Schach) is a chess variant invented by Dr. Arno von Wilpert in 1943.^[1]^[2] It is played on an 8×10 chessboard and employs several fairy pieces including wolf and fox – compound pieces popular in chess variants and known by different names.

Wolf chess correspondence matches and tournaments have been held, one of which (Paris vs. Augsburg, September 1960) is claimed to be the first international over-the-board match for a chess variant.^[3]

Game rules

As in standard chess, White moves first and the winning objective is checkmate. The king, queen, rook, bishops, and pawns move and capture the same as they do in chess. In addition, there are some special rules.

Special rules

The wolf moves and captures as a chess rook and a chess knight.
The fox moves and captures as a chess bishop and a chess knight.
The nightrider moves and captures as a chess knight extended to make any number of steps in the same direction in a straight line.
A sergeant moves and captures one step straight or diagonally forward. A sergeant has the option, like a chess pawn, to move a double-step straight forward (but not diagonally) on its first move.
A pawn (but not a sergeant) may capture an enemy pawn or sergeant en passant.
Pawns and sergeants promote on the last rank to: queen, wolf, fox, rook, bishop, or nightrider. Pawns (but not sergeants) have an additional option of promoting to elephant (also called amazon rider in pocket mutation chess). The elephant piece is not present in the starting setup; it moves and captures as a chess queen and a nightrider (i.e. stronger than an amazon).
There is no castling in wolf chess.

References

^ Pritchard (1994), pp. 342–43
^ Pritchard (2007), p. 140
^ Pritchard (1994), p. 343

Bibliography

Pritchard, D. B. (1994). The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants. Games & Puzzles Publications. ISBN 0-9524142-0-1.
Pritchard, D. B. (2007). Beasley, John (ed.). The Classified Encyclopedia of Chess Variants. John Beasley. ISBN 978-0-9555168-0-1.
Wilpert, Arno von (1959). Wolf-Schach. Kommissions-Verlag Heinz Loeffler, Bad Nauheim (Germany).

External links

Wolf chess by Hans Bodlaender, The Chess Variant Pages
Wolf Chess a simple program by Ed Friedlander (Java)
Wolf Chess See detailed rule descriptions, piece movements and play this variant on Omnichess

Chess variants (list)

Orthodox rules

Different starting position	Fischer random chess Displacement chess Transcendental chess
Different number of pieces	Dunsany's chess Handicap
Unorthodox board	Balbo's game Circular chess Cylinder chess Double chess Grid chess Hexagonal chess (Cross chess, Masonic chess) Infinite chess Millennium 3D chess Minichess (Los Alamos chess) Rhombic chess Spherical chess Three-dimensional chess Triangular chess

Unorthodox
rules with
traditional
pieces

Standard 8×8 board	Andernach chess Atomic chess Beirut chess Checkless chess Chessplus Circe chess Crazyhouse Cubic chess Dynamo chess Extinction chess Hostage chess Knight relay chess Legan chess Losing chess Madrasi chess Monochromatic chess Patrol chess PlunderChess Portal chess Progressive chess Three-check chess Way of the Knight
Multimove variants	Avalanche chess Kung-Fu Chess Marseillais chess Monster chess Progressive chess
Elements of chance	Dark chess Dice chess Knightmare Chess Kriegspiel Penultima
Unorthodox rules on an unorthodox board	Alice chess Apocalypse Chad Chessence Congo Diplomat chess Dragonfly Jeson Mor Parallel worlds chess Rollerball 5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel

Unorthodox
rules using
non-traditional
pieces

Standard 8×8 board	Baroque Berolina Chakra Chess with different armies Duell Falcon–hunter chess Grasshopper chess Musketeer chess Pocket mutation chess
Compound pieces	Almost chess Capablanca chess Capablanca random chess Chancellor chess Embassy chess Grand Chess Janus Chess Maharajah and the Sepoys Modern chess Seirawan chess Tutti-frutti chess
Unorthodox boards and pieces	Chesquerque Chess on a really big board Courier-Spiel Dragonchess Gess Omega Chess Stratomic Dekle's triangular chess 2000 A.D. Wildebeest chess Wolf chess

Multiplayer

Inspired games

Chess-related
games

Historical	Chadarangam Chaturaji Chaturanga Courier chess Grant Acedrex Shatranj Short assize Tamerlane chess
Regional	Janggi variants Makruk Senterej Shatar Shogi Chu shogi Dai shogi Other variants Sittuyin Xiangqi Jungle Banqi Manchu chess Game of the Three Kingdoms Game of the Three Friends Game of the Seven Kingdoms Other variants