Shatranj (ancient Arabic/Persian Chess)

Initial setup d1, d8: King e1, e8: Ferz (General) a1, a8, h1, h8: Rook c1, c8, f1, f8: Alfil (Elephant) b1, b8, g1, g8: Knight a2-h2, a7-h7: Pawns

Moves at a Glance

Click on a piece below to see its moves

											Sliding capture or non-capture, can be blocked on any square along the ray
											Unblockable leap (capture or non-capture)
											Non-capture only
											Capture only

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Pawn peculiarities

• Pawns capture differently from how they move (straight move, diagonal capture).
• There is no initial double-push, and thus no en-passant capture.
• Pawns promote to Ferz when they reach last rank; there is no choice.

General rules

• It is not allowed to expose your King to check.
• The game is won by checkmating the opponent's King.
• Stalemate (no legal moves, but not in check) also counts as a loss for the stalemated side.
• If your opponent only has a King at the beginning of your turn, and your king is not yet bare, you win. This means that after you capture the last piece, the opponent gets one equalizing turn to recapture yours, in which case it would be a draw.

Differences with FIDE

The Ferz and Alfil replace the Queen and Bishop. The Pawn have no double move. No castling. The King starts on the e-file.

Strategy issues

Because of the baring rule a win is possible with any material other than a bare King.

Alfils are not only color bound, but also skip over half the files and ranks. So they can only reach 8 squares, making them next to worthless.