Gothic Chess, starting position

Gothic Chess is a commercial chess variant derived from Capablanca chess, invented by Ed Trice and patented in 2002. It is played on a 10x8 board with two additional pawns per side and two fairy chess pieces: the chancellor and the archbishop. Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... A chess variant is a game derived from, related to or similar to chess in at least one respect. ... Capablanca chess. ... Edward A. Trice (born December 5, 1966 in Philadelphia, PA) is an American inventor and entrepreneur who is most widely known for creating the chess variant known as Gothic chess. ... A fairy chess piece or unorthodox chess piece is a chess piece not used in conventional chess, but used in certain chess variants and some chess problems. ...

All standard Chess rules, such as en passant capture or castling, are maintained, and Gothic Chess has the following features: ġĠ ġ Εý ŚÝ ¼Ћ This article is about the chess move en passant. For other uses, see En passant (disambiguation). ... Initial position of kings and rooks Black has castled kingside (O-O), and White has castled queenside (O-O-O) Castling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. ...

• All of the pawns are defended in the starting position.
• There is a horizontal symmetry across the board regarding the pieces that have diagonal movements.
• The pieces on the four westernmost files and the three easternmost files are identical to Chess, thus preserving many familiar patterns and motifs.

Chess is a recreational and competitive game for two players. ...

Values of the pieces

Pieces have, as estimated by the game's creator, the following values in Gothic Chess:^[1]:

• Pawn: 1.00
• Knight: 2.50
• Bishop: 3.00
• Rook: 4.75
• Archbishop: 6.50
• Chancellor: 8.25
• Queen: 8.75.

The Game Theorist John Lewis has computed other values for the fairy chess pieces, which can be seen here. Game theory is often described as a branch of applied mathematics and economics that studies situations where multiple players make decisions in an attempt to maximize their returns. ...

Openings

Trice Gambit. White sacrifices a pawn to get a quicker development after 1. c4 f5 2. Nc3!? Axc4.

In regular chess, the way in which games start out is loosely referred to as opening theory. Chess openings are typically named after their founder, the country of their origin, or by the features of the position. Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game (the opening moves). ...

In Gothic Chess, due to the increased number of pieces, the number of possible board positions increases at a rate greater than in regular chess. For example, the total number of possible Gothic Chess games after four moves for white, and four replies for black, is 1.5×10¹².^[2] In chess, this total is only 8.5×10¹⁰.^[3]

This has hindered the development of opening theory in Gothic chess, but many common tabiyas do occur. There are some openings in Gothic Chess that have been named so far. These are: Trice's Gambit^[4], the Colanzi Opening, the Quagga, the Philadelphia Opening, and an offshoot known as the Bavarian Attack.^{[citation needed]} This page explains commonly used terms in chess in alphabetical order. ...

Typically, in Gothic Chess, knights can be naturally developed to the third rank and toward the center of the board. Pawn pushes can open up lines for bishops, and bishops may also be developed via fianchetto. As in chess, it is common practice to develop the minor pieces before developing the major pieces. In chess the fianchetto (Italian little flanking) is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward. ...

Unlike in ordinary chess, center pawn pushes (especially the E pawn) must be treated with care to avoid exposing the king too much. The opening strategy of "controlling the center" takes on a different feel because of this dynamic.

Middlegame

The principles of chess middlegame play apply in Gothic Chess. However, because there is more material than in regular chess and because of increased attacking possibilities, most theorists conclude that having a material advantage per se is less important in Gothic Chess.^[5] Concordantly, king safety and piece activity rise in relative importance, which makes the game more dynamic. In chess, the middlegame refers to the portion of the game that happens immediately after the opening (usually the first move after the procession of moves that make up a standard opening) and blends somewhat with the endgame. ...

Arguably, there are more opportunities to sacrifice material to gain a positional advantage or to expose the enemy king. For example, in this game, two minor pieces are exchanged for two pawns which later results in a win for white.

Endgames

The principles of chess endgame apply in Gothic Chess. With the two new pieces, several new endgame positions arise, such as chancellor vs. chancellor with several pawns each or archbishop and pawns vs. queen and pawns. These endgames are somewhat similar to queen and pawn endgames, where the dominant theme is for the strong side to avoid perpetual check and achieve a pawn promotion. EndGame is the name of a 1997 story arc of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book published by published by Archie Comics. ...

Endgames with five or fewer pieces for all Capablanca chess variants similar to Gothic Chess have been completely analyzed by a computer.^[6] Capablanca chess. ...

See also

• Capablanca Random Chess
• Capablanca Chess
• Embassy Chess

Capablanca random chess. ... Capablanca chess. ... Embassy chess, starting position Embassy chess is a chess variant created in 2005 by Kevin Hill. ...

References

• US patent 6481716, "Method of playing a variant of chess"
• 80-Square Chess, E. Trice in ICGA Journal Vol. 27, No. 2 - June 2004, p. 81-96.

External links

• The Gothic Chess Federation
• Player Ratings | Gothic Chess
• Introduction to Gothic Chess | Ed Trice
• Gothic Chess Miniature Games
• Gothic Chess | Uwe Kreuzer (German)
• Gothic Chess | Andreas Kaufmann (German)
• Gothic Vortex "Copper" (ZIP file of Windows executable) A free version of the Gothic Chess program.
• Archive of Games | Gothic Chess