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Shatranj
is the name by which Chess was known from the seventh century of the
first millennium. The King is allowed to move one cell in any direction
and the Adviser (AD), is also only allowed to move one cell diagonally
in any direction. The fil or, elephant (EL) moves two cells in any
direction and is permitted to hop over any intervening piece.
The
Faras (KT) moves in the same fashion as its traditional occidental
counterpart. The Rukh (RO) is the most powerful piece and has exactly
the same motion as our modern equivalent. Castling is not permitted as
this double-move was introduced to Chess some eight hundred years after
the introduction of Shatranj, in the 15th century. White may commence a
game of Shatranj on Rank 1 and Rank 2 or on Rank 7 and Rank 8.
Shatranj
Board
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 dictionary under ‘Shatranj’ for an 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
pieces, except the King - you do not need to force checkmate (++CM).
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