Medieval chess

Abstract

A modified chess game for play by two players comprising a game board ten squares wide and ten squares deep, and utilizing an expanded set of chess pieces including a full set of traditional chess pieces plus three (3) new pieces to be known as “medieval chess pieces”. Each player has a set of chess pieces consisting of one King, one Queen, two Rooks, two Knights, two Bishops, two Trebuchets, two Carriages, eight Guards, and ten Pawns. The pieces are positioned in three rows per side, wherein the back row has a Trebuchet, Rook, Knight, Bishop, King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook, and Trebuchet; the second row has four Guards, two Carriages positioned in front of the King and Queen, and four Guards; and the third row has ten Pawns. Traditional chess pieces are moved pursuant to conventional movements and rules of capture in traditional chess, and the new chess pieces are moved pursuant to moves and rules of capture described herein for the game of Medieval Chess. The game ends in accordance with traditional rules of chess.

What is claimed is as follows: 
     
         1 . A modified chess game as described herein comprising:
 a) A square shaped game board having ten rows and ten columns of checkered alternating colored squares;   b) Two sets of game pieces, differentiated by color or some other means;   c) A novel and unique game piece, “A”, to be called a Trebuchet, comprising a set of movements and capabilities described herein;   d) A novel and unique game piece, “B”, to be called a Carriage, comprising a set of movements and capabilities described herein;   e) A novel and unique game piece, “C”, to be called a Guard or Huskarl, comprising a set of movements and capabilities described herein;   f) Each set of game pieces comprising a subset of traditional chess pieces consisting of one King, one Queen, two Rooks, two Knights, two Bishops, and ten Pawns, and a subset of novel and unique game pieces consisting of two game pieces of type “A”, two game pieces of type “B”, and eight game pieces of type “C”;   g) A unique initial setup of game pieces as described herein wherein the game board is set in the following order:
 i) Row 1: One “A”, Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook, one “A”; 
 ii) Row 2: Four Cs, two Bs, four Cs; 
 iii) Row 3: Ten Pawns; 
 iv) Row 8: Ten Pawns; 
 v) Row 9: Four Cs, two Bs, four Cs; and 
 vi) Row 10: One “A”, Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook, one “A”; and 
   h) A method of play comprising the methods and objective of traditional chess.   
     
     
         2 . The modified chess game of  claim 1 , wherein the traditional pieces of chess—King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook, and Pawn—retain their conventional movement patterns and capabilities, and the new chess pieces—“A”, “B”, and “C”—comprise the unique movement patterns and capabilities as described herein. 
     
     
         3 . The modified chess game of  claim 2 , wherein the movement patterns and capabilities of the novel and unique piece “A”, to be known by the name “Trebuchet”, comprises the prescribed ability to move horizontally or vertically by one space to an unoccupied space, OR to capture in a radius from its present location at exactly either three (3) spaces horizontally or vertically OR at two (2) spaces diagonally without moving from its present location by means of announcing the capture, and the ability to capture over other pieces when capturing pieces. Trebuchets cannot be retrieved by promotion. 
     
     
         4 . The modified chess game of  claim 3 , wherein the movement patterns and capabilities of the novel and unique piece “B”, to be known by the name “Carriage”, comprises the prescribed ability to move in any direction up to three (3) squares, and to optionally capture an opposing piece on the last square of a move, and also to be prohibited from moving any two squares in the same direction concurrently on the same move, and to be prohibited from moving to a square occupied by another game piece except when capturing a piece, nor can the Carriage jump over other pieces but it can move around other pieces. 
     
     
         5 . The modified chess game of  claim 4 , wherein the new and unique piece “B”, also known as a Carriage, comprises a new and unique movement to be called “carriaging” that consists of a King or Queen being moved to the square occupied by one's own Carriage and the Carriage being taken out of play. Carriages cannot be retrieved by promotion. 
     
     
         6 . The modified chess game of  claim 5 , wherein the movement patterns and capabilities of the novel and unique piece “C”, to be known by the name “Guard”, “Huskarl”, or “Karl”, comprises the prescribed ability to move vertically forward or backward by one square or, if on the first move of that piece, up to two squares forward, and to move diagonally in any direction up to one square to capture an opposing piece. Unlike a Pawn, the Guard cannot be promoted. 
     
     
         7 . The modified chess game of  claim 6  wherein the game can end in checkmate or stalemate according to the conventional rules of chess. 
     
     
         8 . The modified chess game of  claim 7 , comprising all forms of the game and its pieces, under any name, in any media currently in existence or in any future format, including but not limited to physical board games in any material, electronic games and game play, online games and game play, phone applications, tournaments, representations of the game, and its unique pieces and their movements and capabilities.