The princess is usually depicted with the upper part of the knight and lower part of the bishop. It could jump over other units when moving as a knight but couldn't do so when moving like a bishop. The princess was a piece that had the combined movements of the bishop and the knight. But why choose just one if you can have both? Which is better, the knight or the bishop? The answer to this question is undoubtedly a complex one. The man first appeared around the year of 950 and most notably was used in the medieval variant of Courier chess. Unlike the royal ruler, though, the man could be captured by the opponent without graver consequences. The man is often represented as an upside-down king. The man could move one square in every direction, just like the king. Oddly enough, the common man depicted in courier chess was stronger than pawns, which have always represented the infantry. The medieval courier chess featured a piece called the man. However, civilians also made their way onto the chessboard in some European chess variants. The camel could travel across the board faster than the knight. The only difference is that the camel could jump one square farther than its equine counterpart. The medieval Tamerlane chess variant featured this exotic piece that moved similarly to today's knight, leaping over other pieces. The camel is usually represented as an upside-down knight. In many modern variants, the elephant is still present under the name of al fil or simply fil-which is the reason why the bishop is still called 'alfil' in some languages.Īre you curious to see how you would manage the challenge of conducting an attack with your elephantry? Then head over to our Variants page and enjoy a game of chaturanga! The CamelĪnother historical piece that later vanished from the orthodox chessboard is the camel. The elephant could jump over other pieces but could move only two squares at a time. Nevertheless, they can control just four squares at a time, and their regular movement (as opposed to the knight's irregular jump) restricts their reach-each elephant can only ever access eight specific squares of the board. The leaping powers of the elephant might seem like a triumph. Like knights, elephants can jump over other pieces. Bishops were elephants in the ancient game of chaturanga.ĭespite sounding like a powerful piece, the chaturanga elephant can only move diagonally two squares.

Instead, players had another type of piece at their disposal: the elephant. The name chaturanga means 'four arms' because each of the pieces used represented a branch-or arm-of the Indian army. Indians invented the game of chaturanga more than 1,500 years ago.

Other names are advisor, met, and cat sword. The minister also goes by many other names, but the most popular is inherited from shatranj-the ferz. On the bright side, blundering your minister was undoubtedly not as frustrating as hanging the queen. The minister could control only half of the squares of the board. In both of these games (as well as in other variants), they are called the guard (or the advisors). A similar piece still exists in other versions of chess, like in Xiangqi and Janggi. It could only move diagonally one square, having access to only half of the board's squares. The queen's predecessor wasn't nearly as strong as her majesty. The minister used to be the king's war companion in the game of chaturanga. In its ancient form, chaturanga, chess players could only count on their mantra-the minister in English. Try our new /variants feature with tons of new pieces and rules!Īlthough chess has always been the game of kings, it took centuries before it also became a game of queens. Here are some unorthodox (also called fairy) pieces that appear in many variants and have roots in old versions of chess.

Fortunately, some of those historical pieces have survived and made their way into the armies of exciting variants. Many ancient units from long-gone armies that our ancestors commanded over the board have disappeared over the years. The standard chess army has not been the same throughout the ages.

Throughout the centuries, many exotic chess pieces have battled on chessboards all over the world.įrom the common man to the powerful amazon, get ready to learn about 10 unusual chess pieces you've probably never seen before. It's hard to believe, but the age-old game of chess wasn't always like the one we know and love today. Not many people know this, but a few centuries ago, chess had a piece so strong that it had to be replaced by a weaker one-the queen.

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