The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #23: Four-Handed Indian Dice Chess FOUR -H ANDED I NDIAN D ICE C HESS if those squares are occupied. only a boat and a pawn left, then the by Damian Walker 15. If a player has captured pawn becomes privileged, and on both enemy kings, he may demand reaching any square at the end of the release of his allys king, to be the board, may promote to any replaced on the board as above. piece at the choice of its owner. 16. If a pawn reaches an un- Ending the Game marked square at the end of the board, it is promoted to whatever 18. A partnership wins the piece started on that file, be it a game if their forces are the last re- horse or an elephant. This may maining on the board. only be done if a pawn has already 19. If only kings are left on the been lost; otherwise a pawn may board then the players are said to not move to the end of the board. have fought to an honourable 17. If, however, the player has peace, and the game is drawn. FURTHER I NFORMATION The reader can learn more about this fascinating game from the following books: Bell, R. C. Discovering Old Board Games , pp. 21-24. Aylesbury: Shire Publications, Ltd., 1973. Murray, H. J. R. A History of Chess , pp. 57-59 & 68-77. Oxford: Ox- ford University Press, 1913. Copyright © Damian Walker 2011 - http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/ Board Games at C YNINGSTAN Illustration 3: moves of the pieces. Traditional Board Game Series (Second Edition) 4 Leaflet #23 The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #23: Four-Handed Indian Dice Chess The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #23: Four-Handed Indian Dice Chess (i). the boat moves two squares kings. INTRODUCTION & H ISTORY diagonally, jumping over any inter- 11. A pawn captures another Once considered as the original enth until the twentieth century, vening piece; players pawn or boat by moving game of chess, this four handed In- more recent variants being played (ii). the horse moves one square forward diagonally one space. It dian variant is now thought to be a without dice. With modern world- diagonally then one square hori- may not capture elephants, knights later development. It has been ex- wide communications, it is gaining zontally or vertically away from its or kings. tremely long-lived, however, being a new lease of life. starting point, jumping over any in- 12. If a players boat comes to seen at various times from the elev- tervening piece; rest beside the other three boats, (iii). the elephant moves hori- those other boats are all captured HOW TO P LAY zontally or vertically as far as its and removed from the board. This owner wishes, though it may not is called the triumph of the boat. The rules of the traditional dice single 4-sided die bearing the num- jump over other pieces; 13. If a player lands his king on game are not altogether certain, and bers 2, 3, 4 and 5. (iv). the king moves one step in his ally kings starting square, then some variants are very complex. 5. Players roll the die, he who any direction, horizontally, vertic- he has gained a throne; he takes The rules given here are a combina- rolls the highest goes first and takes ally or diagonally; control of his allys army. There- tion of the simplest and most eleg- the number as his first roll. Play (v). the pawn moves one step after, he may use his roll to move an ant ideas put forward by chess his- then moves clockwise around the forward, unless it is capturing, as allys piece, or vice versa. This torians. board. described in rule 11. does not count if an enemy throne is Starting the Game Moving the Pieces gained; that enemy may continue to Capturing Enemies move as normal. 1. The game is played on an 6. The player whose turn it is 9. If a king, elephant or knight, 14. If one player from each 8×8 square board with some squares rolls the die, unless he has already in its normal course of movement, partnership has captured the other marked as shown in Illustration 1. done so as described in rule 5. lands on another enemys king, e.g. 2. Four players play as partner- 7. If a 2 is rolled, the boat may player's piece, that if black has cap- ships, red and yel- move; if 3, the piece is captured tured reds king low against green horse; if 4, the ele- and removed from and yellow has and black. Part- phant; if 5, the the board. Kings captured greens ners sit opposite king or a pawn. If may be captured king, then the cap- each other. movement of the like any other turing players may 3. Each player indicated piece is piece, and a player agree to an ex- has a king, an ele- impossible, the may capture his change of kings. phant, a horse, a turn is lost. allys pieces. The captured boat and four sol- 8. The pieces 10. A boat kings are then re- diers, set out as move as shown in may likewise cap- turned to their shown in Illustra- Illustration 3, and ture other players owners, and tion 2. described in the pawns, or boats, Illustration 2: pieces set out for play. From placed on their 4. Movement following para- but not their ele- the bottom left the white pieces are the boat, starting squares, or is controlled by a graphs: horse, elephant and king, with the pawns Illustration 1: the empty chess board. phants, knights or lined up in front. as near as possible 2 3.