English Chess Federation

Variant Chess

I passionately loathe Exchange or Bug-House chess. Children wanted to play it at Richmond Junior Chess Club on Saturday 9 December. In desperation, at about 4.30pm, I invented a new chess on the theme. Remember the date well!

This is called RICHMOND EXCHANGE CHESS and the rules have already undergone some moderations. There are two teams of two players and the two members of the same side sit diagonally opposite each other. One has White on one board and the other Black on the other board. Play starts with one of the players of the White pieces and then moves around clockwise. Every time a player captures a piece it is added to the collection of the opponent who has the same colour.

Instead of making a move, a player may drop one of his new pieces on the board in a legal position. It is not allowed to drop a piece immediately giving checkmate. It is not allowed to drop a pawn on the far rank, promoting a piece. When a pawn is promoted, if it is captured, then it moves to the opponent in the form of the promoted piece.

The purpose of the game is to give checkmate to one of the opponents. This game has elements of Shogi and also Exchange. It is clear that holding the initiative is vital. Sadly the introductory game has been lost to posterity.

But why do I have such antipathy to Exchange Chess? It is because the children often fail to sort out the pieces and it gets left to the organiser. Peter Sowray, Director of Richmond Junior Chess Club (having taken over from its founder Richard James), solves this by making the main rule that, at the conclusion of the session, the pieces must be reassembled into normal sets. He has yet to decide whether to recommend to FIDE that a World Championship be instituted, presumably for players under 14. After that, interest seems to wane.

Stewart Reuben