In Dromedary Chess the objective is checkmate. Normal chess rules apply except for the following. Any piece (not pawn) adjacent to the friendly King acquires additional movement powers. Positioned next to the majesty it can move like a Dromedary (Camel), namely leap three squares in a straight line, and one to the side (3+1). So now any piece can go to the kingly stable, mount a Dromedary, and ride away.
The Dromedary, under the name of Camel, is a piece that dates back at least to Tamerlane Chess, allegedly invented by
This variant is interesting because there is an inherent conflict between protecting the King, and, on the other hand, to keep the King near the battle situation, while it can increase the strength of the friendly pieces, which can then attack by Dromedary jumps. Probably one should keep the King in the center for a while, and not castle too soon. Already in the middle game, a daring player might advance with the King, in order to provide his army with Dromedary reinforcement.
The endurance and strength of the dromedary (Arabian camel) have made it a valuable beast of burden. The dromedary, generally used as a saddle animal, can cover more than 161 km (100 mi) in a day. It is also an effective battle animal.
There is also a variant where Scorpions take the place of the pawns. The Scorpion has the additional moves of a Knight, but only in two forward directions: east-north-east, and west-north-west. There are no additional capture moves.The Scorpion's value is half the value of a Knight or Bishop, that is, 1.5. This means that a light piece can be exchanged for two Scorpions, a possibility which often occurs. In the endgame it could become very dangerous, and its value often increases.
The two
oblique moves in the image are the Scorpions two extra movement possibilities.
It can only capture like a regular pawn.Dromedary Chess can also be played by email at Chessvariants.org. Dromedary Chess, and the Scorpion pawn, were invented by undersigned, June 2006.