Regroupment Chess

(and Chess484)

regroupment in the initial array

Invented and implemented by Mats Winther May 2009.
Primary piece graphics by P. Wong, Australia.

See also my homepage.

Introduction

Regroupment Chess is like standard chess except that the players can, before play begins, swap places of the king + queen and another piece except the rooks. The players in turn swap, firstly, the king, secondly, the queen. Thus, when the king is swapped (relocated), the other piece (the relocatee) ends up on the king's square. When the queen is swapped, the relocatee ends up on the queen's square. One restriction is that the bishops mustn't end up on the same square colour, and the king cannot become a relocatee (i.e. swapped by the queen). Note that black begins by swapping his king. Alternatively he can forgo this possibility (by pressing the king). While the turn is still with Black, he now has the option to relocate his queen. When White has made his king + queen swap (or dispensed with this possibility) he immediately starts the game by making the first move. (The program also provides variants where the relocation is done in a different move order.) Note that it is possible for the king to swap with the kingside bishop, but this necessitates that the queen be swapped with one of the bishops so that the bishops end up on different colours.

Note that the king retains his castling rights even if it has been relocated. The castling rules are simple and derive from Chess960. King and rook end up on their usual squares. The only difference is that the king can make longer (or shorter, or none at all) leaps than usual. All squares between king and rook must be empty and unthreatened.
Note! If the king starts the game on a castling destination square (c or g), castling on that side is done by moving the rook instead of the king.

Curtailed castling: as an alternative rule, the king may retain its castling right only if it is placed on any of the four central files. In other words, if the king is positioned on the g or b file, the castling right is forfeited. After all, such a safety move brings certain advantages so it should cost something. This restrictive rule would also enhance strategical predictability.
Reduced variant: in an alternative variant the king is not allowed to swap with the knights. Thus, the king cannot immediately achieve a secure position.

Discussion

With these relocation rules the rooks remain in their natural positions, and the bishops are always positioned so that there is still a choice to develop them on either of the queenside or kingside. This maintains the strategical ambiguity of the initial position, while sound positions are produced where no definitive advantage can be obtained. Black relocates first. Thusly white gets a chance to make a strategical decision and create an initiative, as in the standard position. The most conservative relocation, it seems, is to change place between king and queen, which is a convenient way of avoiding theory. Remember that the resultant castling positions are always the same as in standard chess.

Arguably, this method of reconfiguration of the initial array makes the procedure of randomization redundant (cmp. Fischer Random Chess). Thus it answers to the chessplayer's predilection for remaining in control. Black can choose to relocate to a position which somewhat improves his chances against, for instance, the e4 openings. But White can adjust to this and try to predict his opening plans and on which side Black is going to castle. This can inform his choice of queen positioning. The standard position is an active and strategically ambiguous position, which could often be advantageous to White. However, as Black, the standard position is not necessarily the best defensive position. As White is recompenced by giving him the last word in the setup of the pieces, I believe that this gives him a slight possibility to maintain an advantage. It is necessary to maintain the first move advantage in order to retain the strategical tension.

regroup : to alter the tactical formation of a military force (regroupment n)

A famous regroupment occurred in the battle between Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompeius, where Caesar regrouped behind his lines. The maneuver was essential as he could counter the cavalry attack on the right flank, and this was also how he won the battle.

Randomization

The randomized version of Regroupment Chess (Regroupment Random Chess) implies that the initial position of each side is independently randomized according to the above rules of king and queen relocation. It is supported in the program. It is also called Chess484 as there are 484 possible board positions. It is comparable to Fischer Random Chess. Regroupment Chess is designed to overcome the problem of opening monotony.

Online play

You can play Chess484 (Regroupment Random Chess) online or by email here.

To play you must have installed "Zillions of Games". Either double-click on RegroupmentChess.zrf or
1. Run "Zillions of Games"
2. Choose "Open Game Rules..." from the File menu
3. Select "RegroupmentChess.zrf" in the Open dialog and click "Open"
RegroupmentChess.zrf is a rules file used by the Windows program "Zillions of Games". Zillions of Games allows you to play any number of games against the computer or over the Internet. Zillions of Games can be purchased online. For more information please visit the Zillions of Games website www.zillions-of-games.com