The 64-cell cubic chess

Chess is imagination.
David Bronstein

THE 64-CELL CUBIC CHESS
Kosintsev I.G.
kosintsev.i.g@gmail.com
03.06.2010

Hello chess players!
Let me introduce the new 3D chess variant. The game was developed as an simple 4x4x4 alternative to Raumschach (German for "Space chess"), invented in 1907 by Ferdinand Maack and played on a 5x5x5 board [1]. This 64-cell chess variant has properties of the real puzzle but at the same time is using exclusively the classical 32 piece chess set [2] well known to all chess players.

The 4x4x4 board is actually a 3D cube sliced into 4 equal spaces across each of its three major faces. This sectioning yields a 64-cell playing volume or four 16-cell layers (planes):
First (a-d 1-4),
Second (e-h 1-4),
Third (a-d 5-8),
Fourth (e-h 5-8).

The initial position of the symmetrical variant is follows.


Here is used partly the design of the classical chess from [4].

White:

1. (P) Pawn: a4, b3, c2, d1, e2, e3, f1, g1.
2. (H) Horse: a3, c1.
3. (B) Bishop: b2, f2.
4. (R) Rook: a2, b1.
5. (Q) Queen: e1.
6. (K) King: a1.

Black:

1. (P) Pawn: b8, c8, d6, d7, e8, f7, g6, h5.
2. (H) Horse: f8, h6.
3. (B) Bishop: c7, g7.
4. (R) Rook: g8, h7.
5. (Q) Queen: d8.
6. (K) King: h8.

The initial position of the asymmetrical variant is follows.


White:

1. (P) Pawn: a4, b3, c2, d1, e1, e3, f2, g1.
2. (H) Horse: e2, f1.
3. (B) Bishop: a2, b2.
4. (R) Rook: a3, c1.
5. (Q) Queen: b1.
6. (K) King: a1.

Black:

1. (P) Pawn: b8, c7, d8, d6, e8, f7, g6, h5.
2. (H) Horse: c8, d7.
3. (B) Bishop: g7, h7.
4. (R) Rook: f8, h6.
5. (Q) Queen: g8.
6. (K) King: h8.

Rules:

1. The orthogonal mode of the movement O or O(n), where n is the number of the path cells.



2. The face diagonal mode of the movement F or F(n), where n is the number of the path cells.



3. The space diagonal mode of the movement D or D(n), where n is the number of the path cells.



1. (P) The pawn moves, with or without capturing, by O(1) mode.
Pawn may not advance in its first move.
The capture «en passant» is absent.
It also promotes for any another (at the player's choice) piece when it reaches the position of the opposite king.
2. (H) The horse moves by O(1) or by D(1) mode.
3. (B) The bishop moves by F mode.
4. (R) The rook moves by O mode.
5. (Q) The queen moves by O or F modes.
6. (K) The king moves by O(1) mode or by D(1) mode during the game, provided that he hasn't been checked before he makes his D-move. It loses the right to make a D-move after the check.
Castling doesn't exist. (Compare with Chaturanga [3].)
Other rules of this game are identical with rules of classical chess [2].

Internet resources:

1. Three-dimensional chess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-dimensional_chess
2. Chess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess
3. Chaturanga.
http://www.chessvariants.org/historic.dir/chaturanga.html
4. Chess.com.
http://www.chess.com/