The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #23: Four-Handed Indian Dice Chess

FOUR-HANDED INDIAN DICE CHESS

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 ally’s 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 INFORMATION
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 CYNINGSTAN

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 & HISTORY diagonally, jumping over any inter- 11. A pawn captures another
Once considered as the original enth until the twentieth century, vening piece; player’s 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 player’s 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 PLAY 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 king’s 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 ally’s 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 ally’s 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 enemy’s 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 red’s 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 green’s
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.
ally’s 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- thehorse,
bottom left the white pieces are the boat, starting squares, or
is controlled by a graphs: elephant and king, with the pawns
Illustration 1: the empty chess board. phants, knights or lined up in front. as near as possible

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