Enlargement of our Chess concept

Chesmayne is the synthesis of all these variations and is an enlargement of our Chess concept. The game is a little more complex and the rules have been expanded to cater for the intellectual capacity of the modern mind It has managed to retain the romanticism with which Chess was imbued in the past and this despite our modern analytical approach to the game. However, traditional Chess seems to have become an intellectual exercise with a fixed set of rules, a fixed number of cells and a fixed number of pieces. This situation has promoted stagnation. Chesmayne rules are flexible and the number of squares, called cells (symbol ‘$’ on the XY axis) of your own choosing. The number and types of pieces are selected from a palette of available combatants. With its studied refinements, its aesthetic visual appeal and picturesque terms it has the benefit of an added dimension and I am sure you will agree, is the richer for it.

Traditional Chess-set (Chesmayne pattern)

The King is allowed to move one cell diagonally, forward, back, or horizontal on the Chess board. At the extreme left and right of each player a Rook is inserted. Notice that there are not one, but two Rooks, Rook 1 and Rook 2. To the left and right of the King and Queen are two Bishops (Bishop 1 and Bishop 2). However, you will have noticed that these two Bishops operate on different coloured diagonal cells (one for the light and one for the dark cells). Although the two Bishops move with the same diagonal movement they never come into contact with each other during a game. One Bishop is quite powerful and can sweep diagonally the length and breath of the board. Bishop 1 and Bishop 2 used together are an even more formidable force to contend with. To the left and right of the Bishops are placed two similar moving Knights (Knight 1 and Knight 2). These move in a 2 x 1 fashion and also have the ability to jump over the heads of all other pieces including the King and Queen. To the front of these powerful pieces are inserted eight pieces (Pawns) that are representative of the army of soldiers who can be promoted/enrobed if they do well in battle and disposed, or sacrificed if and when the need arises. These soldiers, or Pawns are not allowed to retreat from battle unlike the more powerful major pieces who can run and escape during a conflagration. With the pieces in place the Level 1 Chess board is complete and ready for action. At the far end of the board a similar army of belligerents are assembled and between the two opposing sides are four ranks comprising 32 cells on which to move forward and into the fray. A board of 8 x 8 has a total of 64 cells. You could have a board of 9 x 9, 12 x 8 or, any conceivable combination of vertical and horizontal cells of your choosing. A total of 32 pieces are placed on the traditional Chessboard. Due to the fact that a board is 8 x 8 cells in size, this limits the total number of pieces to 16 for each opponent and allows space for them to advance without getting in each others way, while at the same time enabling both sides to get their hands on one another. This then, is the traditional Chessboard which has been handed down through the centuries by our ancestors who made various modifications to the rules as the need arose. There were no alterations regarding the number of cells in the centuries that followed. The 8 x 8 board became the accepted final standard. Modifications have included introducing the "e.p." (En Passant) rule during the middle ages and permitting the Pawn to move 1 or 2 cells forward on the initial move (FMO, First Move Option). From the 16th century onwards the game of traditional Chess became quite popular and when the printing press was invented it became a pastime the layperson could engage in during their leisure hours. Today traditional Chess columns appear in many daily newspapers, The London Times being an excellent example, and magazines. TV coverage of major events, video and CD ROMs are also an imposing resource and quite popular.

Traditional Chess pieces and minor pieces (Staunton pattern)

The Chesmayne Chess pieces are triangular shaped. Large triangles are used for the major pieces and small triangles are used for the minor pieces. Each triangle has the monogram of the piece printed on it i.e.: 01 Pawn 1, Pawn 2, Pawn 3, Pawn 4, Pawn 5, Pawn 6, Pawn 7 and Pawn 8 for the minor pieces. 02 The monograms Rook 1, Rook 2, Bishop 1, Bishop 2, Knight 1, Knight 2, Queen 1 and King for the major pieces on Level 1 (traditional Chess). Now, to learn the names of the pieces. The Kings in a traditional Chess set have a cross, or possibly a crown, on top. The Queens have a jagged edge around the top like a coronet. The Bishops are shaped like a mitre, the headdress worn by Bishops. They have a rounded top with a slit through it. The Knights look like horse’s heads. The Rooks look like castle keeps with battlements. Some people call them ‘castles’, but to all real Chess players they are Rooks. Last but by no means least there are eight small pieces of each colour. These are the Pawns, and they go in front of the major pieces. Now stop and look at the board. The hardest thing to remember is where the Kings and Queens go. On Level 1 (traditional Chess) white Queen is placed on an light cell ($D01) and black Queen on ($D08), a dark cell. Finally, always remember this - the white pieces start on R$01 and R$02 (Level 1). The black pieces start on R$07 and R$08 (Initial Starting Position - ISP).

Chess and it's various forms

The skill is easy to acquire. It is pleasing for children to play, learning its simple rules in their formative years. Duffers succumb to its temptation. It requires a mental effort with more than a dash of art and imagination thrown in - clearly an improving hobby. Chess can arouse deep and violent human passion’s as it is symbolic of a pseudo-war. In some countries Chess is only second in popularity to other sports. Traditional Chess is played in most countries with Japan having its own form, Sho-gi, probably derived from Chinese Chess. Traditional Chess has been played for many centuries, though in the 1940s it became serious business for the former Soviet Union (Russia).

Traditional Western Chess

Because of its previous preeminence among intellectual pastimes favored by the upper classes, Chess is also called the Royal Game. It originated in India, or China, during or before the 6th century from ancient forms, derivations of which still persist in regional variants, such as Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Malay, Burmese and traditional western Chess. Sir William Jones, in his essay ‘On the Indian game of Chess’, maintained that Hindustan was the cradle of Chess, the game having been known since ancient times by the name of Chaturanga, that is, the four Chatur/Angas, or parts of an army, said to be elephants, horses, chariots, and foot soldiers.

Non- violence- the credo of Chess

The traditional version of Chess has been an inexhaustible treasure for over 500+ years, developed and modified during the Renaissance into a game, played by many gentlemen of fair estate and fortune - Kings and Queens, Princes, Princesses, Dukes, Generals, Regents, Presidents, Academics and School children alike. Many cultures have produced sets of exceptional craftsmanship and beauty thus delighting the aesthetic sense. At the turn of this century, Kings, Queens and European nobility had Chess sets of rock crystal intricately handcrafted with antiqued silver plate or delicately painted by hand to capture every lovely feature. Many charming hand painted sets have been produced which are a vision of grace and beauty, magnificently sculpted in fine bisque and Tesori porcelain (a blend of powdered porcelain and resins), some accented with multi-faceted crystal, others forever captured in carefully tooled wood carvings with the boards resplendent with inlaid oak, mahogany or rosewood veneers, solid brass fittings and finally those encrusted with semi-precious jewels, found today in places such as Van Cleef & Arpels of Paris or Tiffany’s of New York. The artistry involved in producing these Chess sets has only been rivaled by the priceless creations of Peter Carl Faberge who crafted his Regency, Imperial and Alexandra eggs in shimmering springtime colours and lavishly accented them with regal 22 carat gold or carefully sculpted and hand-painted them down to the tiniest details with blushes of soft pink and powder blue. The Staunton pattern is a pulchritudinous example now in use for 150+ years. When evening falls, and it is time for a well deserved rest, there is nothing quite like these Chess pieces which are like comfortable loveable companions. It enhances many a home with its beauty and mystique and many feel a sense of family with this pattern. Born of medieval legend, this is a Chess set of supreme quality, capturing romance and drama, myth and magic on the battlefield of the fateful game of Kings. Clean, clear, well distinguished without being ornate, quite rewarding to the touch and responsive to the move. They are individually well proportioned, and formally inter-related by means of classical balusters, crowning balls and grooves that, in elevation are either at the same height or at equally measured intervals. The graduated height of the pieces, although singularly unexpressive of relative power, contributes to the architectonic composition of the whole. And beyond that, the natural symbolism is well expressed - the Knight and the Rook are obvious - the more abstract shape of a Bishops headdress suggestive of a mitre - the crowns of the King and Queen imperiously clear and the pippalie of the Pawns indicative of suckling babies. The boundless scope of abstraction in representing mythological and historical themes has been used by artists, writers and film makers to suggest an intellectual atmosphere or to express a particular mood such as contemplation, reflection or, the joie de vivre. The history of Chess has been coloured by the contribution of many countries and furnishes a deep sense of continuity with the intellectual community of bygone ages. Chess and the figurants who grace its stage are the land of imagination, imagery motifs, mythological patterns, shamanic journeys and initiations and a complicated interactive event. It is a magical place where you can ride on fluffy white clouds wearing a dreamy expression on your face, moving your pieces as you play your favorite game of make believe. Western Chess has been a recreation of many of the world’s luminaries including: 01 Charlemagne • 02 King Canute • 03 Sir Walter Raleigh • 04 Shakespeare • 05 Ben Johnson • 06 Leibnitz 07 Voltaire • 08 Rousseau • 09 Peter the Great • 10 Fredrick the Great • 11 Napoleon • 12 Buckle (the historian) • 13 Benjamin Franklin • 14 Dickens • 15 Ruskin • 16 R.L. Stevenson • 17 Lenin • 18 Bonar Law • 19 Fritz Kreisler • 20 H.G. Wells • 21 Charles Boyer • 22 Humphrey Bogart • 23 Neil Diamond • 24 John Wayne • 25 George C. Scott • 26 Bob Dylan • 27 Our man in Havana - Fidel Castro • 28 Leo Tolstoy • 29 and YOU! - and too many contemporaries to mention. An instrument proclaiming the dawn of a new civilization ruled by reason A Chessboard and pieces comprise a remarkable instrument capable of being used with intelligence by the human mind. The traditional game of Chess is played on a board of 64 cells, and occupies a unique position in the history of our game. Centuries of labor went into its making and the resources of powerful nations and the contributions of many millions of people were involved in bringing it to the level at which it is now played. The sublime beauty of the traditional Chess-set can be forgotten by many of its practitioners. Crowded with its 32 pieces the player looks down auspiciously on their work and presides with unshaken self-possession and undaunted perseverance over the tumult and raging fury of this theatre of war with visage furrowed and darkened by the anguish of contemplation. Each player probes, pokes, feels and flexes h/er pieces in a nose-to-nose staring competition. While this is happening some sort of bonding occurs which lends the feeling that one is part of a grand philosophical design and a sense of source and purpose is given. The warriors of this game-tree of Chess with its perfect order and arrangement of Rooks, Bishops, Knights, Pawns, King and Queen - where the workmen execute their orders with a silent and unerring obedience - where each possible contingency can be foreseen - each detail carefully rehearsed - are worthy of the provident self-expression with which they were handed down to us by our forefathers. In the west Chess is considered a game with rules to be learned, openings to be memorized and techniques to be mastered. Western players do not usually speak of Chess as art and metaphysical questions about the game cause people to feel queasy. Most writing on the subject is dry technical analysis relevant only to serious students of the game with society tending to regard serious players as an eccentric group of heavyweight thinkers whose intelligence is useless.