CHRISTMAS STOCKING To help to pass the time between meals,
here are a number of variants on normal chess—some have been mentioned before in this column.
LOSING CHESS. You must capture if you can: given a choice, take what best suits you. King is taken like any other piece. Object—to lose all one's men. Stalemate is a win for the side which is stalemated. Advice—get rid of your bishops if you can.
SHOOTING CHESS. Opponents' pieces are 'shot,' i.e. capturing piece stays on its own square and does not move on to square on which capture is made. Object—to mate, as in normal chess. Advice—normal protection is useless: you can only protect by ambushing yourself behind attacked piece, so that when it is shot you can shoot the shooter. Interposition is obviously futile.
BEROLINA PAWNS. As ordinary chess, except that pawns move diagonally and capture along the file, i.e. reverse of normal procedure. Advice —don't forget what the game is.
POCKET KNIGHT. Each player has an extra knight 'in his pocket,' and whenever he likes can place this on any vacant square on the board instead of making a normal move—once on the board, the knight is used in the ordinary way. Advice—don't put the knight on too readily; you should be able to gain at least a piece to make it worth while. Further advice—don't delay too long in putting it on, or you may miss your chancel PIECES AND PAWNS. One player has all his pieces and pawns, the other king and eight pawns only, but has two moves to the first player's one. Usual obiect. Player with two moves may not move into check on his first move (and if checked must get out of it on his first move), and if he gives check on first move forfeits his second. Advice—if you have got the pieces, you will regret it if your opponent queens a pawn.
BLITZ. White has one move, then Black two moves, then White three moves . . . etc. Usual object. Player must get out of check on first move, and if he gives Check in middle of series of moves forfeits the remainder. Advice—plky it: it's the best of all these variations.
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