Ring Chess Theory and Practice ©1991MACameron 

Theory

When classic chess was invented, most people thought the earth to be a flat disc over the edges of which the seas dropped and disappeared into some oblivion or another. Later, in the new world, no chess variant was adapted to resemble the closed surface (without limiting edges) of the world sphere. As a result, the edges of the classical chessboard ever remained veritable precipices to oblivion.

Now that has changed with the variant of ring chess, quasi-independently created to provide the traditional playing field new, added dimension by integrating the board. To do this, for reasons which will become more evident as we proceed, the field is doubled to sixteen ranks. This is a longboard. (See also Torus Chess and Besiege Chess for other examples of longboard use. If interested in finding a longboard for game use or simply as decoration, please contact mc@e42.biz) Further, to close the field into a surface without limiting edges, the longboard parallel edges are joined so as to form an imaginary torus , a doughnut shape.

A torus shape is preferable to a spherical one because the first (royal) rank of each side must incorporate eight 225 degree double right spherical triangles in spherical chess, so, as in globe chess, the movement through poles of a spherical chessboard is random or arbitrarily defined. Unnecessary complications such as these are avoided simply by retaining essential quadrilateral form of classic chess squares on all play positions. The torus most simply and efficiently accomplishes this.

The imaginary torus may be kept in mind as play proceeds on the flat longboard, but players need only to remember that a move across one longboard edge simply continues in the same direction through its complimentary parallel edge. It is interesting to note that the four longboard corner vertices are topological abstractions of only one point on the torus.

Practice

The length of the field is doubled to a longboard of eight files and sixteen ranks in order to prevent opposing sides on a classic chessboard trying to start play back-to-back, essentially checkmating each other before play can even begin. Two more armies are added to defend rear guards of black and light (usually represented by white). These are silver (or blue, or gray) and clear (or red, or gold). Light and silver are the bright allies which battle the dark allies, clear and black.

Allies begin play back-to-back so that four ranks of unoccupied squares separate ranks of enemy pawns. Queens can begin on any color as long as all are initially arranged on a common file, as in classic chess.

Two, three, or four players may at once participate. Light moves first, as dictated by tradition, clear moves next, then silver and finally black. In a variant game version, light moves first, followed by clear, black, and finally silver. This order repeats until one king is actually captured and every remaining piece and pawn of his color is eliminated from the board, or a second, opposing king is captured after that, or until the game ends when a lone king is checkmated, stalemate, draw or resignation. In a variant game version, the first of two allied kings checkmated is frozen to the board, and so are all remaining pieces and pawns of his color, as none of these can move any further.

Otherwise, movement in ring chess is governed by the rules of classic chess. A pawn is queened upon arrival to a royal rank. En passant and castling rules apply as well though the need to castle for the sake of rook connection is totally eliminated as the four rooks of each side begin the game quite adequately connected. Ring chess is designed to resemble classic chess as much as can be possible so as to preserve the essence of the old game. As a variant expansion of classic chess, ring chess differs from it only in minor details while widely broadening the horizons of the game of chess. If anything is lost as a result of this evolutionary process of chess, may it be but oblivion, and may much more than that be gained.

To see a torus turn inside-out, click here.
 

If you could use some ingenious pointers and tips about playing chess, then click here.