Dragonchess

Gary Gygax

The Dragonchess 3D gameboard

Dragonchess is a three-dimensional fantasy chess variant created by Gary Gygax, co-creator of the famed role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.^[1] Dragonchess was first presented in 1985 in issue No. 100 of Dragon Magazine.

The Dragonchess gameboard consists of three vertically-stacked 12×8 levels. The upper level (blue and white) represents the air, the middle level (green and amber) represents the land, and the lower level (red and brown) is the subterranean world (Gygax 1985:34).

The Dragonchess game pieces (42 per player) are an ensemble of characters and monsters inspired or derived from fantasy settings in Dungeons & Dragons. Intricate inter- and intra-level game piece capabilities are defined. As in chess, the game is won by delivering checkmate to the enemy king.

Upper board

Upper board starting position

The Sky Board, by Zac Dortch

The Sylph (S)

On level 3:

• can move one step diagonally forward, or capture one step straight forward;^[2]
• can capture on the square directly below on level 2.

On level 2: can move to the square directly above on level 3, or to one of the player's six Sylph starting squares.

The Griffon (G)

On level 3:

• can move and capture by jumping^[3] in the following pattern: two steps diagonally followed by one step orthogonally outward;^[4]
• can move and capture one step triagonally to level 2.^[5]

On level 2:

• can move and capture one step diagonally;
• can move and capture one step triagonally to level 3.^[6]

The Dragon (R)

Bound to level 3:

• can move and capture any number of unobstructed steps diagonally, or one step orthogonally;^[7]
• can capture remotely (without leaving level 3) on the square directly below on level 2, or on any square orthogonally adjacent to that square.

Middle board

Middle board starting position

The Ground Board, by Zac Dortch

The Warrior (W)

Bound to level 2:

• can move one step straight forward, or capture one step diagonally foward;^[8]
• promotes to Hero when reaching the 8th rank.

The Oliphant (O)

Bound to level 2: can move and capture any number of unobstructed steps orthogonally.^[9]

The Unicorn (U)

Bound to level 2: can move and capture the same as a chess knight.

The Hero (H)

On level 2:

• can move and capture one or two unblockable steps diagonally;
• can move and capture one step triagonally to levels 1 or 3.^[6][5]

On levels 1 and 3: can move and capture one step triagonally to the same square on level 2 the Hero previously left.

The Thief (T)

Bound to level 2: can move and capture any number of unobstructed steps diagonally.^[10]

The Cleric (C)

On level 2:

• can move and capture one step in any direction;^[11]
• can move and capture to the square directly above or directly below on an adjacent level.

On levels 1 and 3: the same powers as when on level 2.

The Mage (M)

On level 2:

• can move and capture any number of unobstructed steps diagonally or orthogonally;^[12]
• can move and capture to the square directly below on level 1 or directly above on level 3.

On levels 1 and 3:

• can move one step orthogonally;^[13]
• can move and capture one or two steps directly above or directly below to one of the other levels.^[14]

The King (K)

On level 2:

• can move and capture one step in any direction;^[11]
• can move and capture to the square directly below on level 1 or directly above on level 3;

On levels 1 and 3: can move to (only) the same square on level 2 the King previously left.^[13]

The Paladin (P)

On level 2:

• can move and capture as a chess king+knight;
• can move to levels 1 or 3 using an (unblockable) knight-like move: one level up or down followed by two steps orthogonally.

On levels 1 and 3:

• can move and capture one step in any direction;^[11]
• can move to the other levels using an (unblockable) knight-like move: one level up or down followed by two steps orthogonally, or two levels up or down followed by one step orthogonally.

Lower board

Lower board starting position

The Underground Board, by Zac Dortch

The Dwarf (D)

On level 1:

• can move one step straight forward or sideways, or capture one step diagonally foward;
• can capture on the square directly above on level 2.

On level 2:

• can move one step straight forward or sideways, or capture one step diagonally foward;
• can move to the square directly below on level 1.

The Basilisk (B)

Bound to level 1:

• can move one step diagonally forward or straight backward, or capture one step straight forward;
• always freezes (immobilizes) an enemy piece on the square directly above on level 2.

The Elemental (E)

On level 1:

• can move and capture one or two steps orthogonally;^[14]
• can move one step diagonally;
• can capture in the following pattern: one step orthogonally followed by the square directly above on level 2.^[14]

On level 2:

• can move and capture in the following pattern: the square directly below on level 1 followed by one step orthogonally.

Notation

Recording moves is done the same as in algebraic notation for chess, extended to a 12×8 board, with the addition of a numeric prefix (1, 2, or 3) in front of each square coordinate to idenfity the level.^[15] (So for example, Black's king starts on 2g8.)

Sample game

1. Rx3a7 Rx3a2 2. Rx2a8 ...

See also

• Three-dimensional chess
• Chess variants

Notes

1. ^ Pritchard (1994), p. 95
2. ^ The same as a Berolina pawn (without promotion or an initial two-step option).
3. ^ The move or capture is unblockable.
4. ^ Or (the same result): one step orthogonally followed by two steps diagonally outward. The same as a Zebra fairy chess piece, or an elephant in janggi.
5. ^ ^{a b} That is, to a square diagonally below.
6. ^ ^{a b} That is, to a square diagonally above.
7. ^ The same as a chess king+bishop, or a dragon horse in shogi.
8. ^ The same as a chess pawn (without an initial two-step option).
9. ^ The same as a chess rook.
10. ^ The same as a chess bishop.
11. ^ ^{a b c} The same as a chess king.
12. ^ The same as a chess queen.
13. ^ ^{a b} Gygax does not mention whether for moves only, or for moves and captures.
14. ^ ^{a b c} Gygax does not mention whether the move is unblockable or not.
15. ^ Gygax initially describes levels beginning with "1" for upper board in the first page of his article (Gygax 1985:34), but consistently uses "3" for upper board and "1" for lower board in the subsequent six pages (Gygax 1985:35–40) for all examples, move definitions, and sample moves.

References

• Gygax, Gary (August 1985). "Dragonchess". Dragon Magazine No. 100 (TSR, Inc.) X (3): 34–40. ISSN 0279-6848. 
• Pritchard, D. B. (1994), The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants, Games & Puzzles Publications, ISBN 0-9524142-0-1 

External links

• The Chess Variant Pages Dragonchess article by Edward Jackman
• The Chess Variant Pages more on Dragonchess
• Dragonchess at BoardGameGeek
• Pathguy.com a simple Dragonchess program by Ed Friedlander
• Strategy Game Server Dragonchess online play
• sourceforge.net Dragonchess software for local and network play