17.5 Chess (Shah)
The game of chess, or shah as it's known in the Empire of Tsuranuanni, is a noble one. Practiced in almost all the lands of Midkemia, and even those beyond, it is a fairly simple game, and easy to learn, but contains nearly infinite subtleties. It is a test of cunning, intelligence, strategic sensibilities, and experience.
In order to play chess in Midkemia, you must have a chess board, or be in an establishment that has them available, such as the occasional tavern, or library, or gambling den.
Since the rules of chess are so well known, they will not be included here, but in the scroll HELP CHESSRULES. As mentioned previously, chess is such a nuanced game that many use the logic and limitations to train and test others in various configurations and conditions. For those who do own a chessboard, they can read about how they might further utilize these features of chess in HELP CHESSBOARD.
You can view the commands associated with chess by entering the word CHESS without arguments, but here they are with descriptions:
CHESS PLAY AGAINST <whomever> : Starts a new game of chess, randomly choosing
who will play the light pieces and who will
play the dark pieces.
CHESS MOVE <position> to <position> : Moves a chess piece. You may use either
algebraic notation (a1, b3, etc) or
descriptive notation (q3, kkt4, etc) to
designate squares on the board. HELP
CHESSRULES will tell you more about chess
notation if you are unfamiliar with it.
(Castling is done with MOVE 0-0 for king-side and MOVE 0-0-0 for queen-side.)
CHESS GAMES : Lists your unfinished chess games. A * before
a listing tells you that that is your current
game. You may only make moves in your current
game.
CHESS SWITCH <id number> : Switches your current game to another of your
unfinished games.
CHESS CONCEDE <id number> : Concedes defeat in the specified game.
CHESS DISPLAY <id number> : Displays the setup of the specified game. You
may view other people's games provided you
know the id number or the people playing.
If you omit the ID number, and do not mention
one of the two players, it will automatically
display your current game, if any. Mentioning
one of the two players, if both members of
their current game are present, will display
their game as if you had specified the ID
number.
CHESS DRAW <id number> : Requests a draw for the specified game. This
command will automatically draw the game if
one of the draw requirements has been met,
as listed in HELP CHESSRULES, otherwise it
will request a draw of your opponent.
Note that you can use SHAH in place of CHESS as the base command, if the Tsurani version of the game feels more familiar to you.
Currently, Midkemia lacks the ability to promote the pawn to any other piece than a Queen (commonly known as "under promoting"). Draws and stalemates are -never- enforced, requiring the player to decide for themselves when to admit defeat.
Note that playing chess with ansi colour turned on is the preferred way to do things for most people.
See also: HELP CHESSRULES, HELP CHESSBOARD