Judtho is a completely new game based on chess...
Here's a quick overview (for chess players):
Here's a quick overview (for chess players):
- Judtho {pronounced "Jood" (rhymes with could) - "tho" (rhymes with though)} is for two, three or four players. The 2 player version only is described here as it is most similar to chess.
- The 12 x 6 board starts empty. Players take turns to place one piece at a time within a 6 x 4
square area. This part of the game is called the Assembly. - All the pieces in chess are present but there are two new pieces, the Prince and Princess. The King, Queen, Rook and Bishop move as in chess. However, there is no castling in Judtho.
- A player wins immediately either by capturing the opposing King (termed Regicide) rather than checkmating, or attacking it with a Knight (see next point) or capturing all the opponent's pieces except the King (termed Annihilation).
- The Knight moves as in chess but has new powers. Instead of moving, it can remain stationary but capture any or all of the pieces it attacks (distant captures). Also, the game is won if a Knight attacks (knatches) the opposing King.
- The Pawn can move one or two squares always & promotes to any piece except a King on the far rank. There is no en passant in Judtho.
- The Princess moves like a Queen up to 4 squares. However, it can capture all opponent pieces in a straight line (up to a maximum of 4) completing its move on the last captured piece. Alternatively, it can jump and capture any piece occupying the destination square.
- The Prince can make multiple captures like the Princess but cannot jump. It moves up to 3 squares along a rank or file or up to 3 squares parallel to these squares.
- It is legal to expose one's King to capture and mandatory if there is no other legal move. Therefore, stalemate does not occur.
- It is not legal to play a move that repeats a previous position with the same player to move.
- The game can only be drawn by mutual agreement after the Assembly and then only if both sides have exactly the same material. Where games have to be terminated inside the Assembly, the game is declared void.
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