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Checkers Around the World Invented Checkers Variants
Elephant Checkers Game
Over the years, an interest in board games
has been rekindled and redefined. As a result,
new and unique variations have both been adapted
and developed to meet the needs within society’s
gamers. Many games, other than Chess, have
been played on a simple chessboard. Checkers
and Draughts were first invented using the
chessboard and now numerous Checkers variants
have been created for what has become ‘the
standard checkerboard’. Modern
checkers game variations have taken the liberty
of either changing the parameters of the checkerboard,
or have added features from other games and
incorporated these to create a completely new
game. In 2001, chess enthusiast, Peter Aronson,
invented the game of Elephant
Checkers, but instead of using the chessboard
or checkerboard, he incorporated the game rules
to be played on a Xiangqi board. Xiangqi is
Chinese Chess and the board is vaguely similar
to a standard chessboard in that it is a square
board that consists of multiple squares, but
there the similarity ends.
Elephant Checkers Rules of Play:
~ Checkers Game Board ~
- The Xiangqi board consists of ten horizontal
lines and nine vertical lines, where the
verticals are interrupted by a horizontal
void in the center of the board, and this
is called a river.
- There are two palaces situated on opposite
sides of the board within four central
squares and they are demarked by a large
X connecting the four corner points ( Conventional
Chess is played on the squares within the
board, but Xiangqi Chess and elephant checkers
are played on the line intersections
called points) ~ this method of play has
also been adapted within regular Elephant
Checkers games.
Black Palace
- The above design represents the board
in Xiangqi Chess and it is upon this that
the game board for Elephant Checkers game
is based.
- Whereas in Chess and Checkers, the playing
pieces are placed on the squares of the
board, they are placed on the intersecting
points of the squares.
- Each player begins with 24 soldiers
(checker pieces).
~ Object of Elephant Checkers ~
- The game objective is to, a) leave
the opponent with no moves either by capturing
all his/her pieces or by blocking the remaining
pieces from making further moves, or b)
to promote an Elephant (a promoted checker/soldier)
to King on the central point in the opponent’s
fortress.
~ Game Starting Position ~
- Each player positions 18 of the soldiers
(checkers) on all the points in the third
and fourth vertical lines from the end
zone, just like they would in Turkish Checkers
and the remaining 6 checkers are placed
in the fortress X on the first and second
vertical lines.
- This formation leaves a vacant space
or river between the two zones of play.
- The player who has the dark (black)
soldiers begins the game with the first
move.
~ Elephant Game Moves & Captures ~
- Soldiers move one square forward or
horizontally to an unoccupied square beyond
the existing point.
- Captures are mandatory and each player
must choose the path with the maximum number
of captures.
- Capturing is achieved by jumping over
an opposing soldier or in a sequence of
jumps over a series of pieces to a vacant
square beyond.
- Captured pieces are removed immediately,
which allows for numerous opportunities
to capture the opponent.
- A player may not turn 180 degrees during
a capturing sequence but must remain on
the jumping path.
- When a soldier has crossed the river,
it may move two squares and capture opposing
pieces two squares ahead or sideways or
capture an adjacent opposing piece and
land two squares beyond it.
~ Promotion to Elephant ~
- When a soldier reaches the opponent’s
far side, it is promoted to Elephant.
- Elephants may move horizontally or vertically
to any empty square.
- They capture opposing pieces by jumping
over them and can continue on to any vacant
square beyond the capture.
- Elephants must continue a capturing
sequence as long as there are opposing
pieces in the path.
- An Elephant can promote to King if it
reaches the Throne point in the center
of the opposing fortress, but this is a
non capturing move and can only be made
if there are no other opposing pieces nearby
to capture.
~ Winning the Elephant Checkers Game ~
- The player who reaches the Throne point
in the center of the opposing fortress
and promotes the Elephant to King wins
the elephant checker game.
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