Courier chess

The courier game, also called courier chess, is a historic chess variant, which was played on a chessboard widened by 12 by 8 fields. Among the well-known chess pieces more additional characters were added, including the courier, who gave the game its name.

Historical significance

The first mentioned around 1210 game was quite common in German-speaking countries and the Netherlands in the Middle Ages and early modern times. Evidence of this is an image of the painter Lucas van Leyden from the early 16th century, which is located in the Berlin Gemäldegalerie. It provides a chess player to be distinguished only on closer inspection - and therefore designated as " chess game " - in the backyard

The courier game especially was cultivated in the Ströbeck points, alongside the in Ströbeck with slightly modified rules played chess. On the back of the chessboard, which gave the Great Elector the Ströbeckern in 1651, a courier field is incorporated.

The board game gets its name ( from the Latin currere run =) by a special character, the courier, who moved to the langschrittigen platoons of the later runner. In the conversion of the medieval Alfil who jumped diagonally into the next field over, the runners in the reform of the chess game, the courier has probably served as a model. A figure that corresponds to the runner next to it is from another medieval chess variant, the Grande Acedrex known. In any case, it is natural to take the courier with the German name for the new pawn in context.

Game pieces and rules

The rules of the existing practices in Ströbeck form of the courier game Gustavus Selenus has described in the first German chess textbook, published in 1616. Both players have on the expanded board over each 24- game characters who are positioned as in chess on the first two rows. Behind the twelve farmers are on the first row from left to right: rook, knight, Alfil ( " the old man "), and courier, man, King, Queen, Schleich, courier, Alfil, Springer and tower.

In addition to the courier so there was two other novel game characters. The man or Council could as " fighting king " like this draw, but without the limitations of possible chess commandments. The Creep (Council of the Queen ) was horizontal or vertical drag a field. The Queen did not meet today's lady, but withdrew as the medieval Fers, the precursor figure of lady, one square diagonally. The farmers had also not the double step in the fourth row available. The rules knew of the new characters apart only small deviations from the bay. The details of the pawn promotion and respect of castling (or the king jump ) are unclear.

After Selenus some early trains were finally fixed. Both parties moved the peasants before the towers and the Queen each two steps forward. The Queen made ​​a unique joy jump into the third field. Such starting positions, so-called Tabijen were in medieval chess in principle not unknown. The opening of the courier game was also integrated into the rules of chess Ströbecker.

Extinction of the game

The Courier playing with his new characters was an early form of the fairy tale chess. It represented an alternative to the medieval chess game that was partly perceived as somewhat cumbersome. The interest in the game apparently went back after the transition to the modern chess was done. An exception was the Ströbeck where it was no longer common, but demonstrably not yet played in 1885.