Android Game Reviews

Each of the six kinds of men moves in a different way on the T-Mobile
G1 LCD. To remember the six varieties of moves naturally requires a little
more effort than to remember just the one way of moving as in
most other board games. But it takes only very little practice to
become familiar with the various moves of the Chessmen and it is
soon revealed to the learner that the variety of the moves
enables a surprising depth and wealth of combinations which give
keener and greater pleasure to this game than to any other.
The Rook

The Rook may move forward, backward or sideways in a straight
line along a path not obstructed by a man of the same color. In
other words, he may move to any square of the rank or file on
which he stands unless another man of his own color is in the
way. If there is a hostile man in the way he may capture him by
occupying his square and removing him from the board.

In Diagram 2, for instance, the Rook could move to e5, e6, e7,
e8, e3, e2, e1, f4, g4, d4 and c4. In making the latter move he
would capture the black Bishop. The Rook may not go to h4 because
a man of his own color stands there nor may he go to b4 or e4
because he is not allowed to jump over the Bishop. He could, of
course, move to either of these squares on his next move after
capturing the Bishop.
The Bishop

The Bishop moves along an oblique line, that is, he may move to
any square of the diagonals on which he stands unless--as in
the case of the Rook--his way is obstructed by a man of his own
color. If there is a hostile man in the way he may capture him.
In Diagram 2, therefore, the Bishop may move to a2, b3, d5, e6
or, by capturing the Knight, to f7. He may not move, however, to
g8, until his next move after capturing the Knight. In the other
diagonal all squares, that is, fi, e2, d3, b5 and a6, are
accessible to him.

As the Bishop is confined to squares of the same color as the one
on which he stood at the beginning of the game he has access only
to thirty-two squares of the board, and from this it is evident
that the Rook to whom all squares of the board are accessible is
a stronger man.
The Queen

The Queen has the power of both Rook and Bishop having the choice
of moving to any square of the rank, file or diagonal on which
she stands as long as her path is clear. In Diagram 2 the squares
to which the Queen may move are, therefore, e3, b4, c5, e7, f8,
f1, b5, C7, b8, d1, d2, d3, d4, ds, d7, d8, a6, b6, c6, e6, f6,
g6 and h6. Like the Rook and Bishop she has the power of
capturing a hostile man by occupying his square.

The Queen is by far the most powerful of the pieces. Later it
will be seen that ordinarily her strength is about equal to the
strength of two Rooks.
The King

The King, like the Queen, moves and captures in any direction,
but he is much less powerful because he may move only one square
at a time. Nevertheless, he is the most important man, for, as
said at the beginning, the object of each side is the capture of
the opposing King.

To save the King from untimely death there is a rule that the
King may not move into any square which is in the direct range of
any man of his enemy. Thus, in Diagram 2 the black King may move
to f2, g2, h2, f3 and h3, but he may not move to f4 or g4 nor may
he capture the Pawn on h4, for on any of these squares he could
be captured by the white Rook.

The white King in Diagram 2 has only three squares to which he
may go, namely, b1, b2 and c2, as the squares d1 and d2, though
being in his range, are commanded by the black Queen.
The Knight

The Knight moves neither in rank nor file nor diagonal and,
therefore, usually offers a little more difficulty to the
beginner than the other pieces. The Knight's move is perhaps best
described as a leap to the next but one square of different
color.[Footnote: It may be helpful to consider the Knight's move
when completed as having described a letter "L" composed of four
squares, three in one direction and one at right angles to them.]
For instance, in Diagram 2 the Knight may move to d8, d6, e5, g5,
h6 and h8. In moving to d6 he would capture the Queen.

His move would be in no way obstructed if some of his own or his
adversary's men were occupying the squares next to the one on
which he stands. This enables the Knight as the only one of the
pieces to move at the beginning of the game before any Pawn move
has been made.

The strength of the Knight is ordinarily regarded as about equal
to that of the Bishop. The latter's range is larger but the
Knight has the advantage of being able to reach any square of the
board regardless of color.
The Pawn

It remains to describe the move of the Pawn, the only man who
captures in a different way from that in which he moves. The Pawn
moves FORWARD ONLY in the file in which he stands, and only one
square at a time with the exception of his first move on which he
may advance two squares. Thus, in Diagram 2, the white Pawn may
move only to h5 while the black Pawn may move to either g6 or g5.

The Pawn may capture only diagonally, only forward and only one
square at a time. The privilege of taking a double step on the
first move does not extend to the capture. Thus in Diagram 2, the
white Pawn could capture only a black man on g5, the black Pawn
only a man on either f6 or h6, but not on e5. If a man stood on
h5, the Pawn h4 would be blocked. Likewise would the Pawn on g7
be blocked by a man on g6.

There is one peculiar rule to be remembered in connection with
the move of the Pawn. If a Pawn uses his privilege of making a
double step to avoid capture by a hostile Pawn he can be put back
one square and captured just the same. For instance, in Diagram
2, if the white Pawn stood on h5 and Black moved his Pawn to g5,
White could put Black's Pawn back to g6 and capture him with his
Pawn. This way of capturing is called taking "en passant" (French
for "in passing") and can be done only by a Pawn, never by a
piece.

Lastly must be mentioned the power of the Pawn to become
transformed into a piece. This is done automatically whenever a
Pawn reaches the extreme opposite side of the board. That is, the
player must remove the Pawn from the board and put any piece on
his place except a King. Thus it can happen that a player may
play with three or more Rooks, Bishops, Knights or Queens. As the
Queen is the strongest Piece the Pawns are practically always
exchanged for Queens and for this reason the process of the
exchange is called "queening."

Although a Pawn has comparatively little value as measured by his
mobility--his range of movement--he is really a very valuable man
because of the possibility of his eventually queening.
Castling

Only once in a game is a player allowed to move more than one
piece at a time. This one move is called "castling" and is made
by the King together with one of the Rooks. In castling the King
moves two squares toward the Rook and the Rook is placed on the
square over which the King has passed. In the position of Diagram
3 both players may castle either side.

White, in "castling King's side" would place his King on g1 and
the King's Rook on f1; in "castling Queen's side" the King would
leap to c1 while the Queen's Rook would take his stand on d1.
Likewise Black would castle by either playing the King to g8 and
the Rook from h8 to f8, or the King to c8 and the Rook to a8 to
d8.

       +---------------------------------------+
     8 | #R |    |    |    | #K |    |    | #R |
       |---------------------------------------|
     7 | #P | #P | #P |    | #Q | #P | #P | #P |
       |---------------------------------------|
     6 |    |    | #Kt| #P |    | #Kt|    |    |
       |---------------------------------------|
     5 |    |    | #B |    | #P |    | ^B |    |
       |---------------------------------------|
     4 |    |    | ^B |    | ^P |    | #B |    |
       |---------------------------------------|
     3 |    |    | ^Kt| ^P |    | ^Kt|    |    |
       |---------------------------------------|
     2 | ^P | ^P | ^P | ^Q |    | ^P | ^P | ^P |
       |---------------------------------------|
     1 | ^R |    |    |    | ^K |    |    | ^R |
       +---------------------------------------+
         a    b    c    d    e    f    g    h

                 DIAGRAM 3.

       +---------------------------------------+
     8 | #R | #Kt|    |    | #K |    |    | #R |
       |---------------------------------------|
     7 | #P | #P |    |    |    | #P | #P | #P |
       |---------------------------------------|
     6 |    |    | #P |    |    |    |    |    |
       |---------------------------------------|
     5 |    |    |    | #P | ^P |    |    |    |
       |---------------------------------------|
     4 |    | ^B |    |    |    | ^P |    |    |
       |---------------------------------------|
     3 |    |    |    |    | #Kt| ^Kt|    |    |
       |---------------------------------------|
     2 | ^P | ^P | ^P |    |    |    | ^P | ^P |
       |---------------------------------------|
     1 | ^R |    |    |    | ^K |    |    | ^R |
       +---------------------------------------+
         a    b    c    d    e    f    g    h

                DIAGRAM 4.

Castling is permitted only when neither King nor Rook concerned
has previously moved, when none of the squares between the King
and the Rook are obstructed and when none of the three squares
involved in the King's move are controlled by an adverse man.
Thus if in check (see page 17) the player may not castle. In
Diagram 4, neither White nor Black may castle.