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H. G. Muller wrote on Thu, Mar 13 04:19 AM EDT:

I wonder why this article goes along with using the name Hippogriff for the Tamerlane Giraffe. The Tamerlane article itself doesn't mention this name, as far as I can see a piece with this move is used nowhere else, and variants that do use the name use it for a piece that moves differently (e.g as Reaper from Betza's Tri-punch Chess in Io Chess). The article mentions that the name was suggested by John Williams-Brown (who is he anyway?), but apparently no one ever followed that suggestion.

What is worse, it is a non-sensical name for a piece with this move. Hippos means horse in Greek, which in orthodox Chess participates under the name Knight, but in most other languages is referred to by their word for horse. Nightrider moves are known as hippogonal directions. But the described move has no relation to a Knight move.

I might use the name Hippogriff for a piece where it does make sense, namely a 'Ski-Griffon', i.e. a Griffon that would jump over the F squares (and cannot move there). So that its first step is a Knight leap.

If another name than Giraffe is desirable for the Tamerlane piece, I would suggest Graphon or Giraffon. The name Hypogriff would also make some sense (Greek hypo = under, sub), as its moves are a sub-set of that of the Griffon.

I can add that there are more pieces with moves that are a sub-set of the Griffon (e.g. Spotted Griffon), which are not mentioned here.


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