Icon Clearinghouse 2
Part One of this series of pages showed icons for orthodox pieces, their close relatives, and other commonly-seen chess pieces. For this page, we'll be taking a look at some of the many chess pieces that have been named for animals.
Note that these are subject to all of the same rules and guidelines as Part One, including finding the graphics themselves at /membergraphics/MSiconclearinghouse/ (not the counterpart for this page!).
Pieces
There's a long-standing tradition of pieces being named for animals, both real and mythical.
Note that some of the "alternate" icons (and at least one of the "official" icons) aren't animals at all. They're included just to show alternate ideas.
Very Common Beasts
These are the beasts that you'll actually see most often.
| Camel (C) | Zebra (Z) | Giraffe (NY) | Antelope (FX) | Gnu (NC) | Okapi (NZ) | Bison (CZ) | Buffalo (NCZ) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfaerie |
camel |
zebra |
giraffe |
antelope |
gnu |
okapi |
zebracamel |
knightcamelzebra |
| Others |
camelc
camelx |
zebrax |
giraffec |
wildebeest1
gnuc
gnux |
bisonu
wildebeest |
wildebeest2 |
As you probably noticed, there are three versions of "wildebeest." These images can be considered interchangeable; what's shown is just my personal preference.
Ubiquitous Beasts
| Lions | Elephants | |
|---|---|---|
| Alfaerie |
lion |
|
| Cazaux |
lionc
|
elephant4 |
| Utrecht |
lionu |
|
| XBoard |
|
elephantx |
| Others |
lion2
lion3 |
elephant3 |
These pieces aren't actually more common than those above; there are simply more different versions of each, both in icons and in how they're applied.
There are many takes on the Lion, and not just in the multiple icons that are available. Different games have different moves for it as well:
- Modern Lion (KAND Lion) (KAND)
- Japanese Lion (KANDcaKmavK)
- Murray Lion (ADcK)
- Fairy Lion (pQ)
- Congo Lion (KkcQ)
- Leon (Spanish Lion) (CH)
- Leo (mQcpQ)
Elephants are arguably even worse. Different versions include:
- Alfil (Persian Elephant) (A)
- Modern Elephant (FA)
- Musketeer Elephant (KAD)
- Indian Elephant (FfW)
- Chinese Elephant (nA)
- Korean Elephant (afsnW)
- Ciccolini's Elephant (Z)
- von Wilpert's Elephant (QNN)
There's nothing preventing more than one of either (or both) from being in the same game together, so take your pick.
Ringleaders
The "Ringleaders" shown here are those that leap to any square at a specific distance.
|
Squirrel (AND) |
Cheetah (GZCH) |
Sabertooth (ANDGZCH) |
|---|---|---|
|
squirrel
|
cheetah |
sabretooth
wolf
wolfx |
The Squirrel is also sometimes called a Bear, though I don't currently have an icon for that.
When the Sabertooth uses a wolf icon, it's usually called the Dire Wolf.
Common Beasts
These pieces aren't used as often, but are recognized by most players, with a commonly-recognized move.
| Roc (AC) | Mastodon (KAD) | Falcon (nCnZ) |
Unicorn (BNN) | Raven (RNN) | Griffin (FyafsF) |
Rhinoceros (WyafsW) |
Snake (vWvyafsW) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfarie |
elephantcamel |
mammoth |
falcon
bird |
unicorn |
bird
bird2 |
gryphon
bird |
rhino |
snake |
| Cazaux |
falconc |
griffinc |
||||||
| XBoard |
birdx |
birdx |
gryphonx |
snakex |
||||
| Others |
|
squire |
|
aanca |
snake2
snake3 |
Some alternate names:
- The Roc may also be called the Caribou.
- The Mastodon is also called a Mammoth (though there's also a separate piece by that name), Squire, or Pasha.
- The Griffin (which can have a variety of spellings) is also known as the Eagle (hence the bird image), or sometimes the Aanca.
- The Rhinoceros is also known as the Manticore.
- The Snake is often called by its original name, Snaketongue.
Uncommon Beasts
| Turtle (Q4AD) | Kangaroo (NA) | Pegasus (NmpafsyafF) |
Crab (ffNbsN) | Barc (bbNfsN) | Aurochs (NFX) | Impala (NYN) | Dolphin (R3mDmH) |
Walrus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
turtle |
kangaroo |
pegasus
pegasus1 |
crab |
barc |
ox |
impala |
dolphin
dolphinx |
walrus |
Some games give the Pegasus a move of ZFX, while older fairy chess problems use NNgQ.
Rare Beasts
|
Goose (fAbD) |
Grasshopper (gQ) |
Snail (WfD) | Spider (NDF2) | Stag (DY) | Tiger (ZmpafsmpafyafW) |
Turtle (Q4AD) |
Whale (vRbB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
goose |
grasshopper
grasshopperc |
snail |
spider |
stagu
lancer
rabbit |
tiger
tigerx |
turtle |
whale |
The Stag is also known as the Lancer or Hare.
Very Rare Beasts
| Bongo (ANCZ) |
Serval (DHCFX |
Jackal (GZ) |
Butterfly (fNbsNbFfsC) |
Flying Kingfisher (KAADD) |
Rabbit (BNYN) |
Raccoon (FDN) |
Sparrow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
bongo |
cheetah |
jackal |
butterfly |
flyingkingfisher |
rabbit |
raccoon |
sparrow |
This 'user submitted' page is a collaboration between the posting user and the Chess Variant Pages. Registered contributors to the Chess Variant Pages have the ability to post their own works, subject to review and editing by the Chess Variant Pages Editorial Staff.
By Bob Greenwade.
Last revised by Bob Greenwade.
Web page created: 2023-10-25. Web page last updated: 2024-01-21