Icon Clearinghouse 3
Since Part One showed the most common variant pieces and Part Two showed those 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
Though not quite as broad and varied as animal-based pieces, the tradition of naming pieces for members of clergy, nobility, royalty, military, and similar figures is just as old.
Clergy & Nobility
| Clergy | Nobility |
|---|---|
| Abbot (B4N) | Duke (R4N) |
|
abbot |
duke |
| Healer (KANG) |
Crusader (KNDH) |
|
maltesecross |
crusader
|
| Hospitaller (AN) |
Templar (DN) |
|
hospitaller
hospitaller1 |
|
| Priest (FN) | Marquis (WN) |
|
cross |
marquis |
Another chess tradition is pieces named for royalty, nobility, clergy, and their staff. Typically, those named for nobility have mainly orthogonal moves, while those named for clergy have diagonal moves, in keeping with the Rook and Bishop respectively.
Many of these pairs of pieces are what I call "rotary counterparts": what one does vertically, the other does orthogonally, and vice versa. Such pairs featured in Part One include:
- Bishop & Rook
- Ferz & Wazir
- Alfil & Dabbabah
- Modern Elephant & War Machine
- Phoenix & Kirin
- Cardinal & Chancellor
- Dragon Horse & Dragon King
- Wizard & Sorcerer
- High Priestess & Minister/Duke
- FAD & Champion
- Caliph & Canvasser
- Kuhani & Mtawala
A few more are presented on the table at right. Not all of them are divided by clergy/nobility, but all are rotary counterparts.
On alternate names for these:
- For this Duke, I personally prefer the name Castellan. The icon shown, or any castle-like icon, is fitting for this.
- The Prince (see Part One) is occasionally used for the Priest.
Military & Artillery
And another tradition is pieces named for military ranks, artillery, and similar things.
Military Ranks
Archery
There are almost as many ideas about what an Archer should be able to do as there are games that feature it. However, in looking through them I see most often either two diagonal steps or a (1,2) rifle capture, so the most reasonable standard would seem to be F2cabN, which I use as the default here.
| Archer (F2cabN) | Bowman (nNafsafmpafzcabmpafzK) |
Shield Archer (F2cabN) spell=brake |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
archer
bowc |
Enhanced Archers |
bowman |
shieldarcher |
|
|
archerzz2 |
archerzz3 |
|||
Melee Weapons
| Dagger (mK2mafcabK) |
Dart (-) iron |
Gun (mWcabCcabZ) |
Lariat (mNcKaibuabcaibQ4) |
Noose (mKcabafK) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
dagger |
dart |
gun
colt |
lariat |
noose |
Artillery
| Cannon/Pao (mRcpR) |
Crossbow/Vao (mBcpB) |
|---|---|
|
cannon
cannonc
cannon2c |
vao
ballistac |
The most basic type of artillery is the Cannon. At right are the icons for such pieces.
There actually are multiple takes on what a Cannon can do:
- Pao (Chinese Cannon): mRcpR
- Korean Cannon: pR
- Musketeer Cannon: DWFsN
In any case, while the (sometimes called Crossbow or Ballista) Vao was designed as a companion for the Pao, it can rotate any of the Cannons.
Siege Engines
Unknown Pieces
These are icons for which no consistent XBetza notation was available.
| Airplane | Axe | Shield | Tank |
|---|---|---|---|
|
airplane |
axec
axex |
shield |
tank
tankc |
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: 2023-10-30. Web page last updated: 2024-01-23