Double Move Chess

[Paul Bonham]

Re: Double Move Chess

I like this variant, with the provisos that (*) yes, a player in check may make a double move with the first move answering the check, and (*) a double move by the same piece may not capture material or give check.

Have you looked for similar games on the ChessVariants site? I submitted one there recently, "Tandem Pawn Chess", which tries to make chess more computer-resistant. Its creator Hans Bodlaender is a noted professor in my subfield of theoretical computer science.

The NBA used to have a special kind of timeout that allowed you to advance the ball to halfcourt for free. That's closest in spirit to the motivation here---like if an NHL timeout gave you a faceoff in the zone. I wonder if thre is a chess analogue of the icing rule (which IMHO should continue to be in effect on power plays).

Hey Kenneth (or do you prefer Ken?), thanks for commenting.

There were 2 reasons I thought a player in check should not be able to make a double move:

(1) if the first move gets him / her out of check, but also puts the opponent in check, then this has violated the idea that a first move of a double move cannot give check. The whole idea behind that is that too many checkmates and / or double checks could happen if both moves of a double move could give check.

(2) I like the idea that if player A sees that player B has a very dangerous double-move threat, player A still has the potential resource of putting player B's King in check, perhaps even a sequence of checks, that prevent player B from making the double move, maybe even to the extent of neutralizing somehow the threat behind the double move.

On your other point, that a double move by the same piece may not capture material or give check, I am very much leaning towards that change. As Louis Morin pointed out, the play would otherwise tend to be overly cautious and defensive. So I think I'd put that change in.

What do you think this variant would mean for engine authors who wanted to create an engine that could play this variant? Would you agree that writing some artificial intelligence that could effectively and with human-like intuition decide when and when not to conserve double moves would take years to accomplish?

I looked at Tandem Chess... wow, potentially 16 pawns per side, is that correct? That looks also to be very difficult for engine authors to handle -- deciding if and when to untandem pawns.

[Erik Malmsten]

Re: Double Move Chess

Double Move Chess


I thought of such a resource: a "double move".

Each player could be alloted 4 double moves per game. A double move would be just what it sounds like: making 2 moves in the place of one. When it is your clock ticking, you may decide to play a double move if you still have any of the 4 remaining. There would have to be restrictions on double moves; you can see them at the end of this post.

So that each player's count of double moves is apparent, you place a circular token much like a checkers piece but green on one side, red on the other (each player has 4 of them) by your side of the clock. It is placed green side up to indicate you are now on a double move. You make the two moves, taking as much time between them as you like, and only when the second move has been made do you flip the token over to red and then hit your clock. The now red token indicates a used up double move. It is up to both your opponent and yourself to make sure you flip the token over to red.

For an average 40-move game that's 1 Double Move per 10 moves. It's more reasonable than Progressive Chess.

A variation would be to have Black has to make the first DM, to compensate for the slight advantage White has for making the first single move.

Or a more conservative version is to have only one doubling token at Black's side at the beginning of the game. A player can only make a DM when they have the token. When Black makes a DM, then the token goes to the White side. When White makes a DM the token goes back to Black. Thusly, neither side could make 2 DMs in a row. Physically similar to the passing back and forth of the doubling cube in Backgammon, but without the increase.

[Pierre Denommee]

Re: Double Move Chess

The rules that you are quoting are an obsolete version of the FIDE rules. I am referring to the FQE Article 18 that can be found in the written version of the FQE rules. It has nothing to do with FIDE.

http://www.fqechecs.qc.ca/cms/story/...%A8gles-du-jeu

shows articles 1-5 (dated 2005)

http://www.fqechecs.qc.ca/cms/story/...p%C3%A9titions

shows articles 6-14 (dated 2005).

Where is article 18?

[Paul Bonham]

Re: Double Move Chess

After checking the chessvariants.org site that Kenneth pointed to, and looking at a few multimove variants, it is apparent that Double Move Chess is a name already taken. However, that variant allows double moves throughout the entire game. There is also a variant called Marsellais Chess which has White start with 1 move, and thereafter both White and Black play double moves. This variant has been around a long time:

"The origin of the game dates somewhere between World War I and 1925. It gained a quick following in France. Among the famous chess players said to have played this variant are Alekhine, Reti, Znosko-Borovsky, and Cheron."

Anyway, it doesn't appear that anyone has thought of the idea of allowing double moves as a limited resource which should be used at the most opportune moments according to the judgment of the player.

At this time, I will rename my version Limited Double Move Chess (LDM Chess).

Also, given what I read from Louis Morin, from Kenneth, and from the above site, rule (5) regarding double move restrictions has been rewritten as follows:

(5) The same piece may be moved on both moves of a double move (meaning "ricochet" Bishop, Rook, or Queen moves are possible, as well as lengthy Knight moves) provided that the intermediate square be empty even for Knights, that neither move is a capture and that the first move does not put the King in check. Also, if the King is the piece moving twice, the King may not move through check. Finally, every double move must alter the position; a player may not move a piece from a square then back to that same square.

There is also an extension of the "en passant" rule for this case: if the piece could be captured on the first square it stops on (illegal for the King), then after it's been moved the second time, the opponent may capture it "en passant" just as is done currently with Pawns making a 2-square move past an adjacent opposing pawn. The en passant move must immediately follow the double move or the opportunity is lost.

I am also considering this change regarding the number of double move tokens for each player:

The number of double move tokens for each player should be 4 for the first 40 moves after Black's 8th move, and if the game should extend beyond Black's 48th move, then each player gets 2 more double moves for the next 12 moves, then after Black's 60th move, each player gets two more double move tokens, and so on for every 12 moves per player. However, at no time can either player have more than 4 double move tokens to use so that if a player conserves either 3 or 4 double move tokens up to Black's 48th move, that player gets either 1 or 0 more double move tokens. This is all to encourage SOME use of double moves within the first 48 moves, but also to encourage conserving one or two for the endgame as a strategy, given that an edge in double moves in the endgame would be extremely valuable. I like the idea of getting a couple more tokens every 12 moves in the endgame to prevent endgames from being so long and drawn-out as they are in standard chess.

[Paul Bonham]

Re: Double Move Chess

For an average 40-move game that's 1 Double Move per 10 moves. It's more reasonable than Progressive Chess.

A variation would be to have Black has to make the first DM, to compensate for the slight advantage White has for making the first single move.

Or a more conservative version is to have only one doubling token at Black's side at the beginning of the game. A player can only make a DM when they have the token. When Black makes a DM, then the token goes to the White side. When White makes a DM the token goes back to Black. Thusly, neither side could make 2 DMs in a row. Physically similar to the passing back and forth of the doubling cube in Backgammon, but without the increase.

Yes, much more reasonable than Progressive Chess, and even one called Marseillais Chess in which White makes a single move, then the players alternate making double moves for the rest of the game.

I kind of like your suggestion about Black making the first DM, but that might give Black too much of an advantage because s/he can play much less conservatively (not having to worry about a sudden DM from White) while White will have to be very defensive. But neat idea, I like that kind of creative thinking.

I thought some more about the number of double move tokens, and I am thinking to go with the following:

The number of double move tokens for each player should be 4 for the first 40 moves after Black's 8th move, and if the game should extend beyond Black's 48th move, then each player gets 2 more double moves for the next 12 moves, then after Black's 60th move, each player gets two more double move tokens, and so on for every 12 moves per player. However, at no time can either player have more than 4 double move tokens to use so that if a player conserves either 3 or 4 double move tokens up to Black's 48th move, that player gets either 1 or 0 more double move tokens. This is all to encourage SOME use of double moves within the first 48 moves, but also to encourage conserving one or two for the endgame as a strategy, given that an edge in double moves in the endgame would be extremely valuable. I like the idea of getting a couple more tokens every 12 moves in the endgame to prevent endgames from being so long and drawn-out as they are in standard chess.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Double Move Chess

I am thinking to go with the following:

Did you already play at least one game in your newest version?
It should be fun to invent games, but somebody needs to play too. What do your family members say about your games? Are they excited about them? Did they play more than one game?

Personal perspective: Long time ago during one junior event, guys from other city showed us a "double move" chess variant (every side makes two moves in a row, though after check, I think, only one move was allowed). It was fun to play several games but later we came back to normal blitz and cards LOL