Bird’s Chess

Invented by Henry Bird, 1874. Published in the City of London Chess Magazine. A predecessor to Capablanca’s Chess.

Overview

Bird’s Chess extends standard chess to a 10×8 board by adding two compound pieces per side: the Guard (Rook + Knight) and the Equerry (Bishop + Knight). Capablanca likely drew inspiration from this game when designing Capablanca’s Chess.

Setup

10-file board (files a–j), 8 ranks.

FEN: rnbgqkebnr/pppppppppp/10/10/10/10/PPPPPPPPPP/RNBGQKEBNR w - - 0 1
(G/g = Guard, E/e = Equerry)

White (rank 1, a–j): Rook(a1), Knight(b1), Bishop(c1), Guard(d1), Queen(e1), King(f1), Equerry(g1), Bishop(h1), Knight(i1), Rook(j1) White Pawns (rank 2): a2–j2

Black (rank 8, a–j): Rook(a8), Knight(b8), Bishop(c8), Guard(d8), Queen(e8), King(f8), Equerry(g8), Bishop(h8), Knight(i8), Rook(j8) Black Pawns (rank 7): a7–j7

Alternative: Black’s back rank may mirror White’s (with Black’s Queen on the same file as White’s Queen). Either setup is playable.

Pieces

All standard FIDE pieces move as usual. Two additional pieces:

Guard

Moves as a Rook (slides orthogonally any distance) or a Knight (L-shape leap). Equivalent to the Chancellor.

Equerry

Moves as a Bishop (slides diagonally any distance) or a Knight (L-shape leap). Equivalent to the Archbishop. Not colour-bound.

Rules

All standard FIDE rules apply with the following modifications:

Castling

Castling uses a modified rule. The King moves three squares toward the Rook; the Rook then jumps over the King to land on the square immediately adjacent to the King on the side toward center:

• Queenside castling (toward a1): King moves f1→c1 (three squares left); Rook moves a1→d1.
• Kingside castling (toward j1): King moves f1→i1 (three squares right); Rook moves j1→h1.

The same applies symmetrically for Black. Standard castling conditions apply: neither King nor Rook may have moved previously; no pieces between them; King not in check; King does not pass through check.

Pawn Promotion

Pawns reaching the far rank may promote to: Queen, Guard, Equerry, Bishop, Rook, or Knight.

All Other Rules

En passant, stalemate (draw), and all other FIDE rules apply normally.

Source: chessvariants.com/large.dir/bird.html; based on Gollon manuscript sent to Greenwood, 1976