De Vasa’s Hexagonal Chess
Invented by Helge E. de Vasa. Played on an 81-hex rhombus board oriented horizontally, which changes the shape and feel of the game compared to the standard upright hexagonal boards.
Setup
Board: 81-hex rhombus grid (9×9), horizontally oriented. Files a–i, ranks 1–9. Every file has 9 cells.
White pieces (rank 1, bottom):
- King on f1
- Queen on d1
- Bishops on c1, e1, g1 (one per colour)
- Knights on b1, h1
- Rooks on a1, i1
- Pawns on a3, b3, c3, d3, e3, f3, g3, h3, i3 (9 pawns on rank 3)
Black pieces (rank 9, top — mirrored):
- King on d9
- Queen on f9
- Bishops on c9, e9, g9 (one per colour)
- Knights on b9, h9
- Rooks on a9, i9
- Pawns on a7, b7, c7, d7, e7, f7, g7, h7, i7 (9 pawns on rank 7)
De Vasa's Hexagonal Chess — starting position
https://engine.moddable.games/play/?game=chess&variant=de-vasa
Pawns
Pawns move straight forward. They capture diagonally forward to a cell of the same colour.
Pawns begin on the 3rd rank and may make an initial double step from their starting position.
Castling
Castling is permitted. The King slides two cells toward the Rook (short castling) or three cells (long castling).
Rules
Identical to standard chess adapted for the hex grid except as noted. Stalemate is a draw.
Win Condition
Checkmate.
Attribution
Helge E. de Vasa. Public domain rules.