Turkish Great Chess III
Turkish Great Chess III — starting position
https://engine.moddable.games/play/?game=chess&variant=turkish-great-chess-iii
Turkish Great Chess, Variation III is a historical large chess variant played on a 12×12 board. It is one of four large chess variants catalogued by John Gollon from H. J. R. Murray’s A History of Chess (1913). The game uses an expanded piece set where several pieces move as Bishops, the Wazir moves as a full Queen, and separate Rook-like pieces (Ratha/Chariot) are added.
The Board
12×12 (144 squares). Uncoloured in the original; shown checkered on chessvariants.com for clarity.
Starting Position
Rank 1 (White):
| Square | Piece |
|---|---|
| a1 | Rook |
| b1 | Ghora (Knight) |
| c1 | Dahja (Standard) |
| d1 | Ratha (Chariot) |
| e1 | Fil (Elephant) |
| f1 | Wazir |
| g1 | Padshah (King) |
| h1 | Fil (Elephant) |
| i1 | Ratha (Chariot) |
| j1 | Dahja (Standard) |
| k1 | Ghora (Knight) |
| l1 | Rook |
| a2–l2 | Pawns (12 pieces) |
Black: mirror on ranks 12 and 11.
Pieces
| Piece | Name(s) | Movement | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Padshah | King | As King in chess | 1 per side |
| Wazir | Vizir / Minister | As Queen (slides ortho and diag) | 1 per side |
| Fil | Elephant | As Bishop | 2 per side |
| Ratha | Chariot | As Rook | 2 per side |
| Dahja | Standard | As Bishop | 2 per side |
| Ghora | Horse | As Knight | 2 per side |
| Rook | — | As Rook | 2 per side |
| Pawn | — | As Pawn (no double first move) | 12 per side |
Note: Both the Fil and the Dahja move as Bishops, giving each player 4 Bishop-type pieces per side.
Rules
- No castling
- Pawns have no multiple steps on first move
- Stalemate and bare King rules unknown from historical sources
- Pawn promotion: reaches last rank and promotes to Wazir
- Win: Checkmate the opponent’s Padshah
Attribution
Turkish Great Chess, Variation III. John Gollon’s version, sourced from H. J. R. Murray’s A History of Chess. Documented by John Ayer on chessvariants.com/large.dir/greatchessiii.html.