Turkish Great Chess IV
Turkish Great Chess IV — starting position
https://engine.moddable.games/play/?game=chess&variant=turkish-great-chess-iv
Turkish Great Chess, Variation IV is a historical large chess variant played on a 14×14 board. Although catalogued under Turkish chess by John Gollon from H. J. R. Murray’s A History of Chess, it uses Indian piece names (Raja, Rani) and Persian names (Shahzadeh) alongside the standard Arabic-derived names, suggesting a mixed cultural origin.
A notable feature: the Rani (Queen) is unusually weak — moving only one square in any direction like a King — and may be deliberately placed or left on an attacked square without being considered in check. This makes the Rani tactically sacrificeable.
The Board
14×14 (196 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 | Shahzadeh (Prince) |
| g1 | Wazir |
| h1 | Raja (King) |
| i1 | Rani (Queen) |
| j1 | Fil (Elephant) |
| k1 | Ratha (Chariot) |
| l1 | Dahja (Standard) |
| m1 | Ghora (Knight) |
| n1 | Rook |
| a2–n2 | Pawns (14 pieces) |
Black: mirror on ranks 14 and 13.
Pieces
| Piece | Name(s) | Movement | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raja | King | As King in chess | 1 per side |
| Rani | Queen | 1 square in any direction; may be placed/left en prise | 1 per side |
| Shahzadeh | Prince | As Bishop or Rook (= Chancellor without Knight) | 1 per side |
| Wazir | Vizir / Minister | As Bishop or Rook | 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) | 14 per side |
Key Piece Notes
Rani: Unlike the standard chess Queen, the Rani moves only one square in any direction. Uniquely, she may be placed or left en prise — the opponent is not required to capture her, and she cannot be used to deliver checkmate in the traditional sense. This makes her more of a positional piece than a royal one.
Shahzadeh and Wazir: Both move as Bishop or Rook — together they form a powerful slider pair.
Rules
- No castling
- Pawns have no double 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 Raja
Attribution
Turkish Great Chess, Variation IV. John Gollon’s version, sourced from H. J. R. Murray’s A History of Chess. Documented by John Ayer on chessvariants.com/large.dir/greatchessiv.html.