---
title: "Turkish Great Chess II (Atranj)"
slug: turkish-great-chess-ii
board: "10×10"
players: "2"
parent: chess
win: Checkmate
special: "Historical large chess variant known as Atranj or Qatranj, described by H. J. R. Murray in A History of Chess. Played on a 10×10 board with an expanded piece set including the Prince (moves as Rook, Bishop, or Knight), Kotwal (Bishop or Knight), and Urdabegini (moves one square toward the opposing King). Despite its Turkish classification in Murray's work, the source manuscript is Indian. No castling."
engine:
  topology:
    type: grid
    rows: 10
    cols: 10
  players: [white, black]
  render:
    cellSize: 30
  setup: "rnbpqkpbnr/pppppppppp/10/10/10/10/10/10/PPPPPPPPPP/RNBPQKPBNR"
---

## Turkish Great Chess II — Atranj / Qatranj

{{svg:turkish-great-chess-ii-board.svg "Turkish Great Chess II (Atranj) — starting position"}}

Turkish Great Chess, Variation II — known as **Atranj** or **Qatranj** — is a historical large chess variant described by H. J. R. Murray in *A History of Chess* (1913). Despite its classification under Turkish chess in Murray's survey, the source manuscript is Indian. The game is played on a 10×10 board with an expanded piece set that includes three pieces not found in standard chess.

*Note: John Gollon, in mining Murray's book for his Chess Variations, inadvertently omitted each player's two central knights. The version described here is the correct full game.*

### The Board

10×10 (100 squares). Presumed uncoloured in the original; shown checkered on chessvariants.com for clarity.

### Starting Position

**Rank 1 (White):**

| Square | Piece |
|---|---|
| a1 | Rook |
| b1 | Ghora (Knight) |
| c1 | Fil (Elephant/Bishop) |
| d1 | Wazir |
| e1 | Shahzadeh |
| f1 | Padshah (King) |
| g1 | Kotwal |
| h1 | Fil (Elephant/Bishop) |
| i1 | Ghora (Knight) |
| j1 | Rook |
| e2, f2 | Urdabegini (2 pieces) |
| e3, f3 | Ghora (Knight) — 2 more |
| a2–d2, g2–j2 | Pawns (8 pieces) |

**Black:** mirror on ranks 10, 9, 8.

### Pieces

| Piece | Name(s) | Movement | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Padshah | King | As King in chess | 1 per side |
| Shahzadeh | Prince | As Rook, Bishop, OR Knight | 1 per side |
| Wazir | Vizir / Minister | As Bishop or Rook | 1 per side |
| Kotwal | Police Chief / Paymaster | As Bishop or Knight | 1 per side |
| Fil | Elephant | As Bishop | 2 per side |
| Ghora | Horse | As Knight | 4 per side (b1,i1,e3,f3) |
| Rook | Chariot | As Rook | 2 per side |
| Urdabegini | Armed female attendant | 1 square toward opposing Padshah | 2 per side (e2,f2) |
| Pawn | — | As Pawn (no double first move) | 8 per side |

### Key Piece Notes

**Shahzadeh (Prince):** Moves as Rook, Bishop, or Knight combined — effectively an Amazon (the strongest compound piece in many chess variants). The most powerful attacking piece on the board.

**Urdabegini:** A unique homing piece that always moves one square in the direction that reduces distance to the opposing Padshah. Its movement is dictated by the King's position.

**Wazir:** Moves as Bishop or Rook (equivalent to the modern Queen).

**Kotwal:** Moves as Bishop or Knight (a compound piece not found in standard chess).

### Rules

- No castling
- Pawns have no double first move
- Stalemate rule unknown from historical sources (may follow Shatranj convention: stalemate = win)
- Pawn promotion: reaches last rank and is promoted to Wazir (implied, not explicit in source)
- Win: Checkmate the opponent's Padshah

### Attribution

Turkish Great Chess, Variation II (Atranj / Qatranj). Described by H. J. R. Murray in *A History of Chess*; source is Indian. Documented by John Ayer on chessvariants.com/large.dir/greatchessii.html.