---
title: Turkish Great Chess III
slug: turkish-great-chess-iii
board: "12×12"
players: "2"
parent: chess
win: Checkmate
special: "Historical large chess variant played on a 12×12 board. One of four Ottoman/Indian large chess variants catalogued by John Gollon from H. J. R. Murray's A History of Chess. Expands the standard chess piece set with multiple piece types that move as Bishop (Fil, Dahja) and adds the Chariot (Ratha, moves as Rook) alongside two Rooks. The Wazir moves as a full Queen. No castling; no Pawn double step."
engine:
  topology:
    type: grid
    rows: 12
    cols: 12
  players: [white, black]
  render:
    cellSize: 26
  setup: "rrbbnnwqknbbr/ppppppppppppp/12/12/12/12/12/12/12/12/PPPPPPPPPPPPP/RRBBNNWQKNBBR"
---

## Turkish Great Chess III

{{svg:turkish-great-chess-iii-board.svg "Turkish Great Chess III — starting position"}}

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.