Desertion Chess (also called Desert Chess) is a variant
where whenever you move a piece next to an opposing piece, the
opposing piece "deserts" to your side. The goal of Desertion Chess is
not checkmate, but rather the complete capture or conversion of your
opponent's pieces.
Rules
The game is conducted by rules of International
Chess with the following changes:
There is no check, checkmate, castling or en-passant. You win when there
are no opposing pieces remaining on the board, or when your opponent has
no legal move. Kings are normal pieces.
Whenever you make a move with a piece, capturing or noncapturing, that
puts it on a square orthogonally or diagonally adjacent to any opposing
pieces, all of the adjacent opposing pieces desert to your side, becoming
pieces of your color.
Before
After
Pawns promote normally to Queen, Rook, Bishop or Knight on the 8th rank,
including Pawns that have joined your side by desertion.
Computer Play
Uwe Wiedemann has written an implementation of Desertion Chess for Zillions of Games. You
can download it here: