Cypher Chess: Key Features of the Game
Cypher Chess, cy-chess or c-chess for short, is defined by sev-eral key inversions of classical dynamics. The power a piece has to capture another is determined not just by piece type but by the sector of the board in which it is placed. For example, within the area designated as the Field, major pieces (the back rank in classical chess) are unable to capture each other. A Field Queen can move to a square next to the opposing Field King and effect no threat of check or capture. A major piece assumes the power to attack its peers in the Field by moving to one of the other two sectors-- the Border, which divides the board at the middle, or the Court, the squares that form the board’s perimeter. In c-chess
major pieces often assume passive dispositions as they await entry into the fray, such as by
blocking check or mounting an
attack.
Classical dynamics are further altered by the addition of the Cypher, or Spy, which dominates the Court area. Unlike classical pieces supporting the King, he acts primarily as a trigger piece and cannot be removed from the board (except in one very unlikely scenario). In the Field and Border, he cannot capture or be captured
by either pawns or major pieces but, in his capacity as trigger, when moving from the Court to one of the other areas, he enables a major piece to go into Court. The Spy can capture pieces in Court and block the movements of other pieces in all sectors, though, while outside of Court, he is transparent to check aimed at the King. He also serves as a trigger for what is termed collusion: By moving into the Field, next to major Field pieces of his own color, he transforms them and himself into checking pieces. Lastly, there
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