Cypher Chess Rules                           

 

I. Set-up:

i. The board (10x11) consists of 10 columns and 11 rows.

    

ii. The columns are designated as z, a, b, c, d, e, f, g,  h, and i; the rows are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Thus, from white’s perspective, the square in the lower left corner is designated as z0; the square in the upper right corner is i10. 

    

iii. In total, there are 17 pieces for each opponent. The     pieces include all the pieces of classical chess plus a         Cypher (or “Spy”) for each side.

    

iv. Here are the starting positions for the pieces, white 

and black respectively:

Spies: d0 (white) and d10 (black).

Rooks: b1 and g1 (white); b9 and g9 (black).

Knights: c1 and f1 (white); c9 and f9 (black).

Bishops: c2 and f2 (white); c8 and f8 (black).

Queens: d2 (white) and d8 (black).

Kings: e2  (white)and e8 (black).

Pawns: 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f, 3g, and 3h (white); also         7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, 7f, 7g, and 7h (black).

 

II. The movements of the pieces: 

i. Except for the Spy and Knight, all the pieces move as         they do in classical chess. For example, Queens move           horizontally, vertically and diagonally; Kings move one         space in any direction; Bishops move on a diagonal; Rooks  move horizontally and vertically; pawns move forward one  square, never backwards, and capture by moving forward    one square on a diagonal.

    

ii. The Spy moves like the Queen in classical chess.

    

iii. The Knight moves either in the “L” pattern of             classical chess or an extended “L.” 

    

iii.a. The extended “L” involves adding one square to the     longer portion of the “L,” for a total of 4 squares up, down, left or right. For example— the Knight moves 3 squares horizontally or vertically, then 1 perpendicular to the initial axis of movement or it moves 1 square horizontally or vertically, then 3 squares perpendicular to the initial axis of movement.          

    

iii.b. The Field Knight moves in the same way as a knight in classical chess. 

 

iii.c. The Border Knight (i.e. a Knight on a Border square)     can move either in the classical or extended “L”                 pattern.

    

iii.d. When entering Court, the Knight must move in a             classical L” pattern.

    

iii.e. When a Court Knight exits Court or moves to another   Court square, it must move in an extended “L” pattern. 

 

III. The three major areas of the board:

i. The area of the board designated as “the Court,” which     is the board’s perimeter, includes squares 

z0, a0, b0, c0, d0, e0, f0, g0, h0, i0; 

i0, i1, i2, i3, i4, i5, i6, i7, i8, i9, i10; 

z10, a10, b10, c10, d10, e10, f10, g10, h10, i10; 

and z0, z1, z2, z3, z4, z5, z6, z7, z8, z9, z10. 

    

ii. The area of the board designated as “the Border,”             which is the middle row, includes squares

a5, b5, c5, d5, e5, f5, g5, h5.

    

iii. The eight rows of squares outside of the Court and         Border comprise “the Field.” The include squares

a1, b1, c1, d1, e1, f1, g1, h1; 

a2, b2, c2, d2, e2, f2, g2, h2; 

a3, b3, c3, d3, e3, f3, g3, h3; 

a4, b4, c4, d4, e4, f4, g4, h4; 

a6. b6, c6, d6, e6, f6, g6, h6;   

a7, b7, c7, d7, e7, f7, g7, h7;

a8, b8, c8, d8, e8, f8, g8, h8;    

a9, b9, c9, d9, e9, f9, g9, h9.

 

The area defined by the coordinates a1-h4 is “White’s Field;” the area defined by the coordinates a6-h9 is “Black’s Field.” 

 

iv. Pieces can be referred to based on location. For example, a Spy at Court is a “Court Spy” and a pawn on the Border is a Border Pawn.

 

III. Spy and King; Checkmate versus “Flipping:”

i. As in classical chess, victory goes to the color who         manages to checkmate the opposing King. But one side can also claim victory through what is termed “flipping.” We say, “The Spy flipped the King” or “The King flipped the Spy.” Flipping results in victory for the side who flips the opponent’s King or Spy. 

 

ii. There are five basic rules about Spy-King interactions:

a. The King can never stand next to its own Spy, anywhere on the board.

b. The Spy can never stand next to the opposing Spy, anywhere on the board.

c. The Spy cannot move to a square next to either King, anywhere on the board. (At Court, he can capture [i.e. "flip"] the opposing King, but he must be at least 1 empty square away.)

d. If both Kings are on the Border, they cannot stand next to each other. 

e. At Court and in the Field, the opposing Kings can stand next to each other.

 

iii. Let’s consider Spy-King interactions for each area of the board. Please recall that there are three ways of referring to each major piece, including the Spy, depending on where the piece is located on the board. For example,  “Border Spy”=“Spy on a Border square” and “Court King”=“King on a Court square.”  

a. The Court: 

-The Court King cannot move to a square next to either the opposing Court Spy or its own Spy.

-If the Court Spy lines itself up with the opposing Court King, moving to a position at least one empty square away from it, then the Court Spy flips the opposing Court King. Even when the Court Spy and opposing Court King are each standing at opposite ends of the board, the Court Spy can flip it, as long as they both stand on the same horizontal, vertical or diagonal line relative to each other and there are no blocking pieces. 

-The Court King can move to a square next to an opposing Border Spy or Field Spy. If the Court King does this, then it flips the Border or Field Spy.

b. The Border:

-The Border King can move to a square next to an opposing Court Spy, Border Spy or Field Spy. If the Border King does this, then it flips the Court, Border or Field Spy.

c. The Field:

-The Field King can move to a square next to an opposing Court Spy, Border Spy or Field Spy. If the Field King does this, then it flips the Court, Border or Field Spy.

 

IV. Sanctuary:

Each area of the board bestows a varying degree of             sanctuary — immunity from attack — on the major pieces (the back row of pieces in classical chess, i.e. King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, and Rook):

 

i.a. Sanctuary in the Field: Major pieces have sanctuary from attack by other major Field pieces, but they can be captured by and capture pawns. 

 

i.b. Major Field pieces cannot capture major pieces on the Border or in Court, but they can capture Border pawns.

ii.a. Sanctuary on the Border: Major pieces (except the King) have sanctuary from attack by other major pieces on the Border.

 

ii.b. Major Border pieces (including the King) can check the Field King and capture the other major Field pieces. They can capture Field or Border pawns and they can be captured by field pawns. 

 

ii.c. Major Border pieces, other than the King, cannot be captured by Court pieces.

 

ii.d. The Border King can be checked by other major pieces on the Border and in Court, including the Spy.

 

iii.a. Sanctuary in Court: Pawns cannot land on Court squares. Only the Spy and major pieces are permitted to land on Court squares. 

 

iii.b. Neither pawns nor major Field and Border pieces can attack Court pieces, but major Court pieces can be captured by the Court Spy. 

 

iii.c. Major Court pieces can capture the major pieces in the Field but not major pieces on the Border; they can also capture Field or Border pawns. 

 

iii.d. Major Court pieces cannot capture the Court Spy, Border Spy or Field Spy.

 

iv.a. Sanctuary and the Spy: The Spy cannot capture major pieces in the Border and Field areas.

iv.b. The Spy can capture major opposing pieces that are on Court squares, it can flip the Court King, and it can check the Border and Field King. 

 

v. Sanctuary and the King: Here are the pieces, according to board location, that can check the King:

a. The Court King: The Court King cannot be checked or mated. While the Court Spy can flip the Court King according to the rules for flipping, and while flipping the Court King is a game-ending move, the Court King is not vulnerable to check or checkmate.

b. The Border King: The field Pawns, major pieces on the Border and at Court, including the Court and Border Spy.

c. The Field King: The field Pawns, major pieces on the Border and at Court, including the Court and Border Spy.

 

V. Major Pieces in the Border and Court Areas:

i. The major pieces and pawns can land on Border squares via their normal movements. For example, a pawn at b4 could move to the empty Border square of b5 or it could land on a5 or c5 by capturing an opposing piece there. And, assuming no pieces block her path, a Court Queen at z1 could land on d5 via the diagonal as long as the square was not occupied by another major piece. 

 

ii. Once a major piece, except the King, occupies a Border square, only an opposing pawn can threaten it with capture. 

 

iii. The Border King, which can be put into check by major opposing pieces on the Border and at Court (including the Spy) can be forced off its square by both pawns, opposing major pieces, and the opposing Spy.

 

iv. The Border or Field Spy of either color is transparent when standing in between the King and a checking piece. For example, if the black King stands on a Border square and the White queen is lined up with the King horizontally, vertically or diagonally, with only the Spy between them, then the King is checked by the Queen.

v.i. The Spy as Trigger: While major pieces become Border pieces by their own movements, this is not the case for major pieces at Court. Instead, a major piece’s movement into Court must be triggered by the Spy that shares the piece’s color. 

v.ii. If a player moves the Court Spy onto a Field or Border square, then he or she has the option of also moving a major piece (except the King) onto a Court square via its default movements. Recall that the rules dictate that the Knight must enter using the classical “L” pattern.

v.iii. For triggering entry of a major piece into Court, the Court Spy first assumes its new position outside of Court, then the major piece goes to its new Court square. For this reason, the Spy cannot move onto the square occupied by the major piece being moved to a Court square. 

v.iv. The Spy cannot trigger the entry of an additional piece to Court until first re-entering Court then exiting. 

 

vi. While the major pieces need the Spy to trigger their entry into Court, the King enters Court by its own movement, as long as the opposing Spy is not present in Court. The King can stay at Court even if the opposing Spy returns there and it can leave at any time.

 

vii. A Spy or major piece at Court can leave at any time. If, after a major piece leaves Court, re-entry to Court must be triggered by the Spy.

 

viii. A Court Spy or other major Court piece can cross areas outside of Court to reach another Court square as long as no piece stands in its way, thus remaining in Court. For example, a black Queen could move from d0 to z4 and a Court Knight on a0 could move to z3.

 

ix. Only the Spy can capture major pieces (except the King) in Court. To capture a major piece that sits on a Court square, the Spy must do so from another Court square.

 

x. The Court Spy can capture any opposing major Court piece (except the King), even when the two pieces are on opposite sides of the board, by crossing the Field/Border area, as long as there are no blocking pieces.

 

xi. From Court (and Border) squares, major pieces, including the King, can capture major pieces in the Field.

 

xii. From Court (and Border) squares, major pieces, including the King and Spy, can check the Field or Border King. 

 

xiii. The “Re-take Rule:” The Re-take Rule allows for the capture of a major piece from the Court or Border that enters the Field and captures a major Field piece. A player choosing to exercise the option to “re-take” the capturing piece  counts as one turn.

 

xiv.i. This re-taking of a piece can only be done by a Field piece. The “Re-take” rule allows for major pieces in the Field to do something they normally cannot do- capture an opposing major piece. The rule in no way affects the power Court and Border pieces have to capture Field pieces. 

 

xiv.ii. If a major piece from the Court (or Border) other than the King captures a major piece in the Field, the capturing piece can be immediately re-taken by an opposing major Field piece, including the King. For example, if the black Queen at Court captures a white Field Bishop, a white Field Rook, if properly placed, could respond by capturing the Queen.  

 

xv. When the Court King or Border King captures a major Field piece, it cannot be attacked by any remaining opposing major Field pieces, since major Field pieces cannot check the King. Of course, the King, now a Field King, is susceptible to attack by major Court and Border pieces.

​

VI. Other Rules:

i.a. Infiltration: A player whose King manages to move onto a Border square has the option of moving one of its own major pieces other than itself (i.e. the Knight, Bishop, Rook,  Queen or Spy) to either d0 or d10. 

i.b. Any piece already occupying the square is removed from the board. 

i.c. If infiltration leads to the opposing King being removed from d0 or d10, then the game ends in victory for the infiltrating color. 

i.d. Each side can complete infiltration once per game no matter how many times its King lands on the Border.

i.e. Note that outside of the King flipping the Spy, infiltration is the only means by which a Spy can be captured.

 

ii.a. Coup d’état: If a pawn lands on the last row of Field squares (row 9 for White; row 1 for Black), a Coup d’état     ensues— the pawn is removed from the board and the        highest ranking piece (excluding the King and the Spy) of     the opposing color switches allegiance, effective                 immediately. 

ii.b. When applying this rule, players should use the following ranking order of major pieces, from highest to lowest: Queen, Knight, Bishop, Rook, pawn. If the attacked color has two of same type of piece remaining, the player who initiated the coup chooses which piece to bring under his or her banner.

ii.c. Consider this example: if white’s pawn lands on f9 and black’s highest ranking remaining piece is the Queen, then, no matter what black pieces guard f9, the pawn is removed from the board and the Queen now switches her allegiance to white. Consider, too, the following example: If, after Coup d’état resulted in white having two queens on the board, a black pawn reached the last row, then black’s preference decides which Queen will become black. 

ii.d. If a player achieves Coup d’état and the only pieces remaining on the opposing side are the Spy and King or just the King, the game ends in favor of the player who created the coup.  

 

iii. Prisoner Release: A player may re-claim a captured pawn according to the following conditions.

iii.a. The player can reclaim the pawn in lieu of taking a normal turn; 

iii.b. the player must not be in check anywhere on the board;

iii.c. and the player can place the pawn on any available Border square, as long such placement does not put the opposing King in check. 

 

iv. A draw occurs by agreement and, as in standard chess, a draw occurs when the same board position has appeared three times in the game, with the same player to move.