Patent ID: 7434806

Claim:
A method of playing a variant chess game by a first player against a second player, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a game board comprised of at least eight horizontal rows and at least eight vertical columns of squares having alternating light and dark squares forming a checkerboard pattern; (b) providing a first set and a second set of conventional pieces for the first and second player, respectively, wherein each set of conventional pieces includes one King, one Queen, a first and second Rook, a first and second Bishop, a first and second Knight, and eight Pawns; (c) positioning the first and second set of conventional pieces on the squares of the board in spaced-apart mirrored relation with respect to each other; (d) providing a first set and a second set of non-conventional pieces for the first and second player, respectively, wherein each set of non-conventional pieces includes at least: an Angel, a Cardinal, a Minister, and a first and second Guard; (e) positioning the Angel off the board; (f) positioning the first Guard off the board and adjacent to a square occupied by the King of the first player; (g) positioning the second Guard off the board and adjacent to a square occupied by the Queen of the first player; (h) positioning the Cardinal off the board and adjacent to a square occupied by the first Bishop of the first player; (i) positioning the Minister off the board and adjacent to a square occupied by the second Bishop of the first player; (j) formatting rules of movement for play, wherein: the Angel can only move on the game board in a movement corresponding to that of the Queen and the Knight of the conventional pieces, and wherein the Angel enters the board by moving to the square initially occupied by the first or second Rook; the Cardinal can only move on the game board in a movement corresponding to that of the Bishop and the Knight of the conventional pieces, and wherein the Cardinal enters the board by moving to the square initially occupied by the first Bishop; the Minister can only move on the game board in a movement corresponding to that of the Rook and the Knight of the conventional pieces, and wherein the Minister enters the board by moving to the square initially occupied by the second Bishop; the first and second Guards are promotable and can capture in a forward moving direction, and wherein the first and second Guards enter the board by moving to the square initially occupied by the King and Queen, respectively; (k) moving one of the conventional or non-conventional pieces of the first player through a square occupied by one of the Guards of the first player; and (l) preventing movement of one of the conventional or non-conventional pieces of the second player through a square occupied by one of the Guards of the first player.