How to play Faerie Chess

Learn the rules to Faerie Chess quickly and concisely – This video has no distractions, just the rules. For a refresher of the original Chess rules, check out this video:

Play chess online for free here:

(As an chess.com affiliate we earn from qualifying subscriptions)

Don’t own the game? Buy it here:
amazon.com –
amazon.ca –
amazon.uk –
amazon.es –
amazon.de –
amazon.fr –
amazon.it –
amazon.nl –
amazon.se –

(As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases)

0:00 – Objective
0:15 – Pieces & Point Cost
0:35 – Ranks
1:03 – Setup
1:19 – Stalemate
1:34 – Castling Rules
1:53 – Moving vs Jumping
2:09 – New Pieces
5:23 – Regent
5:54 – Mercenary

RULES:
The rules are the same as regular chess except for these changes. For a refresher of those rules, check out this video. Before beginning, determine the point total for the armies players will build. Beginners should use 60 to 65 points; intermediate is 65-70 points, and advanced is 75 points. Each piece has a reference card that has all the rules for that piece. Each piece’s point cost is indicated here. You can mix and match pieces, adding up their total point cost to customize your army so that it falls within the range for the predetermined totals. Players do not need to have an identical army to their opponent.

Each piece has a rank indicator on its reference card indicated by 1, 2, or 3 dots here. This rank indicator determines where that piece can be placed on the board when building armies. Rank 1 is your second row where pawns traditionally start. Rank 2 is the 6 outermost squares on your back row. Rank 3, also called royalty ranked, is the centermost two squares on your back row where your king and queen traditionally start.

Pieces may be placed or rearranged on any space in its correct rank. You are allowed to have empty spaces in your starting positions if you want. Once both players have finished constructing their armies and placing them, the game begins. If the game ends in a stalemate; then each player adds up the stalemate value from each of their remaining pieces as indicated on the reference card here. Then the player with the highest stalemate score, wins. You are still allowed to castle even when the pieces are rearranged. To do so, move the king 2 spaces towards the castling piece then move the castling piece to the other side of the king. All other castling rules still apply.

Unless otherwise specified, the new pieces capture the first piece they move into. Moving multiple spaces means to pass through each space in the movement while “jumping” means to move over any pieces in the way. Unless otherwise specified, moving and jumping is always in a straight line. The new pieces are as follows:

Peasant. Rank 1. Cost 2. Moves 1 space diagonally forward and captures 1 space directly in front. It may not move backwards. May move 2 spaces in a straight line on its first move. Can promote at the 8th row like a pawn can.

Soldier. Rank 1. Cost 3. Moves 1 space in any direction.

Herald. Rank 2. Cost 6. Moves horizontally or vertically exactly 2 spaces. The herald cannot capture. All adjacent pieces to the herald of both players cannot move. The game ends in a stalemate if the herald is adjacent to the enemy king. The herald begins the game on the outside most space of your 2nd row, moving that pawn to the adjacent 1st row corner space.

Tower. Rank 2. Cost 10. Moves any number of spaces horizontally or vertically; or can move 1 square diagonally. The Tower may castle.

Chamberlain. Rank 2. Cost 6. Jumps 2 spaces horizontally or vertically. Captures 1 space diagonally. The chamberlain may swap positions with a rank 3 piece if both pieces occupy the same row and there are no other pieces in between them.

Thief. Rank 2. Cost 5. Jumps 2 spaces horizontally, vertically or diagonally, and captures the following space in the same direction but it does not move to that space upon capture.

Lancer. Rank 2. Cost 5. Jumps 3 spaces horizontally or vertically, then 1 space at a 90 degree angle from that one, like a taller version of the “L” movement from the knight.

Catapult. Rank 2. Cost 3. Jumps 3 spaces horizontally or vertically.

Inquisitor. Rank 2. Cost 8. Moves 2 spaces horizontally or vertically or 1 space diagonally. The Inquisitor cannot capture. All adjacent enemy pieces to the Inquisitor cannot move. The game ends in a stalemate if the Inquisitor is adjacent to the enemy king.

Pontiff. Rank 2. Cost 8. Moves any number of squares diagonally and may bounce off of the board boundaries at a right angle and continue moving. It may not end a turn moving to the same space it started the turn on…