.p04 0 025 042

.p05 0 265 042

.p05 0 025 152

.p04 0 265 152

.c


.fg

Decimal Chess



.h28

chess on a 10 x 10 board

.n




.c

In late 18th century the idea of 
powerful pieces was obviously 
popular in Islam. 
A Persian
 manuscript written in Central India
in 1790 described a variety of chess
played on a 10 x 10 board that used 
some of the most powerful pieces 
ever used in a game of chess.

As well as using the modern bishop 
and queen, Decimal Chess, as
 it was called, used three powerful

.c 
      
combined pieces: a;

.si
 
zurafa,

.si
        
a;

.si
 
dabbaba;

.si

, and a;

.si
 
wazir.

.gu276 098 01 005

.n


    

The;

.si
 
zurafa;

.si
 
or giraffe moved as
  the "Turkish queen", combining the
 queen with the knight. 

The;

.si
 
dabbabas

.si
 
combined the rook with the knight.
  

And the;

.si
 
wazir;

.si
 
combined the moves

.c

of the modern bishop and knight.


Because of the enhanced mobility 
of the pieces and the enlarged
board, a player had an incredible 
number of possible moves at most
 points in the game.  
It was easy 
to blunder, undoubtably making 
strategy difficult to plan.

.n




.c

This modern variety of Decimal
 Chess was derived from older forms 
of the game played on the same
board.  
Probably the best known
form of Decimal Chess was described
by the Persian poet Firdausi in the

.c

.si
   
Shahnama;

.si
 
or the "Book of Kings"

.c

completed in 1011.  

This game was 
notable for its source and not its
playability.  

Firdausi's chess was 
like an enlarged variety of

.c

.si
    
shatranj;

.si

; the pieces were weak

.c

and a game developed slowly.

.gu118 118 02 005

.n



.fg

.c

notes

.gr049

.ft

.c




1 Murray, ;

.su

History of Chess;

.su

, pp. 346-
347



2 ;

.su

Ibid.;

.su

, p. 343.