chess-The Oxford Companion to Chess - First Edition by David Hooper & Kenneth Whyld

]22 FOI]R HANDF,D CHFSS
A sludy bl Simlholich- ls1 Honorary Mcntioni
L'Laliu S.acchisica t nnc,\,192,1. I NtlRes 2
Nd6+ cxd6 3 Rf]+ K86 ,1Rg3+ KL 5RB+
Kc7 6Re3+ Kd8 7 ta\es+ IneS 8a3Bb7 9
Kd1Kfl 10Ke1Rd8 11KllRh8 12Kgl Kl6 ll
93 (ls 14i:lRe8 15Klz Bh.k cannot brcak irto
FOUR-HANDEDCHESS, an unorthodox gamclor
lblr pla],c6 who arc usuall], paned to make teams
oltso. Around 1030 al Bc m srote ol an lndian
torB oi Iour handed chess sirh in ARRAr as in the
diagram (the pieces shown as blshops ivcrc Fir.s).
and played with the aid ol dice.
'lhc lL.oNso Ms mentions a similar game inwhich
the red men stand as folloqs: Kal, Na2, Rbl. and
fil ar b2, paqns at a3 and bl (whi.h would be
promolcd on thc ciehth raDk) and on c2 and c1
(ivhich would bc promoted on the hlile). The
olher plaleri men are similarly phced in their
I. modcrn timcs thcrc have been nany ideas lor
fonr-handed chess. The sinplest uses the nornal
board and nen, e.ch player ol each pair makine
aliernale moles Fithout consultaiion. Another
simpleversionused tivo normalbuldistinguishable
setson l*o boards s ebtrside;fie men,na_! cross
rrorho,rdroboard andonclcamwinsshenbolh
rhc opponcnts kines are checkmated.
In 1779 lhere Nas a p.oposal ior a normal b.ard
silh tbe addilion ofablock ofsqua.es 8 x 2on all
four sides to a.conrmodate the lull complenent ot
16 men lor each of the lour playeB. Anolher
lersion playerj in Russia at about the same rim.
had a sinilar bo.rd snh a ,1 x 4 addirion 1n each
corner, a rot.l ol 192 sqlaresl rhc corncr block
lormcd.itadch cach available onlylo one player.
Nlost proposals since then hale used modified
boards. The best knosn is rbar descrihed hy rhe
Engihh flayer (ieorgc Hopc Vcflrey (1812-96) in
nis Cn.rs E ..,,/rn.J (1885). The popula ty ol
thisgame whicb used an8 x Sboard wilh bloclis ot
8 x 3 added ro lll lbur sides (l92squares in all)and
r$o cooplel. distingunhablc sets of nren. led ro
ihe lormation of a club for lour handed chess
$hich suNived unlil the outbreak ol the Second
World War. The rules lbr all such gamcs on
e.larg.d boaids mainly lolloN the la*s ol chess
$ith slieht differences rehring ro rhe pla.ing ofrhc
queens. the p.$n\ initial movc, and castling
Olher suggcslions include a louchand€d version of
FOUR KNICIITS OPENING, 450, dalingfron lhe
late 16th century. Thc knights arc not necessarily
brought out in thc order eilen. (See rLSBt^y:
RUurNsrE Ni w^LBRoDt: wtN^{B.)
FOUR KNICHTS VARIATIO|{, 11in tbe ENcLrsE
op.Nr\c Gee UL,!N'B^L)! 2,13 in rhe sr.rx^N
FOIJRPAWNS ATTACK.205 inthe K\ds r\DrAN
D$RG (se urNK, and 668 in the ^LEGTNE
DrtsrN.E Gee cfslBi (oR.ENori wolr). In botb
variarions Whiteg.ins space bt rhe ldvance ol his
pa$ns. and thcsc comc undcr 6re lrom Blackaho
hopes to shoN lheir advance Nas prenalure.
FRACTIONAL NOTATION. This like RrrNNrNc
NorarxiN and rABUr AR NorAroN, n a way olvritinglhe
moves and is notdependentoD the notalion
proper for Bbich il nay be used. The black and
white m.ves are wrilten like , frr.ti.n Whne\
movcs abovc thc line. For cxample the moves ol
the sr.rlr^N DLTLN.E lvould be sriltcn
.,] P K4
:: u 1r oB4_
This old iorn oI;reseilation, p.rhaps bascd on
the ldca drat a complele move requnes a.tiviiy
from bolh players. n still used occasionally in
FRAME, a eroup of squares all oI \hich are the
same dislance lrom an edge oI the hoardi 28
squares tom rhe Iirst liaDe,20 tnc sc.ond,12the
FRANCO-D,iDIAN DEFENCE, 117, so c.Ied
bc.ause it nrar lead to the RENCE DEEENC., 625, or
ODE Of tbE I\DIAN DEFENCES, ThCTC ATE OthET
FRANKLIN, BEN.TAMIN (170rF90), Anencan
naresma.. printeri scienrist. and Persistent che$pLayer.
The n6t ches witing published in AncF
l.i r':s his Monls ol Chess in CalLmbid,