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Awarichess → French.


Awarichess
Other Names: Awechec (French)
Inventor: Olivier Dubuis, 2009
Variant of Oware and Chess
Ranks: Two
Sowing: Single laps
Region: Switzerland

The game of Awarichess (in French: Awechec) was created by the Swiss Oliver Dubuis in 2009. The author of the game lives in Lausanne. There are two versions of Awarichess:

  • Standard Awarichess is a meta-game: The game of Awele (usually known as "Oware" or "Warri" in English-speaking world) are modified according to the progress of the game of Awari. It can be said that there are as many rules of the game of Chess as there are games of Awari.
  • Synchronous Awarichess is a cross-over of the game of Awele and the game of Chess

The general principle is to gain seeds to earn rights of making moves on the chessboard.

The rules are not very complicated. One need to know the rules of Awele (the Abapa version of the game that is played on the Ivory Coast and in Ghana) and the rules of Chess. You can play the game on an Awarichessboard, but you don't need it. You may simply use an Awele and a chessboard.

Rules[]

OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME :

As in Chess, the objective of the game is to checkmate the opponent.

PROGRESS OF THE GAME :

One player is South at Awele and White at Chess. The other player is North at Awele and Black at Chess.

At the beginning the position is similar to the initial position of Awele and Chess.

The players begin a game of Awele collecting as many seeds as possible.

Everytime a player captures seeds, he add "Powers" of his color to a list of "Powers" until the end of the game of Awélé.

Example : Suppose that South is the first to collect seeds, he collects 2 seeds. That gives 2 white powers. Then after North collects 3 seeds and after 2 more seeds, after that, white collects 3 seeds, etc. The (ordered) list of powers is: White, White, Black, Black, Black, Black, Black, White, White, White, etc.

The game of Awele being ended, it is going to forge the rules of the variant of Chess which really begin now.

A special move exists besides the normal Chess moves: the "zero move", that is to skip one's turn.

If a player is checked, he must simply play a normal move of Chess.

If a player is not checked, he plays a normal move of Chess or the "zero move" according to the rule:

The first power of the list is consumed: According to the color of the power, a player has the power, that is : he decides if the player who has the move has to play a normal move of Chess or the zero move.

Precisely:

a) If the power is White and if White has the move, White decides if he is going to play the zero move or a normal Chess move. If he decides to play a normal chess move, he choose this move and play it.

b) If the power is Black and if Black has the move, Black decides if he is going to play the zero move or a normal Chess move. If he decides to play a normal chess move, he choose this move and play it.

c) If the power is White and if Black has the move, White decides if Black is going to play the zero move or a normal Chess move. According to this choice, Blacks will skip its turn or will choose his move among the possible normal chess moves and play it.

c) If the power is Black and if White has the move, Black decides if White is going to play the zero move or a normal Chess move. According to this choice, White will skip its turn or will choose his move among the possible normal chess moves and play it.

If there are no more powers to consume, the players begin a new game of Awele.

END OF THE GAME :

The game of Awarichess is won by the player whose opponent

a) is checkmated (as in Chess) or b) has given up (as in Chess)

The game of Awarichess is a draw if:

a) One of the players is stalemated (as in Chess) or b) Both players agree for the draw (as in Chess) or c) 50 moves were played with no piece taking nor pawn advance (as in Chess)

On the other hand, the rule of threefold repetition of a position does not exist in Awarichess. The board positions never repeat because the powers in play are never the same.

Example Game[]

For Awele, we use a standatd notation of the moves :

A move of the South camp is represented by one of the capitals A,B,C,D,E,F following the houses chosen by South to take its seeds for the sowing.

The house most to the left of South is A and the house most to his right is F.

Also a move of the North camp is represented by one of the small letters a,b,c,d,e,f following the houses chosen by North to take its seeds for the sowing.

The house most to the left of North is a and the house most to his right is f.

Furthermore, if South, for example, wins 3 seeds at the E move, we note his move by E(3).

We begin now an Awarichess game and firstly a pseudo-Awélé game (pseudo because the purpose is a little bit different).

1.Ed 2.Da 3.Fa 4.Ee(2)

The two first powers are Black. The (ordered) list is : Black, Black.

5.Ef 6.Dd 7.E(2)c

The list is now : Black, Black, White, White.

8.F(2)c

The list : Black, Black, White, White, White, White.

9.Dd 10.Eb 11.Da 12.F(2)a

Black, Black, White, White, White, White, White, White.

13.Ce(2)

Black, Black, White, White, White, White, White, White, Black, Black.

14.F(2)b

Black, Black, White, White, White, White, White, White, Black, Black, White, White.

15.Cd 16.Ab 17.F(2)d

Black, Black, White, White, White, White, White, White, Black, Black, White, White, White, White.

18.Ce 19.Da 20.Ac 21.E(2)b

Black x 2, White x 6, Black x 2, White x 6.

22.Ce 23.Fc 24.Be(3)

Black x 2, White x 6, Black x 2, White x 6, Black x 3.

25.Cb 26.Db 27.Ed 28.Ae 29.Bc 30.Db 31.Ac 32.Bd 33.Cf(9)

Black x 2, White x 6, Black x 2, White x 6, Black x 12.

34.Fb, etc.until the end of the Awélé game

Now the ordered list of powers is established:

Powers

The list of power from the top to the bottom and from the left to the right. (like the lecture of a book)

Let's play Chess now :

White to move but the first power is Black (1=B). Black decides that White must skip his turn : 1.(1=B) 0

Black to move and the second power is Black (2=B). Black decides to play and play 1...(2=B) d5 It is a very good move but certainly not the only one.

White to move and the following power is White (3=W). White decides to move and play 2.(3=W) e4

Follows : 2...(4=W) 0

3.(5=W) Qh5 (6=W) 0

4.(7=W) Nf3 (8=W) 0

White don't find really effective moves in the perspective of the terrible black serie to come. It is necessary to put traps.

5.(9=B) 0 (10=B) Nh6

6.(11=W) Qh6 (12=W) 0 to get rid of the black knight and to win some pieces but it collides:

7.(13=W) Qxh7 (14=W) 0

8.(15=W) Qxh8 (16=W) 0

9.(17=B) 0 (18=B) dxe4

10.(19=B) 0 (20=B) exf3

11.(21=B) 0 (22=B) fxg2

12.(23=B) 0 (24=B) gxf1:B

13.(25=B) 0 (26=B) Qd3

14.(27=B) 0 (28=B) Qe2 Mate

Variante1

Tournaments[]

The author of the game would like to organize Awarichess tournaments or multi-game tournaments that include his game, but as of now (March 2016) no competitions have been held.

External Links[]

Copyright[]

© Olivier Dubuis
Under the CC by-sa 2.5 license.

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