View source for Dragonchess

{{multiple image |total_width = 500 
 |image1 = Dragonchess gameboard.png
 |width1 = 650 |height1 = 535
 |caption1 = The '''Dragonchess''' 3D gameboard:
* Air (upper board)
* Land (middle board)
* [[Underworld|Subterranean world]] (lower board)
 |image2 = Gary Gygax Gen Con 2007.JPG
 |width2 = 1536 |height2 = 2048
 |caption2 = [[Gary Gygax]]
}}

'''Dragonchess''' is a [[Three-dimensional chess|three-dimensional]] fantasy [[chess variant]] created by [[Gary Gygax]], co-creator of the famed [[role-playing game]] ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''. The game was introduced in 1985 in issue No. 100 of ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon Magazine]]''.{{sfnp|Gygax|1985|pp=34–40|ps=}}{{sfnp|Pritchard|1994|p=95|ps=}}{{sfnp|Pritchard|2007|p=232|ps=}}

The Dragonchess gameboard consists of three vertically stacked 12×8 levels. The upper level (blue and white) represents the air, the middle level (green and amber) represents the land, and the lower level (red and brown) is the [[underworld|subterranean world]] {{harvcol|Gygax|1985|p=34}}.

The Dragonchess game pieces (42 per player) are an ensemble of characters and monsters inspired or derived from [[Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings|fantasy settings]] in ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Intricate inter- and intra-level game piece capabilities are defined. As in [[chess]], the game is won by delivering [[checkmate]] to the enemy king.

==Upper board==
[[File:Dragonchess init config, upper board.png|thumb|upright=1.7|Upper board starting position]]
[[File:Dragonchess 'The Sky Board' by Zac Dortch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|''The Sky Board'', by Zac Dortch]]

===<small>[[Sylph (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sylph]] (S)</small>===
:On '''level 3''':
:* can ''move'' one step diagonally forward, or ''capture'' one step straight forward;{{efn|name="Berolina"|The same as a [[Berolina chess|Berolina pawn]] (but without promotion or an initial two-step option).}}
:* can ''capture'' on the square directly below on level 2.
:On '''level 2''':
:* can ''move'' to the square directly above on level 3, or to one of the player's six Sylph starting squares.

===<small>[[Griffin|Griffon]] (G)</small>===
:On '''level 3''':
:* can move and capture by jumping{{efn|The move or capture is unblockable.}} in the following pattern: two steps diagonally followed by one step [[Orthogonality|orthogonally]] outward;{{efn|Or (the same result): one step orthogonally followed by two steps diagonally outward. The same as a [[Fairy chess piece#Leapers|Zebra]] fairy chess piece, or an [[janggi#Elephants|elephant]] in [[janggi]].}}
:* can move and capture one step [[Space diagonal|triagonally]] to level 2.{{efn|name="triag below"|That is, to a square diagonally below.}}
:On '''level 2''':
:* can move and capture one step diagonally;
:* can move and capture one step triagonally to level 3.{{efn|name="triag above"|That is, to a square diagonally above.}}

===<small>[[Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)|Dragon]] (R)</small>===
:*can move and capture as a chess [[King (chess)|king]]+[[Bishop (chess)|bishop]] on '''level 3''';{{efn|The same as a [[Shogi#Promoted bishop|dragon horse]] in [[shogi]].}}
:* can capture ''remotely'' (without leaving level 3) on the square directly below on level 2, or on any square orthogonally adjacent to that square.
{{clear}}

==Middle board==
[[File:Dragonchess init config, middle board.png|thumb|upright=1.7|Middle board starting position]]
[[File:Dragonchess 'The Ground Board' by Zac Dortch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|''The Ground Board'', by Zac Dortch]]

===<small>[[Warrior (Dungeons & Dragons)|Warrior]] (W)</small>===
:* can move and capture like a chess [[Pawn (chess)|pawn]] on '''level 2''' but without the initial two-step option;
:* [[Promotion (chess)|promotes]] to Hero when reaching the furthest rank.

===<small>[[Oliphant (Dungeons & Dragons)|Oliphant]] (O)</small>===
:* can move and capture like a chess [[Rook (chess)|rook]] on '''level 2'''.

===<small>[[Unicorn (Dungeons & Dragons)|Unicorn]] (U)</small>===
:* can move and capture like a chess [[Knight (chess)|knight]] on '''level 2'''.

===<small>[[Heroes' Lorebook|Hero]] (H)</small>===
:On '''level 2''':
:* can move and capture one or two unblockable steps diagonally;
:* can move and capture one step [[Space diagonal|triagonally]] to levels 1 or 3.{{efn|name="triag above"}}{{efn|name="triag below"}}
:On '''levels 1 and 3''':
:* can move and capture back to the square on level 2 the Hero previously left.{{efn|name="triag above"}}{{efn|name="triag below"}}

===<small>[[Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)|Thief]] (T)</small>===
:* can move and capture like a chess [[Bishop (chess)|bishop]] on '''level 2'''.

===<small>[[Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)|Cleric]] (C)</small>===
:On '''any level''':
:* can move and capture like a chess [[King (chess)|king]];
:* can move and capture to the square directly above or directly below on an adjacent level.

===<small>[[Mage (Dungeons & Dragons)|Mage]] (M)</small>===
:On '''level 2''':
:* can move and capture like a chess [[Queen (chess)|queen]].
:On '''levels 1 and 3''':
:* can ''move'' one step orthogonally.{{efn|name="Gygaxmoveonly"|Gygax does not mention whether for moves only, or for moves and captures.}}
:On '''any level''':
:* can move and capture one or two steps (blockable) directly above or directly below to one of the other levels.{{efn|name="Gygaxblockable"}}

===<small>[[Monarch|King]] (K)</small>===
:On '''level 2''':
:* can move and capture like a chess [[King (chess)|king]];
:* can move and capture to the square directly below on level 1 or directly above on level 3.
:On '''levels 1 and 3''':
:* can ''move'' to (only) the same square on level 2 the King previously left.{{efn|name="Gygaxmoveonly"}}

===<small>[[Paladin (Dungeons & Dragons)|Paladin]] (P)</small>===
:On '''level 2''':
:*can move and capture as a chess [[King (chess)|king]]+[[Knight (chess)|knight]].
:On '''levels 1 and 3''':
:*can move and capture like a chess [[King (chess)|king]].
:On '''any level''':
:*can ''move'' to the other levels using a knight-like move: one level up or down followed by two steps orthogonally, or two levels up or down followed by one step orthogonally.

==Lower board==
[[File:Dragonchess init config, lower board.png|thumb|upright=1.7|Lower board starting position]]
[[File:Dragonchess 'The Underground Board' by Zac Dortch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|''The Underground Board'', by Zac Dortch]]

===<small>[[Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)|Dwarf]] (D)</small>===
:On '''level 1''':
:* can ''move'' one step straight forward or sideways, or ''capture'' one step diagonally forward;
:* can ''capture'' on the square directly above on level 2.
:On '''level 2''':
:* can ''move'' one step straight forward or sideways, or ''capture'' one step diagonally forward;
:* can ''move'' to the square directly below on level 1.

===<small>[[Basilisk (Dungeons & Dragons)|Basilisk]] (B)</small>===
:* can move and capture one step diagonally forward or straight forward on '''level 1''', or ''move'' one step straight backward;
:* automatically ''freezes'' (immobilizes) an enemy piece on the square directly above on level 2, whether the Basilisk moves to the space below or the enemy moves to the space above, and until the Basilisk moves away or is captured.

===<small>[[Elemental (Dungeons & Dragons)|Elemental]] (E)</small>===
:On '''level 1''':
:* can move and capture one or two steps orthogonally;{{efn|name="Gygaxblockable"|Gygax does not mention whether the move is unblockable or not.}}
:* can ''move'' one step diagonally;
:* can ''capture'' in the following pattern: one step orthogonally followed by the square directly above on level 2.{{efn|name="Gygaxblockable"}}
:On '''level 2''':
:* can move and capture in the following pattern: the square directly below on level 1 followed by one step orthogonally.
{{clear}}

==Move notation==
Recording moves is done the same as in [[algebraic notation (chess)|algebraic notation]] for chess, extended to a 12×8 board, with the addition of a numeric prefix (''1'', ''2'', or ''3'') in front of each square coordinate to identify the level.{{efn|Gygax initially describes levels beginning with "1" for upper board in the first page of his article {{harvcol|Gygax|1985|p=34}}, but consistently uses "3" for upper board and "1" for lower board in the subsequent six pages for all move definitions, examples, and sample moves {{harvcol|Gygax|1985|pp=35–40}}.}} So for example, White's Elemental starts on square '''1g1''' (level 1, square g1); Black's King starts on '''2g8'''; and so on.

==Notes==
{{notelist|notes=|35em}}

==References==
{{reflist|35em}}

'''Bibliography'''
*{{cite journal
 |last=Gygax
 |first=Gary
 |authorlink=Gary Gygax
 |title=Dragonchess
 |journal=Dragon Magazine No. 100
 |volume=X |issue=3
 |publisher=TSR, Inc.
 |date=August 1985
 |issn=0279-6848
 |ref=harv}}
*{{cite book
 |last=Pritchard
 |first=D. B.
 |authorlink=David Pritchard (chess player)
 |title=The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants
 |chapter=Dragonchess
 |publisher=Games & Puzzles Publications
 |year=1994
 |isbn=0-9524142-0-1}}
*{{cite book
 |last=Pritchard
 |first=D. B.
 |authorlink=David Pritchard (chess player)
 |editor-last=Beasley
 |editor-first=John
 |title=The Classified Encyclopedia of Chess Variants
 |publisher=John Beasley
 |year=2007
 |chapter=Dragonchess [Gygax]
 |isbn=978-0-9555168-0-1}}

==External links==
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/3d.dir/dragonchess.html Dragonchess] by Edward Jackman, ''[[The Chess Variant Pages]]''
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/3d.dir/dragonchess2.html More on Dragonchess] by [[Hans Bodlaender]], ''[[The Chess Variant Pages]]''
*{{bgg|12776|Dragonchess}}
* [http://www.pathguy.com/chess/DragonCh.htm Dragonchess] a simple program by Ed Friedlander <span style="font-size:0.95em; font-weight:bold;">([[Java (programming language)|Java]])</span>

[[Category:1985 in chess]]
[[Category:Board games introduced in 1985]]
[[Category:Chess variants]]
[[Category:Fairy chess]]
[[Category:Gary Gygax games]]