This 'new' chess piece adds another dimension to the traditional game that is popular all over he world. The pieces in the modern game of chess depict royalty and the church. For this reason I've named the new piece 'Earl' but it could just as easily be called Baron or Lord, all of which are regarded as being a Noble in the medieval hierarchy. However, 'Earl' seemed the best to me as an Earl is not too senior and this piece replaces two pawns on the front row at the start of the game.

How to play with the 'Earl':

As with the Knight/Rook/Bishop each player starts with two Earl's

The Earl starts the game on the front row and replaces the two pawns in front of the Bishops

The Earl is similar to a pawn in that his moves are restricted. However, he can always move up to two squares at a time (a Pawn can only move two straight forward on the first move).

An Earl can move straight and diagonally including moving sideway and back A pawn cannot do this.

This makes the 'Earl' a very useful player because he can move in all directions but is limited to two squares at a time.

An 'Earl' can take on both straight and diagonal moves.

Unlike pawns, if an Earl' reaches the opposing end of the board it cannot be swapped for one of their previously taken pieces.

All other rules stay the same. This keeps it easy so players quickly adapt...

Why play with 'Earls':

Adds a new dimension to the traditional game. This doesn't necessarily make the game quicker but gives a player loosing a number of key pieces an increased chance of still claiming victory. This can make it all the more interesting and challenging.

If one player is significantly better than another, such as when an experienced player is teaching a novice, the experienced player can start with all the traditional pieces and the novice is given Earl's as a competitive advantage. This can help new players stay engaged as, without an advantage, they can get tired or losing all the time.

Note: If you like this design check out all my other designs...