Transporter chess
Invented by Torben Osted

by Jens Bęk Nielsen


Each player has a new piece. Imagine it as a coin, and in the startposition they are placed at e1/e8 under the kings. The transporter also moves like a king. It can move alone or bring the piece upon it with its move. A piece on a transporter can bring the transporter along or leave it when it moves. The move of a transporter is an ordinary move whatever it moves alone or with a piece (or a piece moves taking the transporter along). A transporter can never move the opponents pieces and the opponents pieces cannot move your transporter. White and blacks transporter can be on the same square.
Probably it is mainly in closed positions you would move the transporter alone and 'lose' a tempo, but if the mission is important enough it might be worth doing it. F.ex. to create a passed pawn, get both bishops on white/black squares or avoid zugzwang. See also the following game, where a dangerous attacking piece is created. A transporter can move free all over the board; also under enemy pieces. A transporter cannot capture itself; only if it brings along a piece. It can f.ex. make a diagonal move and capture if it carries a rook even though a rook doesn't move/capture with diagonal moves. A transporter can never be captured.
A pawn can be carried to the first rank, and no matter how often a pawn comes back to the second rank, it can make its doublemove.
The transporter cannot be promoted.

The first game with these rules went as follows with Torben Osted as white. It was played in the second half of 1993. The position of the transporter is given in ( ).
1.e4,e5
2.Nf3,Nf6
3.d4,Nxe4
4.dxe5,d5
5.Bd3,Nc6
6.h3,Bf5
7.Be3,Be7
8.c3,0-0(te8)
9.0-0(te1),Re8
10.Re1,Rd7(td7)
11.Qc2,Re6(te6)
The transporter has moved the rook to e6, and the bishop is still on e7. In a normal game it would now have been on f8.
12.Nd4,Nxd4
13.cxd4,Rg6(tg6)
I hoped for the continuation 14.Kh2,Qd7 15.Nd2,Rh5(th5)! with the threat 16.-,Bxh3 etc. Even this very first game shows many of the possibilities with the transporter.
14.f3(?)
White expected to win Ne4 or Bf5 now, but...
14.-,Bh4 15.Re2(e2),Ng3
White had forgotten, that Rg6(tg6) covers Bf5, and now he has to move the rook again.
16.Rd2(d2)?
The transporter should have stayed on e2, so it with a single move could move to f3 and make the pawn attack/cover all its surrounding squares! The transporter could even move the pawn back to f2 and thereby repair the bad pawn chain.
In our next game we will use the transporter under a pawn much more - it started with 1.(td2). It becomes a powerful piece, which is cheap to sacrifice because its power - the transporter - is not lost and can be used by another pawn or piece.
16.-,Bxd3
17.Qxd3,(tg5)
18.Nc3(?)
This was the last chance to move the transporter to e3. Now it comes too late.
18.-,(th4)
19.(te3),(tg3)
Whites king is stalemate now, and whites transporter is stopped. F.ex. 20.(tf3),Nxf3(tf3)+ removes the capturing power of whites transporter and wins the exchange, or 20.Bf2(tf2),Nxh3(th3)+ 21.Kf1,Nxf2(tf2)+ wins the exchange.
Also note 20.Ne2,Nxg2(tg2)+ mate.
20.Rc2,Qd7
With the threat 21.-,Qxh3! 22.gxh3,Nf2(tf2)++ 23.Kh2,Rg2+ mate.
21.Nxd5,Nxh3(th3)+
22.Ne7+! prevented black from the queensacrifice.
22.Kf1,Ng3(tg3)+
If now 23.Ke1,Nf4+
23.Kg1,Qxd5
24.Be4(te4)
White hopes at least to get the strong transporter/pawn piece and a strong pawn centre for the knight with 24.-,Nxe4 25.fxe4(,Qe6? 26.f5(tf5)!), but...
24.-,Rh6!
If 25.Bxd5(td5),Nh2(th2)+! 26.Kxh2,Bf2+ mate.
White saw 25.Bf5(tf5),Nxf5 26.Qxf5,Qxd4+ 27.Kf1,Bg3 (on the transporter!) 28.Qe4,Rh1+ 29.Ke2,Bf2(tf2)+ mate, so...
25. White resigns
Black had planned 25.Bf5(tf5),Bg5 26.Bh3(th3),Rxh3 27.gxh3,Nxf3(tf3)+ 28.Kf1,Ne3(te3)+ and white loses the queen.

Guided by our experience in our first game we tried to get the transporter under a pawn placed in the centre early in the game.

Played summer/autumn 1994 as a postal game. Black=Torben Osted.
1.(d2),c5
2.e4,(e7)
3.f4,e6(e6)
4.c4,d5
5.e3(e3),Nf6
6.e5,Nfd7
7.Nf3,Nb6
8.Nc3,Nc6
9.cxd5,exd5(d5)
10.Bb5,Bd7 11.0-0,Be7
Black got his transporter placed best in the centre. White has a little more space and development and tries to direct the play to the kingside
12.e4(e4)(!),dxe4
12.-,c4(c4)?! 13.Bxc4!,Nxc4 14.d5(d5),Nxc3(c3)(?!) 15.bxc3 (15.-,Nb8? 16.d6(d6))
13.Nxe4,0-0
13.-,Nxe5? 14.Nxe5,Bxb5 15.Qb3!
14.Bxc6,Bxc6
15.Nf5(f5),(c5)
Black used a tempo to get the transporter under a pawn, but it never gets to the kingside in time
16.Nxe7+,Qxe7
17.f5,d5(d5)
17.-,f6 is interesting to analyse.
18.Qe1
18.f6(f6),Qc5+ is also interesting...
18.-,dxe5(e5)
19.Nxe5,f6
20.Nxc6,Qc5+
20.-,Qxe1 21.Rxe1,bxc6 22.e6(e6),(f6) 23.d6(d6)and whites transporter is strong.
21.Be3,Qxc6
22.Rac1,Qb5
22.-,Qd7 defending the kingside is met by 23.Bxb6,axb6 24.e6(e6),Qd4+ 25.Qf2,Qxf2+ 26.Rxf2,(f6) 27.d7(d7) followed by 28.Rfc2 and 29.c8(c8)Q
23.Qg3(!)
Threats to capture f6:
23.-,Qxb2 24.Rf2 and the queen cannot cover f6
23.-,Nd5 24.Bc5,Rfc8 (24.-,Rf7 25.e6(e6)) 25.fxf6(f6)
23.-,Nd7 24.e6(e6),(f6) 25.exd7(d7),Qxd7 and black has given a piece for a pawn to activate his transporter and deactivate whites transporter...
23.-,Rac8 24.fxf6(f6),Qd7 25.Bxb6,Rxc1 26.Rxc1,axb6 27.fxg7(g7)+,Qxg7 28.Qxg7+,Kxg7 29.Rc7+
23.-,Kh8
At first I had planned 24.Rc7,Rg8? 25.fxf6(f6),gxf6 26.Rxh7+!,Kxh7 27.Qh4+,Kg7 28.Rxf6#, but black simply plays 24.-,(f6) 25.fxf6(f6),gxf6. Blacks tranporter is too strong (26.Qh4,g6(g6) 27.Bd4+,Kg8 and how does white continue?).
24.Qh4
With the threats 25.g6(g6) and 25.f5xf6(f6)
25.-,Kg8 26.f5xf6(f6),gxf6 27.Rxf6
25.-,Qd5 26.g6(g6),Qg8 27.Rf5,h6 28.Bxh6
25.-,Qd3 26.Bc5 with the threats 27.Bxf8 and Rc3-
Rh3(/Bd4,Nd5) 25.-,(f6) 26.exf6(f6),gxf6 27.Rxf6
24.-,Qe8
25.Bc5(?)
Better 25.Bd4,Nd5 26.Rfe1,Qf7 27.e6(e6)
25.-,(f6)
The rook cannot move
26.Bxf8,Qe3+
27.Kh1,Rxf8
28.g6(g6),h6
29.Rce1,Qd2
30.Rd1,Qc2
30.-,Qe3 31.gxf6(f6)
31.gxh6(h6),gxh6
32.Qxh6+,Kg8
33.b3
White has no hurry
33.-,f5(f5)
34.h4
Reaching for the transporter at h6 and gives the king some air
34.-,Qc7
35.Rd6,Qe7
Prevents 36.Rg6+,fxg6(g6) 37.Rxf8#. On 35.-,Nd7 black had found 36.Qd2! and white had calculated 36.Rf3,Ne5 37.Rg3+
37.-,Ng4 38.Rxg4+,fxg4(g4) 39.Rg6+,Kf7 40.Rg7+
37.-,g4(g4) 38.Rxg4+,Nxg4 39.Rg6+,Kf7 40.Qg7+ (40.Rg7+,Ke8 41.Rxc7?,Rf1#) 40.-,Ke8 41.Re6+
36.Rf3,Qe5
37.Rg6+,Kf7
38.(g6)+,Ke7
39.Re3?
White will win the black queen, but forgets the transporter! 39.Qxf8+!,Kxf8 40.Rfxf5+ was nice and easy
39.-,e3(e3)
40.Qg7+
This is the position the 6. oct. 1994.
White should win: 40.-,Ke8 41.Qxe5+,exe5(e5) 42.Rxe5+,Kd8 43.Rd6(d6)+ or 40.-,Qxg7 41.Rxg7(g7)+,Kd6 (41.-,Rf7 or 41.-,Ke8 loses a rook by 42.Rxe4+) 42.Rxe4 or even 42.Rxf8(f8),exe3(e3) 43.Rf1(f1)


From ETEROSCACCO n.65 and 67/68

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