http://www.oocities.org/xadrezrex  

Written by Arnaldo Rodrigues D'Almeida                                                                          

Published in: April / 2002

Revised in: June/2002

[PORTUGUÊS]

 

5- Strategies

 

    The strategies of REX are still not very well-known. At first, the strategies used in  the traditional chess  should be  adapted for this game.

            The player should adopt the following strategies:

1- Domain of the center;

2- Control of the space;

3- Development of the pieces;

4- King in safety;

5- Structure of Pawns;

6- Mobility of the pieces.

 

 

1- Domain of the center

 

    The center of  REX board   can be  considered as:   j5 (the central hexagon), i6, l6, h5, m5, i4, l4 (around j5), g6, n6, f5, o5, g4 and n4 (located near to the central hexagon) (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The center of the board.

 

    The pieces located on the center have larger attack power (mobility). The attack pieces (Queen, Rook, Bishop and Knight) when located on the center of the board (Figure 1) have the largest attack power. The Queen on the central hexagon (j5)  can be moved to (attack) 40 hexagons on a empty board, and on the other hexagons of the center, the  Queen can  be  moved  to 38 or 39 hexagons. The Rook, on the center of the empty board, is capable to attack 24 or 25 hexagons. The Bishop, on  the center of the empty board, is capable to attack 13, 14 or 16 hexagons (only in j5). The Knight, when located on any hexagon center of the board, empty or not, attacks 12 hexagons.

    The domain of the center will force the opponent to move its pieces for the lateral ones. It will dispend extra movements  to the opponent as well as it will delay the development of its pieces.

    The player that has the domain of the center can move its pieces  from one side  to another more easily, what  will  allow  to attack or to defend with efficiency.

    The domain of  the center is  only  important  when there  are attack pieces in the board. Once  the Pawns  have  the  same mobility and attack power practically in any part of the board,  the domain  of the center  doesn't constitute advantage.  When the players have only Pawns and the King, the player who has the first coronation possibility takes the advantage.

 

2- Space control

 

     The space of the board is constituted of hexagons. The more hexagons of the board you attack more space it will be under its control or domain.

 

     When  one  of  the  pieces of  a player  occupies  an  hexagon  under  attack by  other  player  it can  be  captured. In  this situation,  you  can  say that the hexagon  is  under  domain. Of course  there are situations  that the  opponent  will be able  to capture  the  piece  that  captured  his piece  and to  take an advantageous  change. In this case it is said that  the domain  was apparent or there wasn't effective control.

 

    The more hexagons are under its control, comparatively to its opponent, more mobility will have its pieces and more  attack chances.

 

     The  space  under  control  can be  measured counting the number of hexagons  of  the board under attack. To  express  in percentile terms, it is need to divide by total number of hexagons, 85 (in the case of the traditional chess, 64)  and  to  multiply by 100.

 

 

 

3- Development of the pieces

 

    All the attack pieces moves  to attack the center, just moving at once. One of them  should only move a second  time  when all the attack pieces have already been moved.

    When moving a piece twice consecutively, for example,  it  will allow  the opponent to attack  more hexagons, allowing  the domain of the center of the board.

 

4- King in safety

    

    To maintain the King in safety is important to avoid the checkmate. On the contrary it can affect others strategies.

    When the King is exposed, it allows the opponent to develop its pieces, impeding you to make the same because  you have to defend your King. Sometimes when you defend your King you need to move back your pieces, allowing the  domain of the center by the opponent, and many times, to avoid the checkmate you lose some pieces, continuing the game in material disadvantage.

 

    In REX,  the King has  a smaller mobility,  and the other pieces,  except  for the Bishop,  have  a  larger  power  of  attack, comparatively to the traditional chess. Thus, the King's safety will request a larger attention.

 

    The King's side (right side for the White ones and left side for the Black ones) is the side that has less defense.

    The hexagons p2,  for the White ones, and p8, for the Black ones, are  hexagons of the King's side, that  are not  protected by any piece in  the beginning of the game.  Since  the King  can't move, if the  Bishop  or  Queen move  to those  hexagons  a checkmate happens. Those hexagons are usually protected by the Bishop “white” or by the Rook of the King's side.

    The Rook is the piece of larger attack power in the King's side, and there are less  attack pieces in the King's  side than  on the opposite side, therefore it is a piece of great importance in the King's defense. A  premature progress  of  the Rook of  the King's side can decrease its defense seriously and could lead the player to lose the game.

    Due to the possibility of the Queen checkmates without the King's help, its attack is, in general, very dangerous. The Queen near the King is efficient in the King's defense against the attack of the opposing Queen. The Queen is a fundamental  piece  in the King's defense. When the Queen is far from the King, King's defense decreases a lot.

 

5- Structure of Pawns

 

    The Pawn is a piece  that can only be moved and capture  forward.  A  Pawn can be defended by other  Pawn, and  so on, forming a current, in which the last Pawn can be or not defended by another piece. When  the last  Pawn in the current  is  not defended by any other piece, it is said that the Pawn is the weakest link of the current.

    The isolated Pawn  is more difficult  to defend,  mainly if it is far from  the others.  You should avoid isolated Pawns.  When  a Pawn is protected by other Pawn, even if other pieces that are not Pawns try the capture, it is not advantageous  in  material terms. For example, a Bishop and a Rook try to capture a  Pawn that is defended by just a Pawn. If the Bishop  captures  the Pawn, the other Pawn captures the Bishop and soon after that, the Rook captures the other Pawn. In the end of the change of pieces, it is verified that the balance was favorable for a Bishop against 2 Pawns. A Bishop with certainly is more value than 2 Pawns.

Suppose  in the previous  example the  Pawn was  protected by a  Bishop.  If  the  Bishop captures  the Pawn, the  Bishop captures the Bishop and soon after that, the Rook captures the Bishop. In the end of the change of pieces, it is verified that the resulting balance was unfavorable for a Pawn. Thus, the defense of a Pawn by other Pawn is the most effective.

    In the traditional chess, when  two Pawns (same color) are  located  in the same  file it is said that there is  doubling  Pawns. That situation, leaves at least one of them isolated. In REX, as the Pawns can be  moved in two different directions, it  doesn't happen.

    The structure of Pawns should act as a wall that  blocks the progress  of the enemie's attack pieces (Queen,  Rook,  Knight and Bishop) and doesn't block the movement of yours.

 

6- Mobility of the pieces

 

    The Pawns block the movement of the attack pieces.  An attack piece that,  during the game,  cannot be moved is  a  piece that doesn't participate in the game and for it reduces the attack power.

    The player should move his Pawns to permit the movement of the attack pieces.

 

 

Information or comments send e-mail to: chessrex@bol.com.br

 

 
Counter

 

 

1- Introduction

2- Rules

3- Notation

4- The game

5- Strategies

6- Matches

7- Problems

8- Board
9- Downloads
10- Links