Variant Chess at The Hat

The Competitions Secretary, Ray, arrived early at The Hat for Worcetser City Chess Club's Chritsmas night. Landlady Andrea welcomed him with cheery "Fröhlichen Weihnachten!" and ushered Ray into the wood-panelled back room because there was another party in the front. After the first lager was in, Ray set up the boards and chess pieces, distributed copies of a chess quiz and guides for three chess variants he had selected for the evening. Other members soon arrived, beers and specials were ordered. Ray called members to order and announced the order of ceremony. Just as everything had been explained, in walks Peter Kitson club member and current President of Worcestershire Chess Association. While Ray retires to refiull his glass - explaining rules to chess players is thirsty work - Peter announces he has brought an Imitator. "An Imitator," chorused members, "what is that?" Peter withdraws a black cylinder from his hiking bag. It looks suspiciously like an old 35mm film canister. Now we all know that Peter is a fan of old technology, but what had this to do with chess?

Peter Kitson (right) calculates the effect of the Imitator on g5 in a variant game against Andrew Farthing at the Cardinal's Hat. (Picture Ray Collett)

You place it on one of the central squares at the start of the game. It is an object that belongs to neither player, cannot be removed from the board, and has no independent powers of movement. The Imitator has to follow the geometrically identical move a player makes and may not be moved off the board or on top of another piece. Thus the only legal moves a player can make are those that can also be made by the Imitator. So for example, at the start of a game with the Imitator on c5, white cannot play Ng1-f3 because the Imitator would have to go to b7, which is occupied by a black pawn. Game play leads to most unusual positions and surprising mates and soon members were engrossed in play ignoring the variants suggested on the distributed papers. It was only as last orders were called that Ray remembered to ask members to check their answers to the quiz. This was won by Andrew Farthing.