The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #29: The Courier Game

THE COURIER GAME

each, the game is considered a draw. by Damian Walker
FURTHER INFORMATION
This interesting variant of mediaeval chess is further described in the fol-
lowing books:
Bell, R. C. Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations, vol. 1,
pp. 62-65. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1979.
Murray, H. J. R. A History of Chess, pp. 392 & 483-485. Oxford: Ox-
ford University Press, 1913.
Parlett, D. The Oxford History of Board Games, pp. 314-315. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1999.
Copyright © Damian Walker 2011 - http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/

Board Games at CYNINGSTAN

Traditional Board Game Series
(Second Edition)
4 Leaflet #29
 The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #29: The Courier Game The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #29: The Courier Game

Illustration 2, and described as fol- 5. If a pawn reaches the last

INTRODUCTION & HISTORY lows: row, it immediately becomes a
The twentieth century has produced of the 19th century. The modern (i). the king moves horizont- queen.
literally thousands of variations on game has yet to achieve this life ally, diagonally or vertically to an
Capturing Pieces
chess, as people attempt to stamp span. Stranger still for a game of adjacent square, but not to a square
their individuality on the game. such longevity is that the courier which would expose him to check 6. A piece is captured by land-
The very profusion of these pre- game was confined to a small area, (see rule 8); ing upon it in the course of a move.
vents the popularity of any particu- being particularly associated with (ii). the queen moves diagon- 7. A pawn cannot capture as it
lar one. More interesting, perhaps, the village of Ströbeck. The game ally to an adjacent square; moves; instead it captures by mov-
are the historic attempts to vary the was revived by the villagers as a (iii). the sage moves as the ing one square diagonally forwards
game, one of which is the courier curiosity in 1883, but by the twenti- king, but is not restricted from mov- to land on its victim.
game. eth century it had been forgotten ing to a threatened square; 8. The king cannot be captured,
This is a variant from north again, the villagers eventually get- (iv). the fool moves horizont- but if he is threatened with capture
Germany, and is noteworthy for its ting fed up of being pestered about ally or vertically to an adjacent (called check), the player must pro-
longevity. First mentioned in about the subject. square; tect him by:
1205, it survived until the beginning (v). the courier moves any (i). moving him out of danger;
number of squares diagonally, as a (ii). moving another piece to
HOW TO PLAY modern bishop does, without jump- block the threat;
ing; (iii). capturing the piece that
A few details of the rules have not knights, two bishops, two couriers,
(vi). the bishop moves exactly threatens the king.
survived. But since the courier a sage, a fool, a king, a queen and
two squares diagonally, jumping
game resembles shatranj, or medi- twelve pawns. Ending the Game
over any intervening piece as the
eval chess, in many particulars, 3. Players begin by advancing
knight does; 9. A player wins if he threatens
missing rules have been borrowed their rooks' pawns and queen's
(vii). the knight moves one his opponent's king with capture,
from there. pawn to the fourth rank, and mov-
square orthogonally and one square and the opponent can do nothing to
ing the queen to the third rank, as in
Beginning the Game diagonally away from its starting protect his king. This is checkmate.
Illustration 1.
point, jumping over any intervening 10. A player wins if his oppon-
1. Courier is Play then com-
piece; ent has no legal move.
played on a mences with white
(viii). the rook 11. A player
chequered board moving a piece,
moves any number wins if he captures
of 12 rows of 8 then black, turns
of squares hori- all of his oppon-
squares, the bot- alternating there-
zontally or vertic- ent’s piece apart
tom right squares after.
ally without jump- from the king.
being white.
Moving the ing over other 12. However,
2. The game
Pieces pieces. if the opponent
is played with 24 Illustration 1: pieces set out for play. From
(ix). a pawn could on the next
pieces per side: the bottom left they are: rook, knight, 4. The pieces
moves one square move reduce both
two rooks, two bishop, courier, sage, queen (ahead), king, move as shown in
fool, etc. forwards. Illustration 2: moves of the pieces. sides to just a king

2 3