Alternate Names
Shatranj Diwana Shah, The Mad King's Game
No. of Players
Two
Equipment
History
This game originates from 19th century India.
Objective
The objective of the maharajah is to capture the king of the sepoys by replacement. The objective of the sepoys is to checkmate the maharajah.
Play
The game commences with the board arrayed exactly as in orthochess, only for one player’s pieces. These pieces will represent the sepoys. The other player will only control one piece, the maharajah, which may commence on any vacant cell in the first three rows on his side. All pieces of the sepoys move exactly as their equivalent in orthochess only pawns do not promote and there is no castling. The maharajah may move as the queen or the knight in orthochess on his turn. Turns alternate and the maharajah moves first.
Strategy
The Sepoys should typically win provided that that player does not make any mistakes. The player controlling the maharajah may try for a win early in the game by trapping the opposing king behind his own pieces. A king backed into a corner may also be an easy target for the maharajah.
Variations
Sources
Gollon, John. Chess Variations: Ancient, Regional, and Modern. Charles E. Tuttle Co.: Publishers, 1968.
Pentagames. Compiled by Pentagram. 1990. Fireside, Simon & Schuster Inc. ISBN 0-671-72529-7.