The board has 12 x 12 squares.
Steps 1 square in any direction. for its first move, the King can go 2 squares in any direction, leaping over the intermediate square if it is occupied (the text says as does the Alfferza. The Alfferza was the Fers, the Queen in medieval chess). That means it may leap to the 2nd square in straight line: straight ahead, diagonally or sideways, but not like a chess Knight. It may pass over an occupied square. The King cannot capture when jumping. The text does not specify if it may jump to escape a check or pass over a square controlled by the opponent. It is supposed that this was forbidden.
moves 1 diagonal step followed by any number away on lines or columns. It may not jump over occupied squares. The Anqa is a mythical beast from the Arabian mythology which underlines the link between this game and the medieval Muslim chess variants. It was seen as a giant bird able to prey on elephants, and it was represented on the codex illustration as a sort of eagle.
moves exactly as the modern chess Bishop. It must be noted that at the time of the codex, the 13th century, medieval chess had no modern Bishop but an "Alffil" instead which was moving as the Alfil of modern chess variants. The Cockatrice was a two-legged serpent-like monster with a rooster's head in medieval sources, though this piece is represented as a sort of crocodile in the codex illustration.
it is the (3,2) leaper, meaning that it may go to the opposite square of a 4x3 rectangle, leaping over occupied squares if any. This move is also made by stepping 1 square orthogonally followed by 2 squares diagonally.
identical to the modern chess Rook, except there is no castling.
It leaps like a Knight, then proceeds diagonally away from the square it leaped to any number of vacant squares. This piece is depicted as a rhinoceros in the codex illustration, which is an indication of how exotic animals were poorly known in Europe during the Middle Ages and confused with mythical animals. .
it leaps 3 squares orthogonally or 2 squares orthogonally followed by 1 diagonal step. It may leap over occupied squares. Therefore it combines the moves of the Camel and the Threeleaper of modern chess variant nomenclature.
