Team-mate chess is a chess variant on an 8x8 board.
Except for the king and one knight all other pieces on the back rank are unorthodox, and different from each other. From a-file to h-file each player has a unicorn, a phoenix, an elephant, an acromantula, a king, a mortar, a knight and a cobra. The king can castle in the usual way with the unicorn or the cobra. Pawns are normal FIDE pawns, except that they can promote only to one of the initially-present pieces other than king or acromantula, or to the (not-initially present) Adjutant or Brute. From weak to strong the pieces are:
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Steps one square diagonally or straight back, but cannot capture non-royal pieces. It does check a King in the same way as it moves. |
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Jumps directly to the 2nd or 3rd square diagonally, i.e jumping over any occupied intermediate square. |
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Steps diagonally one or two squares, leaping over the intermediate square if it is occupied. |
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Steps one square orthogonally, or jumps two squares diagonally, leaping over the intermediate square if it is occupied. |
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Steps one square orthogonally, or moves like an orthodox knight. |
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Moves like an orthodox knight, but when this lands on an empty square, it can optionally slide on to the next square in the long direction of the initial knight jump. |
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Moves like an orthodox bishop, or like a rook that moves only an even number of steps, unobstructed by anything an odd number odd squares away. |
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Slides along a bent trajectory, starting with an orthogonal step, and then continuing in an outward diagonal direction. It cannot pass beyond any obstacle it encounters along this path. |
The king, knight and pawn move like in orthodox chess; also castling is as in usual chess, with the pieces in the corners as partner. Pawns promote on the eighth row of the board to Mortar, Elephant, Phoenix, Knight, Unicorn, Cobra, Adjutant, or a pair of Brutes, to the owning players choice. In the latter case one Brute appears on the promotion square as usual, the other on the square the Pawn came from.
A draw can be claimed after 64 moves (rather than 50) without capture or pawn advance.
Other rules are as in orthodox chess. White starts to play.
Each player commands 16 pieces.