Circe (chess)

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Circe is a chess variant popular in chess composition , invented in 1967 by Pierre Monréal and published a year later by him and Jean-Pierre Boyer. Boyer initially wanted to call the chess variant "les échecs renaissants" ("rebirth chess"), but Monréal's name, after the sorceress Kirke (also Circe) in Greek mythology , prevailed.

In Circe, struck stones are reborn, that is, they are reinstalled on their rebirth field, usually called the original field in chess composition . The rebirth field is clearly defined by positional characteristics. The king is exempt from rebirth.

Since Circe can lead to long games, it is often played as progressive chess, where a player is allowed to make several moves in a row before the opponent's turn, always one more than the opponent in the previous move.

Definition of the original field

  • Each figure (except fairy tale figures) is reborn on a space on which a figure of the same type and color was placed at the beginning of the game
  • Rooks, bishops and knights are reborn on the field that has the same field color as the one on which they are captured
  • Peasants are reborn in the same line in which they are defeated
  • Fairy tale characters are viewed as characters created through transformation and are therefore reborn on the last field of the line in which they are captured, i.e. on the eighth (white) or first (black) row
  • If the corresponding field is occupied, there is no rebirth

It is not possible to strike a stone that would hold back after rebirth . Reborn stones are treated as if they had not yet moved. A pawn can double step again and a rook can be used for castling .

Variants (selection)

  • Anticirce: The struck stone (also king), but not the struck stone, is reborn. A hit is only possible if the rebirth space of the hit stone is free. A distinction is made between the Calvet type, in which blows are allowed on the rebirth field, and the Cheylan type, which prohibits them. Peasants convert before rebirth when they reach the convert line . A king may capture the opposing king even if his rebirth space is attacked, although this would constitute illegal self-check on other hits.
  • Circé Assassin: If the rebirth space is occupied, the stone on the rebirth space is removed and the rebirth takes place.
  • Circe Couscous: The struck stone is reborn on the rebirth field of the hitting stone.
  • Circe rex inclusive: The king is also reborn.
  • Filecirce: the struck stone is reborn on the same row.
  • Kamikazecirce: The struck stone and the struck stone are reborn.
  • Marscirce: Hitting stones are reborn before the hit, so they can only hit from their rebirth space. Chipped stones disappear.
  • Paracirce: As in Anticirce, the striking stone is reborn instead of the striking stone. However, strokes are allowed even when the rebirth space is occupied and the king may not hit.
  • Change of place circe: The struck stone is reborn on the field on which the hitting stone was previously. Kings are not usually born again.
  • Spiegelcirce: Taken stones are reborn on the opposing rebirth field in Circe.
  • Supercirce: The rebirth is possible on any free field, but can also be omitted.

Circe chess problem

Gerald Ettl PS + 2014
  a b c d e f G H  
8th Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg 8th
7th Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess pdt45.svg 7th
6th Chess pdt45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg 6th
5 Chess plt45.svg Chess pdt45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess pdt45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg 5
4th Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess pdt45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess pdt45.svg 4th
3 Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess plt45.svg Chess pdt45.svg Chess kdt45.svg 3
2 Chess --t45.svg Chess plt45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess nlt45.svg Chess --t45.svg 2
1 Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess bdt45.svg Chess klt45.svg 1
  a b c d e f G H  
Mate in 16 moves

CIRCE

Solution:

1. Kxg1 [Bf8]? (2. Kh1 3. Nxf4 [Bf7] #) Bc5 + 2. Kh1 Bg1 White is back at the beginning. The wBg2 cannot simply move away, otherwise the B-chess g2 + would tear a hole in the sK-position. So white comes with 1. b3? b4! not further.

1. b4! h6! 2. Kxg1 [sBf8] (3. Kh1 4. Nxf4 [Bf7] #) Bc5 + 3. bxc5 [Bf8] Bxc5 [Bc2] + 4. Kh1 Bg1 (If Black had played 1.… h5, 5. c4 would have been possible.) 5. c4? bxc4 [Bc2] 6. c3 h5! therefore 5. c3 (5.… h5? 6. c4!) b4 6. cxb4 [Bb7] b5 7. axb6 [Bb7] a5 (h5) 8. Kxg1 [ Bf8] Bc5 + 9. bxc5 [Bf8] Bxc5 [Bc2] 10. Kh1 Bg1 11. c4 a4 12. c5 a3 13. c6 bxc6 [Bc2] 14. b7 a2 15. b8D a1D 16. Qc8 #

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Individual references and sources

  1. Tasks on the PDB server with the Circe condition
  2. a b c Description at chessvariants.org
  3. a b John Rice: Happy Birthday to Circe, 40 years old! In: The Problemist , July 2008
  4. Definition in the problem chess dictionary of the swallow