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From the 14th century to today: The greatest chess variant in history
Tamerlane Chess (Shatranj al-Kabir) is a major chess variant played in the Timurid Empire in the late 14th century. Unlike standard 8x8 chess, this game is played on a 10x11 board with 28 pieces.
Timur (1336-1405) found standard chess too simple for his intellect. Thus, he invented or developed the 'Great Chess' (Shatranj al-Kabir), a larger and more complex game.
The game evolved from Chaturanga (600-650 CE) through Persian Chatrang, Arabic Shatranj, and finally Tamerlane Chess. Historians H.J.R. Murray, Duncan Forbes, and modern researcher Jean-Louis Cazaux have documented this game.
Tamerlane Chess is played on a massive board of 110 squares, consisting of 10 rows and 11 columns. There are 11 different piece types, and each player starts with 28 pieces.
There are 11 pawn types: Prototypes of each piece, these pawns promote to their respective piece type upon reaching the last rank.
| Piece | Type | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| Şah (King) | Royal | 1 square any direction |
| Şehzade (Prince) | Royal | Moves like the King |
| Kale (Rook) | Major | Unlimited vertical/horizontal |
| At (Knight) | Major | L-shaped jump |
| Fil (Elephant) | Minor | 2 squares diagonal jump |
| Deve (Camel) | Minor | 1 diagonal + 2 orthogonal leap |
| Mancınık (War Engine) | Minor | 2 squares orthogonal jump |
| Zürafa (Giraffe) | Hybrid | 1 diagonal + 3+ orthogonal slide |
| Gözcü (Talia) | Major | Minimum 2 squares diagonal slide |
| General (Ferz) | Minor | 1 square diagonal |
| Vezir (Vizir) | Minor | 1 square orthogonal |
Tamerlane Chess differs from standard chess in important ways:
In standard chess, stalemate is a draw, but in Tamerlane Chess, the player who is stalemated LOSES.
Each player may once swap their king with any friendly piece.
If your king reaches the opponent's citadel (rook's square), the game ends in a draw.
When pawns reach the last rank, they promote to their respective piece type (not free choice).
A three-stage epic promotion: First arrival leaves them immobile (can teleport), second arrival returns them to starting square, third arrival becomes the Adventitious King.
There are two main Tamerlane Chess variants:
The standard version played with 28 pieces. 11 pawn types and classic piece setup.
The expanded version played with 36 pieces. Contains extra mythological pieces such as Lion, Bull, Sea Monster (Luxm), and Revealer.
For more information about this game, consult the following historical and academic sources: