Turnover Chess - Strategy Talk

Turnover Chess - Strategy Talk

Created by Brazilian Designer Lúcio José Patrocínio Filho
Rules: PORTUGUESE | SPANISH | ENGLISH


It's also worth pointing out that unlike regular chess, in Turnover Chess, your strategy will be more focused on using the least powerful pieces in favor of keeping more powerful pieces available for longer. A successful Turnover Chess player will be able to make the most of their remaining pieces and find creative ways to use them to checkmate their opponent’s last castle.


Overall, Turnover Chess is a variation of regular chess that adds extra layers of strategy and decision making, encouraging players to think more carefully about which pieces to move and when to turn them over or not.


Another aspect to consider in Turnover Chess is the importance of maintaining a balance between takes, turning over pieces and preserving your options. If you keep too many castles early in the game, you might find yourself in a difficult situation later on with few attacking pieces left to use. On the other hand, if you keep quite a few castles you can find yourself using your attacking pieces to defend the last castle or castles. Finding the right balance is key to success in this variation of chess.


It's also worth noting that, as with regular chess, there are a variety of openings, middle-game and endgame strategies that can be used in Turnover Chess. Familiarizing yourself with some of the popular strategies and studying the games of experienced Turnover Chess players can help you develop your own skills and improve your chances of winning. Overall, Turnover Chess is a challenging and exciting variation of chess that can be enjoyed by players of all skill levels.


It's also important to keep in mind that as the game goes on and more pieces are turned over, the value of a particular piece may change. A piece that may have been relatively unimportant early in the game, might become much more valuable later on as other pieces are eliminated from play or turned over to compose a powerful piece. As a player, you'll need to constantly re-evaluate the relative value of your remaining pieces and make decisions accordingly.


In addition, Pawns could play a more important role in the game, as they can only be promoted to queen. This gives the players another strategy to consider, to use pawns to promote to the queen, which is composed by a Bishop and a Rook on the same square, so a promotion produces two powerful pieces. It is worth remembering that both, knight, and castle not in check, move their external piece, a pawn, which can also move to reach the last row, causing a promotion.


Overall, Turnover Chess offers a lot of depth and complexity, and there are many different strategies and tactics to explore. It's a game that rewards careful planning and thoughtful decision-making, and is sure to provide hours of fun and challenge for chess players of all skill levels.


The piece's moves are quite similar to classic chess, but with the addition of the rule of turning over their own pieces and the opponent pieces, which adds an extra layer of strategy and decision making, encouraging players to think more carefully about which pieces to move and when to turn them over.


In traditional chess, the relative value of the pieces is generally considered to be: Queen: 9 points, Rook: 5 points, Bishop and Knight: 3 points each, Pawn: 1 point. However, in Turnover Chess the relative value of the pieces can change during the game and can be influenced by various factors such as the pieces that have been eliminated or turned over, the state of the board, the stage of the game and the player's strategy.


In Turnover Chess, the castle piece has different movements based on whether it is in check or not. Here is a summary of the rules for the castle piece in Turnover Chess:


  • A player wins by checkmating and/or taking the last remaining castle piece of the opponent.


  • If the castle is not in check, it can move 1 or 2 squares ahead, vertically. Only the outer piece will move as usual.


  • If the castle is in check, it can move 1 square in any direction orthogonally (horizontally or vertically), and all pieces on the square need to be moved, keeping it as a castle.


  • Castles are the objective of the game, they can't be turned over, just taken, making it the most important piece to protect. 


  • The difference in movements of the castle depending if it's in check or not, adds an extra layer of strategy and decision-making, encouraging players to think more carefully about their safety and potential vulnerabilities. This makes them even more challenging and adds extra importance in their protection as they are the objective of the game, at same time being the players' resources.


In Turnover Chess, the knight works differently from the standard chess. It's composed of a bishop and a pawn and when it's moved, just the outer piece is moved as usual, becoming a pawn and leaving the internal piece as a bishop. The best strategy to use when playing with this piece will take into account the fact that the inner piece, the bishop, can be targeted and taken by the opponent on next moves. Here are a few strategies to consider when playing with the knight in Turnover Chess:


  • Use the knight strategically: Because the knight is composed of two valuable pieces, it's important to use it in the best way possible. Try to move it to positions where it can attack key pieces of the opponent or put pressure on the opponent's castle, while keeping the internal bishop protected.
  • Think ahead of the next move: Keep in mind that when moving the knight, the internal bishop will be exposed and vulnerable to possible future attack, so plan your next move to protect it, or put pressure on the opponent's pieces that can target it.
  • Control the center: The center of the board is a key area in chess, and controlling it can give you a significant advantage. The knight, in this variant, can be a powerful piece to control the center, especially because his internal piece is the bishop, so a knight move can be converted into a double attack, with its pawn and Bishop attacking different opponent pieces, so use the internal bishop to your advantage, as it is left behind after the knight move, it can be used to your advantage by attacking and putting pressure on the opponent's pieces, especially a castle.
  • Use the knight as a pawn when necessary: if the situation on the board requires it, consider moving the knight as a pawn, attacking an important opponent piece, to sacrifice this pawn to gain a better position or to save its bishop. Remember that the internal piece will still be on the board and can be used in future moves.


It's important to remember that in Turnover Chess, it's even more important to be flexible and adaptable. The specific strategies and tactics that you use with the knight will depend on the position and other pieces on the board, so keep an eye out for opportunities to make good moves, and be ready to adapt your strategy as the game progresses. The inner bishop can also be a weakness in some cases, so it's important to have a plan for protecting it, or if it's exposed, try to use it to your advantage in some way.


Additionally, consider the state of the game, for example, if the game is in its later stages, and the opponent has few pieces left, it might be better to use the knight more aggressively, to put pressure on the opponent's castle and try to checkmate it. On the other hand, if the game is still in the early stages, it might be better to use the knight more defensively, to control key squares and protect your own pieces or avoid creating knights if it will be easily attacked.


Also, depending on the board situation, it's important to consider the trade-off of taking out the outer piece with the pawn, leaving the internal bishop exposed. It's a strategy that could be useful in some cases, but in others, it's better to protect both pieces to keep more options on the board. Pay attention to another piece, like a rook behind, which can be used to protect this bishop, specially if it is turned over by an opponent pawn, and if it is a rook, you always can take it and lose your bishop because it will be a good valuable exchange, or if you have another knight or a pawn to protect it, it can be even better to cover up a knight.


Overall, the knight in Turnover Chess is a complex piece, as it's composed of two valuable pieces and it has a different behavior than the standard chess. It requires a good understanding of the rules and a lot of flexibility to be used.


In Turnover Chess, players can turn over an opponent's piece if it matches, like a rook over a bishop or a knight, a bishop over a rook or a pawn, a pawn over a queen or a bishop, owning these opponent’s pieces, adding a new layer of strategy and decision-making to the game. This rule allows players to capture and control the opponent's pieces. Here are a few strategies to consider when turning over opponent's pieces:


  • Capture powerful pieces: One of the most obvious strategies when turning over an opponent's pieces is to capture powerful pieces, such as the rooks, and bishops, or both combined as a queen, to weaken the opponent's defenses and attacking power, gaining strategic advantage.


  • Control key squares: Another strategy is to turn over pieces that control key squares on the board, such as central squares, key defensive squares or squares that give you access to important attacking lines.


  • Eliminate key pieces: Turning over the opponent's key pieces, such as a knight, a rook, a bishop or a queen, can be an effective way of eliminating the opponent's attacking potential and taking the pressure off your own pieces.


  • Use it to defend your own pieces: Turning over an opponent's pieces can also be used to defend your own pieces, like protecting a vulnerable piece, or providing a safe path for another piece to escape from capture.


  • Be aware of the opponent's plans: It's also important to keep an eye on the opponent's pieces and plan, as turning over the wrong piece can give the opponent a new powerful strategy, because he can turn it over again, recovering the whole set of pieces, e.g. if you turn over a bishop with a rook and your opponent turn over this queen with a pawn.


It's important to keep in mind that this rule adds a lot of depth to the game, giving players the ability to adapt and change the dynamics of the game, and also increasing the importance of carefully considering each move and its potential consequences. Players should also be aware of the trade-offs when turning over a piece, as it will change the balance of power on the board. Also, it's important to be aware of the pieces that you have on your side of the board, as not all pieces may be beneficial for you when turned over. Your own pieces can be used against yourself when turned over by the opponent’s piece.


In addition, players should consider the timing of when to turn over pieces. It may be more beneficial to turn over a piece early in the game when the opponent has more options and the piece can have a greater impact, or it may be better to wait until later in the game when the opponent has fewer pieces remaining and the impact of the piece will be greater.


It's also worth noting that this rule can change the value of the pieces as they can change sides of the board, so players should keep in mind the potential value of the pieces on the opponent's side and the potential value of the pieces after they are turned over.


Overall, the ability to turn over an opponent's pieces in Turnover Chess adds an extra layer of strategy and decision-making to the game, making it even more challenging and exciting. It's a good idea to think about the various strategies and scenarios, in order to be able to make the most out of this rule, and to be able to adapt to any situation that may arise during the game.


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