Grand Chess

Grand Chess is a large-board chess variant invented in 1984 by the Dutch game designer Christian Freeling. It is played by two sides on a ten-by-ten board, two ranks and files larger in each direction than the standard eight-by-eight chessboard used in orthodox chess, with each side also fielding two additional pawns beyond the standard sixteen pieces. The game introduces two new piece types beyond the traditional chess set: the marshal, which combines the powers of a rook and a knight, and the cardinal, which combines the powers of a bishop and a knight, the same two hybrid pieces used in the earlier Capablanca chess variant. Grand Chess distinguishes itself from Capablanca chess through its own board size, its own starting arrangement, and its own rules for how the expanded piece set interacts with the larger board. The added board space and hybrid pieces give Grand Chess a slower opening phase and different tactical patterns from standard chess, making it one of the more widely known large-board chess variants designed in the twentieth century.