104 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[Jan. 1, 1886. 



(!?)ui* erftrdg Column. 



Br Mephisto. 



FOUR-HANDED CHESS, 







i<s_ 





*M M. 





v^ 





Whitb. 



{!t;y>JLig^J^^S may be seen, the board in the four-handed game 



"xiti. {vSisk consists of three additional rows on each side, 



making altogetlier IfiO squares, and tlie game is 



played with four sots of men of different colour, 



by four players. 



Two players always play in partnership to- 

 gether, that is to say, the two sitting opposite 

 each other play against the two players on their 

 right and left respectively, who are likewise 

 partners. Thus White and Vellow are partners playing against the 

 two partners Black and Red. The game is won when both partners 

 are check-mated. 



The pieces of two partners have virtually the same powers. They 

 support each other, but cannot attack nor take each other; thus, 

 for example, the Yellow Q could not give check to White's K ; 

 nevertheless each player may only move his own pieces. 



The principal feature of the game is that both partners co-operate 

 both for offensive as well as defensive purposes against the two 

 allied adversaries. To give a better idea of the complex nature of 

 the game, we must assume that the middle of a game has been 

 reached ; it being White to move. White must, in the first instance, 

 see whether Black threatens him, whether Eed can after he has 

 moved make a move against White, which Black can subsequently 

 support when it again comes to his turn. White must also see 

 whether his partner. Vellow, is threatened in a similar way, and he 

 must attempt to penetrate the designs of Black and Red. The four 

 Queens are always on four white squares. 



The Pawns can only move one square at a time. Castling is not 

 allowed. If the Pawns of two allies meet on the board, they may 

 jump over each other, the same as in draughts. Apart from these 

 deviations, the moves of the pieces are the same as in Chess. 



If a player is mated, his pieces become inanimate, they can 

 neither move nor be captured. The game proceeds as long as the 

 partner of the mated player, singly, can fight his two opponents. 



If a player is mated, it by no means follows that he must remain 

 so for the rest of the game. Immediately the mating check gets 

 removed he resumes play as before. A partner can, therefore, 

 release his partner from a mate by attacking the mating jjiece and 

 compelling it to move, or capturing it. In fact there may arise 

 positions where it is a positive disadvantage to mate an adversary. 

 For instance : White has lost his Queen. His partner, Yellow, can 

 mate Black with his own Queen, which, however, might expose him 

 to the strong attack of Red, A\"hite not being able to assist him 

 much. The principal of mutual support is applied in many ways in 

 this game. For instance, supposing it is Yellow to move in a 

 certain position, the red K stands on K sq.. Yellow may, with 

 his unsupported Queen, check red K on K2. and in ease Black can 

 do nothing to prevent White from supporting his partner's Queen, 

 say, for instance, by placing his B on Ql!, then Red would be mated- 

 the same as if the B on White's Q3 would be a Yellow B. 



Another favourite trick of players is the following: — It is White's 

 move ; of course he can operate against Red or Black as he may 



think best. If he can attack Black's Queen with a Pawn or minor 

 piece, and provided always Bed cannot help his partner. Black, then 

 Yellow, if he can do so, will check the Black King. Black, when it 

 is his turn to move, must, of course, move out of check, which then 

 will enable White to capture Black's Queen, which he attacked on 

 the previous move. 



Each player moves alternately from right to left ; i.e.. White, 

 Red, Yellow, Black, White, &c. 



By drawing a temporary board on paper and with two sets of 

 chessmen, our readers may follow the following short game, given 

 in " Chess Excentricities," by Captain Verney : 



5 Q X White 



KPmate 

 The following diagram represents the end position of this game : 



;' ^'^^-^ '^P^] 



s 



I'/' 



5 15 





\n\-m 



5*t S'lPi- 3 



White. 



In the above diagram it will be seen that Yellow is mated by 

 being checked both with the Black B on Black's Q2 and by the 

 Red Q from White's Q2. White is mated by the two Queens. 



A comparison can hardly be drawn between this game and 

 ordinary Chess. There are, however, features in this game which 

 make it worth being cultivated ; foremost amongst which must be 

 mentioned that it engages four players instead of two, and even 

 these may be increased to eight, by two players consulting on each 

 side. We can quite imagine that a four-handed game— played by 

 eight players, each side being taken by a lady and gentleman con- 

 sulting together — would exercise far greater attractions in a social 

 party than ordinary chess. 



Contents of No. 2. 



PAGE 



The Unknowable ; or, the Eeli^on 

 of Science. By R, A. Proctor ... 37 



Coal. I. By W. Matlieu Williams 39 



The Story of Creation : A Plain Ac- 

 count of Evolution. ByEd.Clodd. 41 



The New Star in Andromeda. 

 (Illiis.) By R. A. Proctor 43 



Pleasant Hours with a Microscope. 

 tlllus.) By H. .T. Slack, F.G.S., 

 P.R.M.S 48 



Optical Recreations : Colour and • 

 Light. (///".».) By F.E.A.S. ... 48 



The Social Wasps. {lUut.) By 

 E.A.Butler 51 



Movements of the Planets. {Illus.) 

 By E. A. Proctor 54 



Music. By Baroness von Gottrau. 54 



PiGK 

 Indian Myths. By " Stella 



Oecidens" 57 



Mr. Herbert Spencer on Priest- 

 hoods. By E. A. Proctor 59 



Dr. W. B. Carpenter 61 



Mr. Frederic Harrison on the Reli- 

 gion of Humanity 62 



The Skies of the Southern Hemi- 

 sphere. {lUua.) By R. A. Proctor 65 



Charles Darwin ... 65 



The Chersonese with the Gildiog off (>6 



Something about Mynas 66 



Gossip. By R. A. Proctor 67 



New Books to be Read — and Why 69 



Chess. By "Mephisto" 70 



Whist : On Discarding. By 



" Mogul '■ 72 



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