List of fairy chess pieces

A fairy chess piece is a game piece that is not in regular chess but appears in an alternate version of chess with different rules. Such an alternate version is known as a chess variant. In addition, fairy chess pieces are used in fairy chess, an area of chess problems involving changes to the rules of chess.

The following table shows some game pieces of unorthodox chess, from fairy chess problems and chess variants (including historical and regional ones), and the six orthodox chess pieces. The columns "BCPS", "Parlett" and "Betza" contain the notation describing how each piece moves. Italicised names are pieces that are found under other names elsewhere in the table. The notation systems are explained in this page.

0–9 – A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H – I – J – K – L – M – N – O – P – Q – R – S – T – U – V – W – X, Y, Z

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" ! Name !! BCPS !! Parlett !! Betza !! Found in !! Notes

| (1,1)-Zigzag Nightrider || S1 || || || Fairy Chess problems || Takes Knight steps, in a general (1,1)-Bishop direction e.g. b1-a3-c2-b4-d3... |- | (2,0)-Zigzag Nightrider || S2 || || || Fairy Chess problems || Takes Knight steps, in a general (2,0)-Rook direction e.g. b1-c3-d1-e3-f1... |- | (3,3)-Zigzag Nightrider || S3 || || || Fairy Chess problems || Takes Knight steps, in a general (3,3)-Bishop direction e.g. b1-c3-e4-f6-h7 |- | (4,0)-Zigzag Nightrider || S4 || || || Fairy Chess problems || Takes Knight steps, in a general (4,0)-Rook direction e.g. b1-c3-b5-c7...

| Aanca || || style="width: 10%;" |1X.n+ || t[FR] || Grant Acedrex (Alfonso X, 1283) || A word borrowed in medieval Spanish from Persian/Arabic legendary anqa, an elephant bird (a giant eagle preying elephants), see Gryphon. A name erroneously applied by some modern chess variant inventors to a piece moving t[WB] in Betza's notation and also called Manticore, creating confusion. |- | Abbot || || 4X, ~1/2|| F4N ||Typhoon chess, Scirocco chess|| Moves as Knight or Bishop up to 4 squares |- | Acropolis || || ~1/2, ~1/3, n+ || RNC = RNL || Overkill Ecumenical Chess || Combination of Gnu and Rook. |- | Actor || || ~1/2, ~1/3,nX || BNC = BNL || Overkill Ecumenical Chess || Combination of Gnu and Bishop. |- | Actress || || ~1/2, ~1/3,n || QNC = QNL || Overkill Ecumenical Chess || Combination of Gnu and Queen. |- | Admiral || || n+, 1X || RF || Sac Chess (Pacey, 2014), Large Chess Variants by Cazaux 2020, e.g., Terachess II || Combination of Rook and Ferz. Also known as Dragon King in Shogi, or Crowned Rook, or SuperRook in Pocket Mutation chess, or Sailor in Sac Chess (Pacey). |- | Advisor || FE || 1X || F || Xiangqi (Chinese chess) || Ferz that cannot leave the palace (3×3 zone at the center of South and North sides). Originally 士 Shì (Black Advisor) and 仕 Shì (Red Advisor) in Chinese. Also known as Counsellor, Mandarin, Guard, Officer, Scholar and, ambiguously, Minister. |- | || AL || ~2X (Alternate notation: ~2/2) || A = (2,2) || Chaturanga (Indian chess), Shatranj (Persian chess), Courier Chess, European Chess (before 1475) || Elephant in Shatranj. A (2,2)-leaper. Originally Fil in Persian. Also called Gaja, Hasty, Pil (Shatranj), Archer (Schütze) (Courier). Simply the move of the European Bishop before 1475. (The word alfil is the regular Bishop in Spanish.) |- | Alfilrider || || n(~2X) || AA || Fairy Chess problems || A rider which moves any number of (2,2) cells (i.e., Alfil moves) in the same direction in a straight line. It is the Skip-bishop of problemists (G.P. Jelliss). |- | Alibaba|| || ~2 || AD || Fairy Chess problems || Combines the moves of Alfil and Dabbaba. |- | Alibabarider|| || n(~2) || AADD || Fairy Chess problems|| Combination of Dabbabarider and Alfilrider. It is the Skip-queen of problemists (G.P. Jelliss).Compare Nightrider. |- | || AM || n, ~1/2 || QN || Russian chess around 1770, Gustav III Chess (end of 18th c.), Kaiserspiel (1819), Pacific Chess (1971), Renn Chess (1980), Knightmare Chess, Musketeer Chess, Sac Chess (Pacey, 2014) || Combines the powers of Queen and Knight. Also called Angel (Autremont, 1918), Commander (Feldherr in original German Peguilhen, 1819; Trouillon, 1953), Wyvern (Parton, 1970s), Queen (Pacific Chess), Prince (Renn Chess), Superqueen, Dragon (Musketeer Chess). |- | Amazonrider || ET || n, n(~1/2) || QNN || Pocket Mutation Chess || Combination of Queen and Nightrider. Also called Queen of the Night. See also Elephant (von Wilpert). |- | Anchorite || || 1+.nX || t[WB] || Conclave Ecumenical chess || See Manticore. |- | Ancress || || n+, 1+.nX || Rt[WB] || Conclave Ecumenical chess || Combination of Manticore and Rook. |- | Andernach Grasshopper || || || || Andernach chess || A Grasshopper that changes the colour of the hurdle it leaps over. |- | Angry Boar ||WE|| 1+ || (0,1) || Dai shogi and other large shogi variant || Moves as a Wazir. |- | Antelope || AN || ~ 3/4 || (3,4) || Fairy Chess problems || Jumps three squares diagonally followed by one square orthogonally outwards. |- | Atlantosaur || || c1 || cWcF || Fairy Chess problems (J. de A. Almay, 1940) || Captures like a Mann (non-royal King) but never moves from his position unless to capture. |- | Anti-King || || 1 (captures friendly, not enemy pieces) || K (captures friendly, not enemy pieces) || || This piece is in check when not attacked. If a player's Anti-King is in check and unable to move to a square attacked by the opponent, the player is checkmated. A King may not attack the opponent's Anti-King. The Anti-King may not check its own King. |- | || PR || nX, ~1/2 || BN || Carrera'chess (1617), Kaiserspiel (Peguilhen, 1819), Bird Chess (1874), Capablanca Chess, Janus Chess, Modern Chess (Vicente Maura), Grand Chess (Freeling), Cavalier Chess (Duniho, 1999), Quintessential Chess (Knappen), Seirawan Chess, Musketeer Chess (Haddad), Sac Chess (Pacey, 2014)|| Combines the powers of Bishop and Knight. First named Centaur (Carrera), also called Princess (fairy chess), Adjutant (Peguilhen), Equerry (Bird), Cardinal, Minister (Vicente Maura's Modern Chess), Janus (Janus Chess), Paladin (Duniho), Hawk (Seirawan Chess). |- | Archbishop (Fox-Dawson) || AR || nX (bounce one edge) || B (bounce one edge) || Fairy Chess problems || Reflecting Bishop limited to a single bounce. |- | Archchancellor || || n+, ~1/2, 1X || RNF || Teutonic Knight's Chess (J. Knappen, 2009) || Heroine, Superchancellor (Pocket Mutation Chess), Octopus (original German term Krake by German problemists) or Crowned Chancellor: Combination of Empress/Chancellor and Ferz. Originally Erzkanzler in German. |- | Archer || || 2X || FA || Reformed Courierspiel Chess variant || See Elephant (Modern). |- | Archer (Modern) || VA || onX, c~nX (over exactly one hurdle) || mBcpB || Bigorra || Moves like a Bishop when not capturing, but captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on its destination square (the captured piece can be any number of squares beyond the hurdle). Also called Vao, Arrow, Crocodile. |- | Arrow (Duniho) || VA || onX, c~nX (over exactly one hurdle) || mBcpB || Yang Qi, Eurasian Chess (Duniho) || Moves like a Bishop when not capturing, but captures by leaping over an intervening piece and taking the piece on its destination square (the captured piece can be any number of squares beyond the hurdle). Also called Vao, Archer, Crocodile. |- | Arrow Pawn (Persson) || || o2+, c1X || mW2cF || Arrow Pawn Chess (R. Persson variant, 1938) || Moves orthogonally one or two squares and captures diagonally one square. |- | Assassin || || 1, c2 || WFcAcD|| Stealth chess || a Man that can also capture as an Alfil or Dabbaba. |- | Astrologer || || ~1/3.nX || t[CB]=t[LB] || Tiger Chess (Zacharias) || Moves as a Camel followed by moving any number of spaces diagonally outwards like a Bishop. |- | Auroch || || ~1/2, ~1/4 || N(1,4) || Fairy Chess problems || Combination of Knight and Giraffe (Pierre Monréal, 1975).

| B4nD || || 4X, 1+.1+ || B4nD || Chess with different armies (R. Betza, 1979) || Slides up to 4 squares as a Bishop or moves exactly 2 squares orthogonally (cannot leap the intermediate square) |- | || || nX, n(1/2) || BNN || 21st Century Chess (G. Jellis, 1991), Unicorn Chess (D. Paulowich 2000), Fearful Fairies (J. Knappen 2012) || Combines the powers of Bishop and Nightrider. Named Unicorn in Unicorn Chess, Cardinalrider (Pocket Mutation Chess, M. Nelson 2003) or Cardirider. |- | Barc || || ~2/1> (wide), ~1/2< (narrow) || fsNbbN || War of Worlds: Jupiter (R. Betza, ca. 1980) || Wide/Narrow-Hunter: moves forward as a wide Knight, and backward as a narrow Knight. The name is Crab spelled backwards. |- | Basilisk (Dragonchess) || || o1>, c1> || mfFfbWcfK || Dragonchess (3D, 1985) || Bound to lower board. 3D movement: Can freeze any opposing piece on the cell directly above it automatically until the Basilisk moves away or is captured. |- | Bear || SQ || ~0/2, ~1/2, ~2/2|| NAD || Fairy Chess problems (N. Kovacs, 1937), Bear Chess (Mikhail Sosnovsky, 1985) || Jumps to any square a distance of 2. Also called Squirrel. |- | Bede || || nX, ~2+ || BD || Chess with different armies (R. Betza, 1979) || Combination of Bishop and Dabbaba. |- | || BP || o1X>, c1>, io2X> || mfFcefWimfnA || Berolina Chess (Nebermann, 1926) | Moves one square diagonally forward (except on its first move, when it may move two), but captures by moving one square straight forward. Also known as Berlin Pawn, Peasant (Faerie Chess) or Anti-Pawn. Cf. Pawn. |- | Berolina Plus Pawn || || o1X>, c1>=, io2X> || mfFcfWcsWimfF2 || Berolina Plus || Berolina Pawn which can also capture one step orthogonally to the side. |- | Biok || || onX, cn+ || mBcR || Enlarged & Improved Chess, Parton's Chess || Moves like a Bishop and captures like a Rook. First proposed in Holland in 1696 as an Ensign (or Fähnrich in German), then by V.R. Parton in Chess Curiouser & Curiouser (1961). See also Roshop. |- | Bion || BL || || pB || Fairy Chess problems || Fairy chess Lion confined to diagonal lines. Also known as Bishlion and Bishop-lion-hopper. |- | Bishight || || nX>, ~1/2< || fBbN || Chess with different armies (R. Betza, 1979) || Bishop/Knight-hunter: moves forward as a Bishop, and backward as a Knight. |- | style="background:#ffce9e" | || B || nX || B = FF || Grant Acedrex (Alfonso X, 1283), Courier Chess (12th c.), Orthodox chess || Moves any number of free squares diagonally. Also called Cocatriz (Grant Acedrex, medieval Spanish for cockatrice, representing a crocodile), Courier (Kurrier) (Courier chess), Kakugyo (angle-mover) in shogi, or Ferzrider. |- | Bishop's dog || || 3X || F3 || Typhoon (A.King, 2009) || Moves and captures like a Bishop but limited to a maximum of 3 squares distance. |- | Bishopper || BH || ^nX|| gB || Fairy Chess problems || Grasshopper confined to diagonal lines. Also known as Bishop-hopper. |- | || BI || ~1/3, ~2/3 || CZ = LJ || Fairy Chess problems, Herd (S. Sirotkin, 2000) || Combination of Camel and Zebra. Compare Falcon (Falcon Chess). |- | Blind Dog || || 1<=, 1X> || sbWfF || Wa shogi and Taikyoku shogi variants || Combination of Flying Cock and Backslider. Also known as Yen. |- | Blind Monkey || || 1=, 1X || FsW || Dai dai shogi and other large Shōgi variants || Also known as Drunken Ferz and Diabolo. The Blind Bear in Taikyoku shogi has the same moves. |- | Blind Tiger || || 1X, 1<= || FsbW || Chu shogi and other large Shōgi variants || Moves one square in any direction except orthogonally forward. |- | Boa || || || zNN || Fairy Chess problems || A Nightrider making an obtuse turn after every Knight's move. Discussed as Crooked Nightrider by Ralph Betza, but not used in a game . Combination of (3,3)-Zigzag-Nightrider and (4,0)-Zigzag-Nightrider. Its first two steps form a nice 8-pointed star on the chess board. |-