18982 - The innovation of the castle chessboard

N. Lygeros
Translated from the Greek by Vicky Baklessi

Even though the castle chessboard has been in existence already for a few centuries, its innovation continues to fascinate whoever has strategic and chess thinking. While chess belongs to the zero sum games and does not provide a framework of cooperation, the castle chessboard with the four players that work as pairs, comes to enrich the classical game and to introduce new mental schemata. With the two teams that may be placed in opposite sides or side-by side we immediately understand that the sequence of the players of the same team obtain not only meaning but also a great importance, because it will hold, support or harm the functionality of the team against the other. This of course in a new phenomenon for the traditional chess thought.
Furthermore, while there is the russian and european version of mate, we may utilize them to activate an allied framework where there isn’t only the cooperation of the players but the collaboration, since they can weave their game, so that they create a braid of strategies that goes deeper than the strategic mix of tradition. The castle chessboard also has the capability of the castles, as its etymology states it, that play a determinant role for the defense systems. Because this space is autonomous, without it being independent and asymmetrical towards the access due to the gate. Consequently, the castle chessboard also has siege element which enhance the strategic thought, since in the classical we utilize only the four angles. Thus educationally also the castle chessboard consists of a teaching innovation.