The mann (plural ''mannen'') or man is a

fairy chess piece A fairy chess piece, variant chess piece, unorthodox chess piece, or heterodox chess piece is a chess piece not used in conventional chess but incorporated into certain chess variants and some chess problems. Compared to conventional pieces, fair ...

that may move to any adjoining square. It is similar to the

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

, but it is not a (i.e. it is not subject to check and

checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

), and it cannot

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

.Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 244. ''Mann''. The mann is used in many

chess variant A chess variant is a game related to, derived from, or inspired by chess. Such variants can differ from chess in many different ways. "International" or "Western" chess itself is one of a family of games which have related origins and could be co ...

s. In this article's diagrams, the mann is represented by an inverted king.

Movement

The mann has the basic move of a

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

: it may move to any adjoining square. It is otherwise treated as a normal chess piece (i.e. it can be captured and is not subject to check or

). The mann is unable to castle. It is simply a

ferz The ferz or fers is a fairy chess piece that may move one square diagonally.Piececlopedia: Ferz
at ''< ...

+ wazir compound.

Value

In general, the mann is approximately equal in strength and value to the

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

. The mann often takes a few moves to get properly in the opening. It is effective at close proximity, where its striking power is considerable. Although it is rather slow, the mann is excellent at both attacking and defending nearby pieces and pawns, similar to the king. The mann reaches its peak strength during the endgame, in which its value is slightly more than a knight, despite being slightly less than a knight in the opening. It is possible to force checkmate with a mann and a king against a lone enemy king; since the enemy king cannot move to attack either, it is quite easy to box the king into a corner.

History

The mann is one of the most simply described

chess piece A chess piece, or chessman, is a game piece that is placed on a chessboard to play the game of chess. It can be either white or black, and it can be one of six types: king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, or pawn. Chess sets generally come with ...

s and as such has a long history and has gone by many names. A similar piece known as the ''dabbaba'' was described c. 950 in a form of chess on a 10×10 board. The mann is used in

Courier chess Courier chess is a chess variant that dates from the 12th century and was popular for at least 600 years. It was a part of the slow evolution towards modern chess from Medieval Chess. Medieval rules Courier chess is played on an 8x12 board (i.e ...

, invented in the 12th century and commonly played until the 18th century. Many chess variants have used the mann; modern instances include

Quatrochess Quatrochess is a chess variant for four players invented by George R. Dekle Sr. in 1986. It is played on a square 14×14 board that excludes the four central squares. Each player controls a standard set of sixteen chess pieces, and additionally ...

(as mann), Roman chess (as archer or chariot), and Knightmate (as commoner).

Examples

Each mann is represented by an inverted king in the following examples.

Notes

References

Bibliography * * *

External links

Roman Chess
brief overview

brief overview {{Chess piece Fairy chess pieces