Chess Variants/Los Alamos Chess
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Los Alamos Chess (also known as anti-clerical chess) is a small chess variant played on a 6 by 6 board. It was the first chess-like game played by a computer program.
History[edit | edit source]
Los Alamos chess was created in 1956 by researches at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in order to test the computing power of the MANIAC I computer, built in 1952. The MANIAC I lacked the computing power to play a full orthodox game, so the team had to ctreate a smaller version of the game to accomodate it.
During a series of trials, the MANIAC I played three games. The first game it played against itself. The second game it played against a strong human player, who defeated it despite playing without a queen. The third game saw it defeat a novice human player, marking the first time a computer defeated a human in a chess-like game.
Rules[edit | edit source]
Los Alamos chess is played on a 6 by 6 board, with each player controlling a full FIDE army sans both bishops and two pawns. The rules are mostly the same as the standard game with the following differences:
- A pawn may not be promoted to a bishop.
- Pawns do not have their initial two-step move, and as such there is no en passant.
- There is no castling.
Sub-variants[edit | edit source]
This chess variant does not not have any notable sub-variants.
Example Game[edit | edit source]
Event: Third Trial Game
Site: Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, United States
Date: Unknown
Round: 3
White: MANIAC I
Black: Beginner Player
1.d3 b4 2.Nf3 d4 3.b3 e4 4.Ne1 a4 5.bxa4 Nxa4 6.Kd2 Nc3 7.Nxc3 bxc3+ 8.Kd1 f4 9.a3 Rb6 10.a4 Ra6 11.a5 Kd5 12.Qa3 Qb5 13.Qa2+ Ke5 14.Rb1 Rxa5 15.Rxb5 Rxa2 16.Rb1 Ra5 17.f3 Ra4 18.fxe4 c4 19.Nf3+ Kd6 20.e5+ Kd5 21.exf6=Q Nc5 22.Qxd4+ Kc6 23.Ne5# 1–0