Fairy Pieces

What are Fairy Pieces?

A "fairy" piece is a non-Standard Chess piece. In addition to moving in unique ways, these pieces may also follow special rules. Because these are not standardized pieces, the majority of Chess sets do not come with these pieces.

Below is a selection of Fairy Pieces and their abilities.

	Ferz
The Ferz (or Minister) is an old piece - it was originally part of the standard set before it was replaced by the piece that would become the Queen. A Ferz can move 1 space diagonally, capturing a piece if it moves into their space.

	Wazir
This piece gets its name from the Arabic word for Vizier. The Wazir can move 1 space in the cardinal directions, like a Rook with a limited range.

	Elephant
The Elephant (also known as the Alfil) was once a standard piece; it was replaced by the Bishop. Unexpectedly, Elephants move by jumping two spaces diagonally. Similar to the Knight, nothing happens to any piece jumped over, but the piece the Elephant lands on is captured. And probably a pancake.

	Dabbaba
A "dabbaba" was a siege engine or tank. Unlike many Fairy Pieces, the Dabbaba has its own design. The Dabbaba jumps two spaces in a cardinal direction, like a Rook / Knight hybrid.

	Nightrider
Also known as a Nightmare or Unicorn, the Nightrider is the Rook/Bishop of the Knights. In other words, it can continue jumping in the same direction until its blocked or reaches the end of the board.

	Chancellor
One of the most well-known Fairy Pieces, the Chancellor (or Emperess) is a combination of the Knight and Rook pieces. It's able to move as a Knight or as a Rook, giving it quite the range.

	Amazon
The biggest "screw you" of all Fairy Pieces, this is a combination of a Knight and a Queen, able to leap over any obstacle or attack from almost anywhere on the board.