Janus Chess
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 8 | |||||||||||
| 7 | 7 | |||||||||||
| 6 | 6 | |||||||||||
| 5 | 5 | |||||||||||
| 4 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j |
Janus Chess initial position. The januses (knight+bishop compounds) start on the b- and i-files.
Janus Chess is a chess variant invented in 1978 by Werner Schöndorf from Bildstock, Germany. It is played on a 10×8 board and features a fairy chess piece, the janus, with the combined moves of a bishop and a knight. The janus piece is named after the Roman god Janus because this god was usually depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions.