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Circe Chess

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description Circe Chess Overview

Circe chess is a fairy chess variant in which a captured piece is normally reborn on the square where that type of piece began the game, provided the destination square is vacant. The rebirth rule changes the meaning of captures, checks, and exchanges, because removing a piece can also return it to play elsewhere. The variant was invented by Pierre Monréal in 1968 and is defined by its altered capture and rebirth mechanics.

help Circe Chess FAQ

Who invented Circe Chess?

French chess composer Pierre Monréal introduced Circe Chess in the late 1960s. Monréal and Jean-Pierre Boyer detailed its rules in a 1968 article in the problem magazine Problème.

What happens to a captured piece in Circe Chess?

A captured piece is immediately reborn on the square where that type of piece originally started, provided that square is vacant. For example, a captured white knight normally returns to b1 or g1.

What happens if a Circe rebirth square is occupied?

If the original square is occupied, the captured piece is not reborn and is removed from play as in ordinary chess. This makes control of home squares an important tactical part of the variant.

How is Circe Chess different from Anti-Circe?

In Circe, the captured piece returns to its original square. In Anti-Circe, the capturing piece is the one that is reborn on its own starting square.

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