Dabbaba (chess)
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The dabbaba, also known as the dabaaba or dabbabah, is a fairy chess piece that jumps two squares orthogonally (the directions a rook can move), leaping over any intermediate piece. In algebraic notation, it is given the symbol D.
History and nomenclature
The dabbaba is a very old piece, appearing in some very early chess variants, such as Tamerlane chess.[1][2][3]
The name dabbaba (Arabic: دَبَّابَة) means "
Value
The dabbaba by itself is not much more powerful than a pawn, but as an additional power to other pieces, it is worth about half a knight. Its value as a piece by itself is severely compromised by its being "twice-colourbound"—able to reach only a quarter of the squares on the 8×8 chessboard. Combining it with other pieces usually masks this weakness to some extent. A king and four dabbabas, with each dabbaba covering a different quarter of the chessboard, can easily force checkmate on a bare king.
References
- ISBN 0-486-20739-0.
- ISBN 0-9524142-0-1.
- ISBN 978-0-9555168-0-1.
Bibliography
- Dickins, Anthony (1971) [Corrected repub. of 1969 2nd ed., The Q Press, Richmond, Surrey, England]. A Guide to Fairy Chess. New York: ISBN 0-486-22687-5.
External links
- Piececlopedia: Dabbabah by Hans Bodlaender, The Chess Variant Pages
- The Dabaaba by Ralph Betza, The Chess Variant Pages