The House of Staunton, in conjunction with 4-time US Chess Champion Yasser Seirawan are proud to introduce the latest masterpiece from the House of Staunton - The Seirawan Plastic Chess Set. Seirawan Chess is a revolutionary new Chess variation that has one single purpose - to make Chess fun again! In an age where your average desktop computer is capable of defeating the world's strongest Chess players, Seirawan Chess builds upon the classical foundation of Chess but adds 2 new pieces - The Elephant and the Hawk. The addition of these two new pieces changes everything and results in a fun, exciting game that is equally challenging for beginners as it is for grandmasters. Even GM Yasser Seirawan lost at Seirawan Chess during the introductory simulation (see videos under the Extended Information tab.)

If you are tired of studying endless opening theory and just want to have fun playing the game of Chess, Seirawan Chess is for you!

THE HISTORY OF SEIRAWAN CHESS
The idea of adding pieces to chess is hardly new. "Chancellorchess", which introduced a rook-knight on a 9x9 board, was proposed in 1889by Ben Foster, an American. The rook-knight (as the "Centaur")apparently dates back to 1617. The bishop-knight has a long pedigree as well,and in the 1920s Cuban World Champion Jose Raoul Capablanca proposed"Capablanca chess", adding both pieces (the "Chancellor" andthe "Archbishop") on a 10x10 board.

The motivation behind all the proposed reforms of chess have been the same -rather than becoming a test of skill, imagination and creativity, chess hadbecome a matter of knowledge and technique. Capablanca's pessimistic view thatchess was "played out" some 80 years ago was shown by the subsequentdevelopment of chess to be premature and unjustified, although in retrospectCapablanca was prescient and his views were hardly deserving of the ridiculethey received. The feeling that chess was played too much by rote has beenshared by many players for many years. For example, Capablanca was quoted in theCharleston Gazette on February 12, 1928: "In chess today everything isknown to great players. There are no new moves, no new tactics to consider. Ifthe game is to grow it will have to be modified."

With the advances and elaboration of opening theory and the advent of theinternet, databases and chess-playing computer engines, Capablanca's intuitionhas been vindicated, just as it has been in so many of his games. At the highestlevel, new moves are seen only after 20, 25 or more theoretical moves areplayed, if they are seen at all. A player who knows the theory of an openingwill beat a player who doesn't. Preparation and memorization count for more thanskill and ability. Players no longer have to work things out, even before thegame - computers will do that and the player's job is to memorize the results.

Many players, especially younger players, quit chess not because they no longerenjoy playing, but because there is so much emphasis on studying andmemorization that they can't afford the time to keep up with those few playerswho do study intensely. For kids, chess becomes too much like school, and foradults chess becomes too much like work. From being a interesting, challengingand social game, it becomes a burden.

Prohibiting adjournments (so that computer analysis can't be used for ongoinggames), faster time controls in tournaments (to pressure players into makingmistakes) and other stopgap measures can't fully revive chess. What is needed issomething new, to put players on their own resources again and allow them toexperience the joy of discovering new aspects to an ancient game.

Capablanca almost had it right, but the variations of chess proposed to datehave had the significant drawback of requiring an expanded board. This createsseveral problems. From the theoretical point of view, the size of the boardaffects the relative value of the pieces, the most obvious example being that alarger board decreases the power of the short-range knight and king relative tothe other pieces. Pawns also can't come to grips with the opposing forces asreadily, and the pawn structures familiar to experienced players disappear.Conceptually, an expanded board throws out the baby with the bathwater.

From the practical point of view, an expanded board means that existing boardsbecome obsolete and have to be replaced. In addition, more pawns are needed.This makes upgrading existing sets much more cumbersome and expensive, andcreates an unnecessary barrier to the acceptance of the improvement.

"Seirawan chess" does not require a new set or board - only fouradditional pieces. The game starts as a normal chess game. The players will notbe disoriented. But the placement of the pieces on squares vacated by theexisting pieces changes the game and creates innumerable possibilities whichrender all existing opening theory open to reexamination and opens up many newpossibilities as well. Players who understand the principles of opening playwill do well, while players who rely primarily on memorizing variations willfind themselves in trouble. For the foreseeable future, computers won't be partof the game and human thought will once again be essential to understanding thegame. We won't know all the answers, whether in the opening, middle game orendgame.

Seirawan chess, by introducing two new pieces, makes chess fun again!

The Hawk & Elephant - Exclusively in Seirawan Chess

The Hawk and Elephant are not in play at the start of the game, which beginsexactly as a normal chess game.

  

Initial Placement

Seirawan chess begins in exactly the same manner as a conventional chess game.The Hawk and the Elephant do not start the game.

When a player first moves a piece from its original square, that player has theoption of placing the Hawk or Elephant on the vacated square, as part of theplayer's move. Thus if a player played Ng1-f3, he or she could place the Hawk orElephant on g1. The move would be recorded as 1.Nf3(Hg1).

Since each side has eight pieces (K, Q, R, R, B, B, N, N), a player has eightopportunities to bring the Hawk and Elephant into play. If a player fails to doso, the unplaced piece remains out of play.

When a player castles, the Hawk or Elephant may be placed on either e1(8) orh1(8)/a1(8), but not on both. Two moves are required to bring both the Hawk andElephant into play.

Promotion

A player may promote a pawn to either a Hawk or an Elephant.

Bug

The Hawk and Elephant can (and should) be used in Bughouse. As in Seirawanchess, the Hawk and Elephant start off the board and enter play when a piece isfirst moved from its original square. Once in play, the Hawk and Elephant areexchanged and placed in the same manner as any other piece.

ANINTRODUCTION TO SEIRAWAN CHESS
BY4-TIME US CHAMPION YASSER SEIRAWAN

SEIRAWANCHESS SIMULTANEOUS EXHIBITION
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SEIRAWAN CHESS SIMULTANEOUS EXHIBITION
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