​1- The basic rules of Chess 99
Here are the basic rules of Chess 99. As one would expect, they are very similar to those of standard chess.
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Chess 99 is played by two opponents on opposite sides of a board appropriately divided into a 9x9 grid of squares of alternating color.
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Each player begins the game with a set of 18 pieces of 7 types.
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One set of pieces is of a light color and the other set is of a dark color.
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Each set includes a king, a queen, a paladin, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and nine pawns.
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Each type of pieces moves around the board in its own unique way – see “Movement of the pieces”.
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At the beginning of the game, one set of pieces occupies the two rows at one end of the board and the other set occupies the two rows at the opposite end – see “Initial setup”.
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The first player to make a move is decided by lot then players take turns making a move.
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A piece may not be moved to a square that is occupied by another piece of the same color.
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A piece may be moved to a square occupied by a piece of the opposite color in which case the opposing piece is said to be “captured” and is at once removed from the board.
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Making a play is always required.
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The objective of the game is to capture the opponent’s king.
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Play continues until a king is captured, a player resigns, or a draw is declared.
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Note: As per the customary practice, the player controlling the set of light pieces will be referred to as “white” and the player controlling the set of dark pieces as “black”.
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