80-Square Chess

Chess has evolved over a span of about 2300 years. The game was not always the “packaged game” that it is today. Its origins are traceable to Indian ashtapada boards commonly used among diceplaying games of that time. This game spread from culture to culture via several different means, periodically undergoing revision. Most chess players are aware of the radical reforms that shaped the game of chess during the Medieval Era, but probably only a few players are aware of the changes proposed by former World Champion José Raoul Capablanca in the 1920s. This paper focuses on the 80-square version of chess recommended by Capablanca, identifies some of the anomalies associated with Capablanca’s chess, and proposes a slightly modified version of his setup as a plausible enhancement, called Gothic chess. New values for the pieces on the 10 × 8 board are derived. Subsequently, five Gothic-chess computer programs are introduced. Finally conclusions and perspectives are given.