T3rminator® Horde
A game on zen2play
35 pawns, one robot, against the full army.
Horde chess with a T3rminator in the Horde. It starts on d3 with no move of its own and copies the last knight, bishop or rook Black moved, so every Black piece move does two things. Reach rank 8 and its power is locked for good.
What the T3rminator becomes
Only the Horde has a T3rminator, and only Black decides its power. Pick what it is now, then Black's move. The picture shows what it becomes.
Bishops of either colour give the same power. Castling moves a rook, so it gives a rook. Nothing the Horde does changes it, and once it has reached rank 8 it is locked: nothing changes it again. Online the game swaps the picture for you.
See it on the board
Five moments from real positions. The line under each board is what the game tells you.
Waking up
The Horde played a5 and Black answered Nf6, a knight move, so the T3rminator on d3 is now a knight. Its own pawns box it in: of the eight knight squares only e5 is empty. That is its one way out.
Don't hand the Horde a weapon
Black's king is on d7, and the T3rminator, still with no power, stands on d3 below it. Any move of the rook on a1 would make the T3rminator a rook, and the d-file is open: Black's own king would be in check. So the rook can't move at all. The king can.
Change it to escape
The T3rminator, a bishop on b5, checks Black's king on e8. Black can move the king, or use the rule: Nb3 (or Nc2) is a knight move, so the T3rminator becomes a knight, and a knight on b5 does not attack e8. The check is gone.
Lock it on rank 8
The T3rminator, a knight on c6, can jump to b8 or d8. Either move reaches rank 8, and its knight power is locked for the rest of the game.
A mate only the T3rminator makes
The Horde plays Rc8+. In ordinary chess Black blocks with the bishop on d8 or f8. Here, moving a bishop turns the T3rminator on b2 into a bishop, and the long diagonal to h8 is open. The h6 pawn guards g7. Every defence is illegal: checkmate.
can move therecan't move in checkthe T3rminator's line
Rules at a glance
Everything else is Horde chess.
What is Horde chess?
White, the Horde, has 36 pawns and no king; Black has the usual 16 pieces. The Horde moves first and wins by checkmating Black. Black wins by capturing everything the Horde has. Horde pawns on rank 1 or 2 may move two squares.
Where does the T3rminator start?
On d3, in place of one of the Horde's pawns: 35 pawns and the T3rminator. Only the Horde has one.
What gives it a move?
Black. When Black moves a knight, bishop or rook, the T3rminator takes that power and keeps it until Black moves a different one. Castling counts as a rook move. Queen, pawn and king moves change nothing, and nothing the Horde does changes it.
What can it do with no power?
Nothing: it cannot move and attacks nothing, but it blocks like any piece and Black can capture it. A thin orange glow marks it until it is activated.
What does locking do?
Move the T3rminator onto rank 8 and its power is locked for the rest of the game. Black's moves no longer change it, and its purple disc stops blinking.
What is Black's one rule to remember?
Black can't make a move that would turn the T3rminator into a piece attacking Black's own king, just as you can't move a pinned piece. The same rule lets Black escape a check by changing its power, unless it is locked.
Does Black have to capture it?
Yes. Black wins only when every Horde unit is gone: every pawn, every promoted piece and the T3rminator.
What if the Horde has no move?
It is stalemate: a draw, not a loss. The Horde has no king, so it is never in check.
Time, rating and draws?
5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes each (15 by default) with no limit per move: your clock is your only limit, the whole hour in a 60-minute game. A win against a person earns 5 rating points; a loss or a draw costs nothing; abandoning a game loses it and costs 5. Everyone starts at 1000, and it is your one z2p rating: every game on zen2play adds to the same number. A position only repeats if the T3rminator's power and lock match too.
No one free to play?
Play Zen, our computer player, at Calm or Master, as the Horde or as Black. Zen plays by exactly the same rules, is always clearly labelled, and games against Zen are not rated.
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