OFFICIAL PLUNDERCHESS® RULES

PRINTABLE RULES (PDF)

The Eleven Basic Rules of PlunderChess® Play…

1. "Plundering" occurs when a chess piece captures an opposing piece and immediately "plunders" or "acquires" additional moving capabilities directly from the piece it just captured, hence, strengthening the capturing piece.

2. Plundering is optional and may be declined by the player making the capture. YES, sometimes you do NOT want to plunder a vest from the spoils of the kill!! The case for NOT plundering would be if you suspect your opponent will immediately capture you back (making a "trade") and acquire the vest you just plundered. (See rule #9 below)

3. When plundering is elected, a "colored vest" that corresponds to the moving capabilities being plundered, gets coupled to the chess piece that made the kill. This newly acquired vest, readily visible to both players, signifies the pieces extra moving capabilities for one future move. NOTE: If you are playing PlunderChess® via the game App (available in both AppStore and PlayStore) this unique plundering feature is illustrated by the overlaying of a colored corresponding banner (again, called "vests") on the piece that makes the capture.

4. The added moving capability provided by a plundered vest may be used one time only on any future move. (I.e., the plundered vest may be used on it's very next move or carried around on the board by the piece wearing it and used later in the game, but only once.)

5. When a capture takes place, in order for the “capturing” chess piece to plunder a vest, the vest must offer it some type of additional moving benefit or said capturing piece will not be allowed to plunder that vest. (I.e., you will never see a queen wearing a rook vest because a queen already possesses the moving capabilities of a rook and a rook vest provides NO additional moving benefits to the queen.)

6. After a vest is used (one time) to move a chess piece on the board, it is immediately rendered powerless and immediately expunged from play.

7. No more then one plundered vest is allowed to be worn on any one chess piece at a time. (I.e., you will never see a piece wearing two or more vests.)

8. If a chess piece wearing a plundered vest makes another capture (assuming capture was NOT due to its vest power), it may still swap out its unused vest for a freshly captured vest.

9. If you capture a piece that is wearing a vest, you may; a) plunder the vest it wears, or… b) plunder a vest that represents the captured piece, or… c) altogether decline to plunder a vest. Your choice.

10. Vests check automatically and have unlimited checking capabilities! For instance, if a chess piece wearing a vest is moved on the board (by the power of its traditional moves) to a new position whereby the power from the vest is now attacking the opposing king, this is an automatic check. Additionally, the vest that is "automatically checking" the opposing king, IS NOT SURRENDERED because vests have unlimited checking privileges.

11. "Pawn vests" are NOT promotable, only the actual pawn chess pieces are.

Rules in Greater Detail

Part I. Definitions

Part II. Game Rules

2-1. To Start Play – All chess pieces begin the game in their normal starting positions just as they would in traditional chess play. Vest pieces are kept to the side, temporarily out of play. White makes first move of the game.

2-2. Playing the Game – As the game proceeds, chess pieces will be captured and removed from play. The capturing pieces earn the opportunity of becoming privileged by plundering moving capabilities from the captured chess pieces. This unique “plundering” feature gives players the opportunity to strengthen their chessmen as the game is played out.

2-3. Moves of an “Unprivileged” Piece – All unprivileged chess pieces may only make conventional-moves. In other words, the unprivileged chess piece has no additional moving capabilities and moves just like it would in traditional chess play.

2-4. Moves of a “Privileged” Piece – All privileged chess pieces are capable of making either a conventional-move or a vest-move. In other words, a privileged chess piece may move based upon the authority granted from the type of chess piece it is or from the type of vest it wears.

2-5. Key Points To Plundering

• The ability to Plunder is available to every chess piece. Every chess piece in the game of PlunderChess® is capable of capturing and plundering additional moving capabilities from opposing chess pieces. However, not every capture will result in plundering.

• Plundering is NOT always permitted.  For plundering to be permitted, the plundered vest MUST provide some benefit to the chess piece wearing it.  If it does not, plundering is illegal and will not be allowed.  

• Plundering is optional.  Plundering is a right earned and does NOT have to be elected.  When the option presents itself, the choice to plunder may be declined by the player of the capturing chess piece.  If however plundering is chosen, the capturing chess piece plunders (attaches to itself) a vest that now empowers it with added moving capabilities taken from the captured chess piece.

• The plundered vest must represent the moving capabilities taken from the captured piece. The vest plundered must directly correspond to whatever moving capabilities the capturing chess piece is taking from the captured chess piece.  In other words, if the capturing chess piece is plundering the additional moving capabilities of a knight, then it must acquire the knight vest, etc.

• Chess pieces are limited to wearing ONE plundered vest at a time.  No chess piece may possess more than one vest at any one time.  In other words, you will not see a chess piece on the board wearing two or more vests.

• Plundered vests are good for one move only.  A privileged chess piece with vest power is entitled to exercise its vest-move option for one future move whenever it so desires.  Upon completion of this vest-move, the vest is considered “used up” or “spent” and must immediately be uncoupled from the chess piece wearing it and returned to the vest stand out of play.

• When a privileged chess piece captures and plunders via its vest-move.   When a privileged chess piece uses its vest power to capture an opposing piece (i.e. the capturing move is a vest-move) it may immediately plunder (if permitted, see table 2-8) new moving capabilities from its captured piece.  Of course the “just used/spent” vest must first be uncoupled and discarded from play before plundering any new vest.

• When a privileged chess piece captures and plunders via its conventional-move.   When a privileged chess piece captures an opposing chess piece apart from using its vest power (i.e. the capturing move is a conventional-move) it will be allowed to immediately plunder (if permitted, see table 2-8) new moving capabilities from its captured piece.  Of course the “un-used” vest must first be uncoupled and discarded from play before plundering any new vest.

2-6. Greater Detail 

Upon capturing an opponent’s chess piece, if the capturing piece and the captured piece are both unprivileged, then the capturing chess piece may (if permitted, see permitted table) plunder a vest that represents the moving capabilities of the captured chess piece. 

Upon capturing an opponent’s chess piece, if the capturing chess piece is unprivileged and the captured chess piece is privileged, then the capturing chess piece may (if permitted, see permitted table) plunder a vest that represents the moving capabilities of the captured chess piece, or plunder the actual vest that is worn by the captured chess piece.

Upon capturing an opponent’s chess piece, if the capturing piece is privileged and the capturing move was a conventional-move, and the captured piece is unprivileged, then the capturing chess piece may decline to plunder and keep its unused vest or may (if permitted, see permitted table) immediately plunder a replacement vest provided it uncouples and removes its unused vest from play.  The new plundered replacement vest must represent the moving capabilities of the captured chess piece.

Upon capturing an opponent’s chess piece, if the capturing piece is privileged and the capturing move was a conventional-move, and the captured piece too is privileged, then the capturing chess piece may decline to plunder and keep its unused vest or may (if permitted, see permitted table) immediately uncouple and remove. 

Upon capturing an opponent’s chess piece, if the capturing piece is privileged and the capturing move was a vest-move, and the captured piece is unprivileged, then the capturing piece must first uncouple and remove from play its “used up” vest.  Then it may (if permitted, see permitted table) immediately plunder a vest that represents the moving capabilities of the captured chess piece.

Upon capturing an opponent’s chess piece, if the capturing piece is privileged and the capturing move was a vest-move, and the captured piece too is privileged, then the capturing piece must first uncouple and remove from play its “used up” vest.  Then it may (if permitted, see permitted table) immediately plunder a vest that represents the moving capabilities of the captured chess piece, or plunder the actual vest that is worn by the captured chess piece.

2-7. Plundering Your Opponent in the context of Tabletop Board Play

As mentioned earlier, plundering is optional and may be declined.  To avoid confusion and possible disputes over whether or not a player is electing to plunder from a capture, the decision to plunder must be made prior to the close of the player's turn.  It is important therefore, that the player of the capturing chess piece adhere to the following three steps when plundering, or his/her right to plunder is forfeited.

1. The aggressor player moves the capturing chess piece onto the same square as the opponent’s piece being targeted for capture. (Both pieces now temporarily occupy the same square.)

2. At this time, BEFORE REMOVING THE OPPONENT'S CAPTURED PIECE FROM PLAY, if plundering is desired, the player of the capturing chess piece must now take possession of a permitted vest and attach it, or “couple” it, to the capturing chess piece.

3. Once the vest has been coupled to the capturing chess piece, then and only then, may the player of the capturing chess piece remove the opponent's captured chess piece from play.

2-8. Table of Priveleged Chess Piece Combinations

* King vests may be plundered when playing “Two King” variations – See FAQ 3-11
** Only benefit of queen wearing pawn vest is the possible future en passant capture of an enemy pawn – See 2-10

When a “Privileged” pawn reaches the other end of the board by a…

When an “UnPrivileged” pawn reaches the other end of the board by a…

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