38:
473:
150:
293:
171:
164:
136:
157:
143:
130:
309:
556:"The name of the game in adjoining countries appears to be derived from chaturanga - chatrang in Persian, shatranj in Arabic, chanderaki in Tibetan are examples. This suggests that the game, as well as its name, came from India. Also, as will appear, it was believed in Persia that the game arrived there from India."
325:
The name of the game in adjoining countries appears to be derived from chaturanga - chatrang in
Persian, shatranj in Arabic, Chanderaki in Tibetan are examples. This suggests that the game, as well as its name, came from India. Also, as will appear, it was believed in Persia that the game arrived
476:
The alfil can only reach one-eighth of the squares on the chessboard. Each of the eight alfils (represented by inverted bishops) can only move on squares of one color (either red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, violet, or
489:. Its value is severely compromised by its being "thrice-colourbound", only being able to reach an eighth of the squares on the 8×8 chessboard; combining it with other pieces usually masks this weakness to some extent. A
409:. The alfil can only reach one eighth of the squares on the board, whereas the dabbaba can reach one quarter, and the silver general can reach every square on the board.
452:). The names sometimes changed even more when chess eventually reached Europe, but eventually started to refer to the modern bishop rather than the alfil. Although
389:
considered the two-square diagonal leap to be the original move, and reasoned that the main reason for the changes that made the alfil and ferz stronger in modern
275:
The alfil jumps two squares diagonally, leaping over any intermediate piece. It captures enemy pieces in the same way. Some variants, such as
918:
725:
673:
568:
688:
318:(1937) (from Jacobus Publicius, in his Ars oratoria, Ars epistolandi, Ars memorativa, published by Erhard Ratdolt in Venice in 1482).
657:
514:
381:
The silver general move was stated by Henry
Davidson to resemble the four legs and trunk of an actual elephant. However,
560:
Ancient board games in perspective : papers from the 1990 British Museum colloquium, with additional contributions
913:
424:, and when chess came to the Muslims from Persia, the move had not changed, and then the name changed into Arabic to
354:
and shatranj. However, its original move is uncertain; two possibilities, other than the current alfil move, are the
887:
787:
718:
270:
The alfil, represented by an inverted bishop, may move to any marked square or capture the black pawn on e7.
697:
682:
509:
Both white and black symbols for the alfil have been provisionally accepted for a future version of the
711:
299:
37:
836:
892:
846:
649:
783:
653:
585:
564:
429:
405:, respectively) were that these were originally the weakest pieces in the game apart from the
347:
62:
851:
457:
445:
493:
and eight alfils, with each alfil covering a different eighth of the chessboard, can force
378:) variants of chess. When chess spread to China, the piece became the elephant in xiangqi.
831:
821:
816:
692:
464:
began to be used in chess problems in
English to refer exclusively to the original alfil.
433:
382:
362:. The variant using the dabbaba move eventually died out, but the other variant spread to
355:
331:
801:
758:
748:
486:
398:
78:
70:
558:
907:
861:
856:
811:
806:
768:
402:
327:
841:
773:
763:
753:
490:
482:
406:
734:
677:
394:
358:
move (jumping two squares orthogonally) and the move of the silver general from
539:
472:
292:
882:
351:
326:
there from India. The alfil is a very old piece, appearing in some very early
17:
877:
498:
494:
619:
485:, but as an additional backup for other pieces, it is worth about half a
371:
66:
510:
276:
413:
375:
370:, where it became the move for the equivalent pieces in the Burmese (
31:
471:
417:
390:
363:
359:
74:
36:
350:. It was probably one of the original chess pieces, appearing in
826:
367:
308:
707:
703:
428:, the already existing cognate to pil which comes from the
65:
that can jump two squares diagonally. It first appeared in
41:
Antique Indian elephant chess piece representing the king.
481:
The alfil by itself is not much more powerful than a
584:
Bala, Gavin Jared; Miller, Kirk (22 December 2023).
870:
782:
741:
460:and some other European languages, its former name
149:
563:. London: British Museum Press. 2007. p. 18.
298:The elephant (alfil) as depicted in the so-called
90:
279:, use a version of the piece that cannot leap.
27:Fairy chess piece; jumps two squares diagonally
719:
69:. It is used in many historical and regional
8:
726:
712:
704:
334:and shatranj. It was originally called an
314:An illustration of a medieval bishop from
620:"Proposed New Characters: The Pipeline"
531:
170:
163:
135:
420:, the Sanskrit name was translated to
156:
142:
126:
7:
456:is still the name of the bishop in
25:
432:language and ultimately from the
307:
291:
169:
162:
155:
148:
141:
134:
128:
81:in the 15th and 16th centuries.
436:language. The name thus became
1:
522: U+1FA57 BLACK CHESS ALFIL
77:before being replaced by the
919:Elephants in popular culture
520: U+1FA55 WHITE CHESS ALFIL
302:(11th century, South Italy).
935:
644:Dickins, Anthony (1971) .
29:
626:. The Unicode Consortium
283:History and nomenclature
30:Not to be confused with
698:The Chess Variant Pages
683:The Chess Variant Pages
646:A Guide to Fairy Chess
478:
444:(prefixing the Arabic
42:
691:by Fergus Duniho and
586:"Unicode request for
544:history.chess.free.fr
475:
40:
689:Piececlopedia: Alfil
515:Chess Symbols block
412:When chess came to
914:Fairy chess pieces
893:Staunton chess set
888:Piece point values
650:Dover Publications
479:
43:
901:
900:
570:978-0-7141-1153-7
513:standard, in the
268:
267:
73:. It was used in
63:fairy chess piece
16:(Redirected from
926:
728:
721:
714:
705:
663:
636:
635:
633:
631:
615:
609:
608:
606:
604:
594:
581:
575:
574:
554:
548:
547:
536:
446:definite article
387:History of Chess
311:
295:
173:
172:
166:
165:
159:
158:
152:
151:
145:
144:
138:
137:
132:
131:
91:
21:
934:
933:
929:
928:
927:
925:
924:
923:
904:
903:
902:
897:
866:
778:
742:Orthodox pieces
737:
732:
693:Hans Bodlaender
670:
660:
643:
640:
639:
629:
627:
617:
616:
612:
602:
600:
592:
583:
582:
578:
571:
557:
555:
551:
538:
537:
533:
528:
521:
507:
470:
383:H. J. R. Murray
332:Tamerlane chess
323:
322:
321:
320:
319:
312:
304:
303:
300:Charlemagne set
296:
285:
273:
272:
271:
175:
174:
167:
160:
153:
146:
139:
129:
87:
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
932:
930:
922:
921:
916:
906:
905:
899:
898:
896:
895:
890:
885:
880:
874:
872:
868:
867:
865:
864:
859:
854:
849:
844:
839:
834:
829:
824:
819:
814:
809:
804:
799:
793:
791:
780:
779:
777:
776:
771:
766:
761:
756:
751:
745:
743:
739:
738:
733:
731:
730:
723:
716:
708:
702:
701:
686:
669:
668:External links
666:
665:
664:
658:
638:
637:
610:
576:
569:
549:
530:
529:
527:
524:
506:
503:
469:
466:
397:(becoming the
328:chess variants
313:
306:
305:
297:
290:
289:
288:
287:
286:
284:
281:
269:
266:
265:
263:
260:
257:
254:
251:
248:
245:
242:
239:
236:
235:
232:
228:
227:
224:
220:
219:
216:
212:
211:
208:
204:
203:
200:
196:
195:
192:
188:
187:
184:
180:
179:
176:
168:
161:
154:
147:
140:
133:
127:
125:
121:
120:
118:
115:
112:
109:
106:
103:
100:
97:
94:
89:
88:
86:
83:
75:standard chess
71:chess variants
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
931:
920:
917:
915:
912:
911:
909:
894:
891:
889:
886:
884:
881:
879:
876:
875:
873:
869:
863:
860:
858:
855:
853:
850:
848:
845:
843:
840:
838:
835:
833:
830:
828:
825:
823:
820:
818:
815:
813:
810:
808:
807:Berolina pawn
805:
803:
800:
798:
795:
794:
792:
789:
785:
781:
775:
772:
770:
767:
765:
762:
760:
757:
755:
752:
750:
747:
746:
744:
740:
736:
729:
724:
722:
717:
715:
710:
709:
706:
700:
699:
694:
690:
687:
685:
684:
679:
675:
672:
671:
667:
661:
659:0-486-22687-5
655:
651:
647:
642:
641:
625:
621:
614:
611:
598:
591:
589:
580:
577:
572:
566:
562:
561:
553:
550:
545:
541:
540:"Charlemagne"
535:
532:
525:
523:
518:
516:
512:
504:
502:
500:
496:
492:
488:
484:
474:
467:
465:
463:
459:
455:
451:
447:
443:
439:
435:
431:
427:
423:
419:
415:
410:
408:
404:
400:
396:
392:
388:
384:
379:
377:
373:
369:
365:
361:
357:
353:
349:
345:
341:
337:
333:
329:
317:
310:
301:
294:
282:
280:
278:
264:
261:
258:
255:
252:
249:
246:
243:
240:
238:
237:
233:
230:
229:
225:
222:
221:
217:
214:
213:
209:
206:
205:
201:
198:
197:
193:
190:
189:
185:
182:
181:
177:
123:
122:
119:
116:
113:
110:
107:
104:
101:
98:
95:
93:
92:
84:
82:
80:
76:
72:
68:
64:
60:
56:
52:
48:
39:
33:
19:
18:Alfil (chess)
796:
784:Fairy pieces
735:Chess pieces
696:
681:
648:. New York:
645:
628:. Retrieved
623:
613:
601:. Retrieved
596:
587:
579:
559:
552:
543:
534:
519:
508:
480:
461:
453:
449:
441:
437:
425:
421:
411:
386:
380:
374:) and Thai (
343:
339:
335:
324:
315:
274:
58:
54:
50:
46:
44:
837:Grasshopper
678:Ralph Betza
624:unicode.org
597:unicode.org
395:Renaissance
393:during the
908:Categories
883:Hippogonal
847:Nightrider
630:4 February
603:4 February
526:References
352:chaturanga
330:, such as
878:Chess set
674:The Alfil
618:Unicode.
599:. Unicode
499:bare king
495:checkmate
477:magenta).
440:and then
852:Princess
590:symbols"
588:shatranj
434:Egyptian
430:Akkadian
372:sittuyin
348:Sanskrit
336:elephant
316:Chessmen
85:Movement
67:shatranj
59:elephant
871:Related
832:Giraffe
822:Empress
817:Dabbaba
511:Unicode
458:Spanish
385:in his
356:dabbaba
277:xiangqi
802:Amazon
759:Knight
749:Bishop
656:
567:
505:Symbol
487:knight
414:Persia
399:bishop
376:makruk
340:hastīn
79:bishop
32:Al-Fil
862:Zebra
857:Wazir
812:Camel
797:Alfil
769:Queen
652:Inc.
593:(PDF)
497:on a
468:Value
462:alfil
454:alfil
442:alfil
418:India
416:from
407:pawns
403:queen
391:chess
364:Burma
360:shogi
61:is a
57:, or
55:alpil
51:alfil
842:Mann
827:Ferz
788:List
774:Rook
764:Pawn
754:King
654:ISBN
632:2024
605:2024
565:ISBN
491:king
483:pawn
401:and
368:Siam
366:and
344:gāja
45:The
676:by
438:fil
426:fil
422:pil
346:in
342:or
47:pil
910::
695:,
680:,
622:.
595:.
542:.
517::
501:.
450:al
448:,
338:,
53:,
49:,
790:)
786:(
727:e
720:t
713:v
662:.
634:.
607:.
573:.
546:.
262:h
259:g
256:f
253:e
250:d
247:c
244:b
241:a
234:1
231:1
226:2
223:2
218:3
215:3
210:4
207:4
202:5
199:5
194:6
191:6
186:7
183:7
178:8
124:8
117:h
114:g
111:f
108:e
105:d
102:c
99:b
96:a
34:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.