Hippogonal
Term for a type of chess move
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A hippogonal (pronounced /hɪˈpɒɡənəl/)[citation needed] chess move is a leap m squares in one of the orthogonal directions, and n squares in the other, for any integer values of m and n.[1] A specific type of hippogonal move can be written (m,n), usually with the smaller number first. A piece making such moves is referred to as a (m,n) hippogonal mover or (m,n) leaper. For example, the knight moves two squares in one orthogonal direction and one in the other, it is a (1,2) hippogonal mover or (1,2) leaper.
For a (m,n) leaper the occupation of others than the destination square plays no role, thus a (2,2) leaper (Alfil) moves to the second square diagonally and may thereby leap over a piece on the first square of the diagonal. A (m,n) leaper can, by the usual convention, move in all directions symmetric to each other, thus e. g. a (1,1) leaper (Ferz) can move in the four directions (1,1), (1,-1), (-1,1) and (-1,-1).
Other hippogonally moving pieces include the camel,[2] a fairy chess piece, which moves three squares in one direction and one in the other, and thus is a (1,3) hippogonal mover. The Xiangqi horse is a hippogonal stepper and the nightrider is a hippogonal rider.[3]
The pieces are colourbound if the sum of m and n is even, and change colour with every move otherwise.
