This is a chess variant that I made up that drastically changes the rules of the game. The difference revolves around the pawns, or ‘civilians’ if you will.
The pawns start out uncontrolled on the center two lines of the board. A pawn can move in any direction forward or backward but can only kill on a diagonal.
To control a pawn you have to be able to kill it imminently. If you have that ability you can move that pawn into any space that is open to it.
Proxies This is what makes the game interesting. If you can coerce a pawn into doing your bidding, you can have it force another pawn to do your bidding as well. The chain of coercion can only go two steps. IE. Rook - Pawn - Pawn. That second pawn can of course kill if it is in a position to do so. Pawns of course can kill other pawns at any time.
What this variant does is it vies for positioning of the pawns. The strings of coercion can get confusing, so danger is even more subtle than it is in regular chess.
A couple interesting strategic concepts I’ve observed.
Tribal loyalty to your color pawns. Treat the same colored pawns as ‘your people’ and protect them.
Corporate loyalty to your pawns, they are independent contractors, all pawns are the same. There are no my pawns, your pawns, their pawns, they are all just pawns.
Get the King up a few lines on the board, surround him on every perpendicular, he controls four pawns giving him an area of control that covers about 1/3 of the board. If pawns come into his killzones he can get them to do whatever he wants on his turn.
Pawns can still be turned into other pieces if they reach the enemy’s home row.