Grasshopper (chess piece)

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Grasshopper (shown as an inverted queen with notation G) must hop over other pieces in order to move or capture. Here, it can capture the pawn on a7.

The grasshopper is a fairy chess piece that moves along ranks, files, and diagonals (as an ordinary queen) but only by hopping over another piece at any distance to the square immediately closest. If there is no piece to hop over, it cannot move. If the square beyond a piece is occupied by a piece of the opposite color, the grasshopper can capture that piece. The grasshopper may jump over pieces of either color; the piece being jumped over is unaffected.

On the diagram it is shown as an inverted queen with notation G.

For an example of grasshopper movement see the first diagram. The white grasshopper on d4 can move to the squares marked with crosses (b2, d1, d7 and h8), as well as capture the black pawn on a7. It cannot move to g4, because there are two pieces to hop over.

The grasshopper was introduced by T. R. Dawson in 1913 in problems published in the Cheltenham Examiner newspaper. Nowadays it is one of the most popular fairy pieces used in chess problems.

Sample problem

V. Onitiu, N. Petrović, T. R. Dawson
& C. M. Fox (1930)

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Mate in 8 (with grasshoppers Ga8, f7, h2 and h1)

Solution:

1.Gh3! Gh4 2.Gh5 Gh6 3.Gh7 Gh8 4.Ge7 Gd7 5.Gc7 Gb7 6.Ga7+ Ga6 7.Ga5+ Ga4 8.Ga3#

See also

• Grasshopper chess
• Xiangqi and janggi feature a "cannon" with similar abilities