Mann (chess)

A Mann (also known as a Guard, Sage, Commoner, Prince) is a fairy chess piece that can move like a King, but has no royal power.

• Courier chess as Mann.
• Roman chess as archer or chariot.
• Two Kings Each as the non-royal king playable at Internet Chess Club under variant wild 9.

Movements

	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

Possible movements of the unhindered Mann piece. (Usually shown as an inverted King)

	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

Starting position of the variant Two Kings Each, The king closest to the a-file is the one you must checkmate to win.

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j
10											10
9											9
8											8
7											7
6											6
5											5
4											4
3											3
2											2
1											1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j

Roman Chess starting setup. Archers are on c1, h1, c10 and h10 for black.

Value

A Mann is approximately equal in strength and value to a knight, generally speaking. Often it takes a few moves to get the Mann properly developed in the opening. It is very effective at close proximity, where its striking power is considerable; although it is rather slow, the Mann is extremely good at both attacking and defending nearby pieces and pawns, like the King for instance (Ward 1996:13). The Mann reaches its peak value during the endgame, in which its fighting strength is slightly enhanced above a knight's value, despite being slightly below a knight in the starting phase of the game.

See also

• King
• King and pawn versus king endgame
• Opposition (chess) - technique of king facing king

References

• Wild 9 guide on Internet Chess Club
• Roman Chess brief overview
• Ward, Chris (1996), Endgame Play, Batsford, ISBN 0-7134-7920-5