Threeleaper (chess)

	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

Threeleaper (notation H) jumps three squares orthogonally, leaping over intermediate pieces.

A threeleaper (or trébuchet) is a fairy chess piece that jumps three squares orthogonally (the directions a chess rook can move), leaping over any intermediate piece. Below, it is given the symbol H from Betza notation.

Value

The threeleaper by itself is not much more powerful than a pawn, but as an additional power to other pieces it is worth about half a knight. Its value as a piece by itself is severely compromised by its being only being able to reach a ninth of the squares on any size of chessboard; combining it with other pieces usually masks this weakness to some extent.

References

• Ideal and Practical Values (part 4): Odds and Ends by Ralph Betza, The Chess Variant Pages
• Augmented [Different] Knights by Ralph Betza, The Chess Variant Pages