THE WORLD CAMELOT FEDERATION
OFFICIAL RULES OF GRAND CAM
© 2008 Michael Wortley Nolan and The World Camelot Federation
PLAYERS: The game of Grand Cam is played between two opposing teams, each team composed of two players. The four players are called Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow. Red and Blue are partners on one team, Green and Yellow are partners on the opposing team. The players’ positions, moving clockwise around the four sides of the Grand Cam Board, are Red, Blue, Green, Yellow. The four players make moves in the following repeating order: Red, Green, Blue, Yellow.
PLAYING SURFACE: The Grand Cam Board contains 93 squares of identical size. Ranks are rows of squares, numbered 1 through 13, running horizontally from one side of the board to the other. Files are columns of squares, lettered A through M, running vertically from one end of the board to the other. The squares of the board, with their actual Grand Camelot designation used for game notation, from the bottom rank to the top rank, from the left-most file to the right-most file, are: G1, F2, G2, H2, D3, E3, F3, G3, H3, I3, J3, K3, C4, D4, E4, F4, G4, H4, I4, J4, K4, C5, D5, E5, F5, G5, H5, I5, J5, K5, B6, C6, D6, E6, F6, G6, H6, I6, J6, K6, L6, A7, B7, C7, D7, E7, F7, G7, H7, I7, J7, K7, L7, M7, B8, C8, D8, E8, F8, G8, H8, I8, J8, K8, L8, C9, D9, E9, F9, G9, H9, I9, J9, K9, C10, D10, E10, F10, G10, H10, I10, J10, K10, D11, E11, F11, G11, H11, I11, J11, F12, G12, H12, G13. Four of the squares are designated Castle Squares. Red’s Castle Square is G1, Blue’s Castle Square is A7, Green’s Castle Square is G13, and Yellow’s Castle Square is M7.
PIECES: The pieces are called Knights and Men. Each player begins the game with 7 pieces: 2 Knights and 5 Men. The starting positions are: Green Knights on F12 and H12, Green Men on G12, F11, G11, H11, and G10, Yellow Knights on L6 and L8, Yellow Men on J7, K6, K7, K8, and L7, Red Knights on F2 and H2, Red Men on G4, F3, G3, H3, and G2, Blue Knights on B6 and B8, and Blue Men on B7, C6, C7, C8, and D7.
THE PLAIN MOVE: A piece (either Knight or Man) may move one square in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) to any adjoining unoccupied square.
THE CANTER: A piece (either Knight or Man) may leap in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) over a friendly (his, or his partner’s) piece (either Knight or Man) that occupies an adjoining square, provided that there is an unoccupied square immediately beyond it in a direct line onto which the leap may be made. This move is called a Canter. Pieces cantered over are not removed from the board. A player may canter over more than one piece during the same move, but may not make a Canter that ends on the same square from which it began. When cantering over more than one piece in a move, the direction of the move may be varied after each Canter. A player is never compelled to canter, nor when cantering is he compelled to canter as far as possible.
THE JUMP: A piece (either Knight or Man) may leap in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) over an opposing (either opponent’s) piece (either Knight or Man) that occupies an adjoining square, provided there is an unoccupied square immediately beyond it in a direct line onto which the leap may be made. This move is called a Jump. Each enemy piece jumped over is captured and immediately removed from the board. A player is obliged to Jump if any one of his pieces is next to an exposed enemy piece. Having jumped over one enemy piece, the jumping must continue as a part of that same move if the player’s piece reaches a square next to another exposed enemy piece. When jumping over more than one piece in a move, the direction of the move may be varied after each Jump. If presented with capturing alternatives, a player may choose which opposing piece to capture, and with which of his pieces to effect the capture. When compelled to Jump, a player may, if he can, capture by a Knight’s Charge instead. A player may ignore his obligation to jump in two situations, only:
1. If, on his previous move, a player has jumped one of his pieces over an opponent's piece into his own or his partner’s castle, ending his turn there, he must, on his next turn, immediately move that piece out from his own or his partner’s castle.
2. A player may not jump into the castle of his non-opposite opponent.
THE KNIGHT’S CHARGE: A Knight (only) may combine a Canter and a Jump in a single move, called a Knight’s Charge. A Knight’s Charge must follow the order of first the Canter(s) and last the Jump(s). A Knight is never obliged to make a Knight's Charge. When cantering over more than one piece during the cantering portion of a Knight’s Charge, the direction of the move may be varied after each canter. If the canter of a Knight brings it next to an enemy piece that can be jumped, it must do so, unless by a different route later in that same move it captures one or more enemy pieces elsewhere. During a Knight's Charge, the directions of the last canter and first jump need not be the same. Having jumped over one enemy piece during the jumping portion of a Knight’s Charge, the jumping must continue as a part of that same move if the player’s Knight reaches a square next to another exposed enemy piece. When jumping over more than one piece during the jumping portion of a Knight’s Charge, the direction of the move may be varied after each jump.
NOTATION: The Plain Move is indicated by the notation “-” placed between the starting square and the ending square, e.g., C8-D9. The Canter is indicated by the notation “-” placed between the starting square, landed upon intermediate squares (if any), and the ending square, e.g., E6-C8-E10. The Jump is indicated by the notation “x” placed between the starting square, landed upon intermediate squares (if any), and the ending square, e.g., H4xJ4xL6. The Knight’s Charge is indicated by the notation “-” placed between the beginning square of the cantering portion, landed upon intermediate squares (if any), and the ending square of the cantering portion, and the notation “x” placed between the ending square of the cantering portion (the beginning square of the jumping portion), landed upon intermediate squares (if any), and the ending square of the jumping portion, e.g., F6-F8-H8xH10xJ8.
OBJECT: The game is won if a player moves any one of his pieces (Knight or Man) onto his opposite opponent’s castle square. The game is won if a partnership captures all of its opposing partnership’s pieces. Note that if one player loses all of his pieces, his partner may fight on, but each succeeding turn of the player with no remaining pieces is a pass-turn.
PARTNERSHIP’S CASTLE SQUARES: A player may not Plain Move or Canter one of his pieces (Knight or Man) onto his own or his partner’s castle square. If an enemy piece reaches a square adjacent to either of his partnership’s castle squares, a player may Jump, or make the jumping portion of a Knight’s Charge, over that enemy piece onto either of his partnership’s castle squares. A player may not, during the cantering portion of a Knight's Charge, move his Knight onto either of his partnership’s castle squares. If a player Jumps over an opponent's piece onto either of his partnership’s castle squares, and the player’s piece is then next to an exposed enemy piece, the jumping must continue (out of his partnership’s castle) as part of that same move. A player who has jumped one of his pieces over an opponent's piece onto either of his partnership’s castle squares, and in so doing was unable to continue the jumping out of his partnership’s castle as part of that same move, must, on his next turn to move, immediately move that piece out from his partnership’s castle, with no exception. A player moving one of his pieces out from either of his partnership’s castles must Jump out, if possible, instead of plain-moving or cantering out. If a player has the opportunity to Jump out from either of his partnership’s castles, he may, if he can, satisfy the obligation to capture by means of moving out with a Knight's Charge instead.
NON-OPPOSITE OPPONENT’S CASTLE SQUARES: A player may not, under any circumstances, enter the castle of his non-opposite opponent.
