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Zebra (chess)

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White zebra
Black zebra
Icons for the zebra used in diagrams

The zebra is a fairy chess piece that moves like a stretched knight. It jumps three squares horizontally and two squares vertically or three squares vertically and two squares horizontally, regardless of intervening pieces; thus, it is a (2,3)-leaper. A lame zebra, which moves one step orthogonally and then two steps diagonally outwards and can be blocked by intervening pieces, appears as the elephant in janggi.

Movement

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abcdefgh
8
b7 black circle
f7 black circle
a6 black circle
g6 black circle
d4 white zebra
a2 black circle
g2 black circle
b1 black circle
f1 black circle
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
The zebra may move to any of eight squares (black dots).
abcdefgh
8
a8 four
b8 three
c8 six
d8 one
e8 four
f8 five
g8 four
h8 one
a7 five
b7 four
c7 one
d7 four
e7 three
f7 four
g7 three
h7 four
a6 two
b6 three
c6 four
d6 three
e6 two
f6 five
g6 two
h6 three
a5 five
b5 two
c5 five
d5 four
e5 five
f5 white zebra
g5 five
h5 four
a4 two
b4 three
c4 four
d4 three
e4 two
f4 five
g4 two
h4 three
a3 five
b3 four
c3 one
d3 four
e3 three
f3 four
g3 three
h3 four
a2 four
b2 three
c2 six
d2 one
e2 four
f2 five
g2 four
h2 one
a1 five
b1 four
c1 three
d1 four
e1 three
f1 two
g1 three
h1 four
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Distance from the f5-square, counted in zebra moves.

Value

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The zebra by itself is worth just below two pawns (appreciably less than a knight) due to its restricted freedom of movement on an 8×8 board. Its larger move is the main reason why it is weaker than a camel on an 8×8 board, even though the camel is colorbound and the zebra is not. A king, a bishop, and a zebra can force checkmate on a bare king; a king, a knight, and a zebra cannot; and a king, a camel, and a zebra cannot. The rook versus zebra endgame is a win for the rook. (All endgame statistics mentioned are for the 8×8 board.)

As a component of other pieces, the zebra has about the same value as the knight (both pieces can move to eight squares). Its long move carries the danger of causing unstoppable attacks in the opening and winning large amounts of material. Ralph Betza opined that the zebra's move was too large to be functional on an 8×8 board and that only on a 10×10 board or larger would it be worth its ideal value of about a knight.

See also

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References

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