Camelot Rules FAQ

Answer: The Plain Move, one of the three basic Camelot move types, occurs when a piece (either a Knight or a Man) moves one square in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) to an unoccupied adjoining square.

Question: May a piece move backwards?

Answer: Yes. A piece (either a Knight or a Man) may move in any direction, including moving backwards.

Question: What is a Canter?

Answer: A Canter, one of the three basic Camelot move types, occurs when a piece (either a Knight or a Man) leaps in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) over a friendly piece (either a Knight or a Man) that occupies an adjoining square, onto an unoccupied square immediately beyond it in a direct line.

Question: Are pieces Cantered over removed from the board?

Answer: No. A piece Cantered over is not removed from the board.

Question: May I Canter over an enemy piece?

Answer: No. Only friendly pieces may be Cantered over.

Question: I know that a Knight may Canter over a Man. May a Man Canter over a Knight?

Answer: Yes. Any piece may Canter over any other friendly piece.

Question: It’s my move, and I can Canter over one of my pieces. Must I do so?

Answer: No. A Canter is never mandatory.

Question: May I Canter over more than one piece in a single move?

Answer: Yes. You may Canter over multiple friendly pieces.

Question: While Cantering, may I change direction?

Answer: Yes. You may change direction as often as the position permits.

Question: While Cantering, must I keep on Cantering as long as I can?

Answer: No. You may end the Canter whenever you choose.

Question: I have a possible Canter in which my piece would end up on the same square from which it started. Am I allowed to do that?

Answer: No. A Canter that begins and ends on the same square is not allowed.

Question: What is a Jump?

Answer: A Jump, one of the three basic Camelot move types, occurs when a piece (either a Knight or a Man) leaps in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) over an opposing piece (either a Knight or a Man) that occupies an adjoining square, onto an unoccupied square immediately beyond it in a direct line.

Question: Are Jumped pieces removed from the board?

Answer: Yes. A Jumped piece is captured and immediately removed from the board.

Question: May I Jump a friendly piece?

Answer: No. Only enemy pieces may be Jumped.

Question: I know that a Knight may capture a Man by Jumping. May a Man capture a Knight by Jumping?

Answer: Yes. Any piece may Jump any other enemy piece.

Question: May I Jump more than one piece in a single move? Must I keep on Jumping as long as I can?

Answer: Yes to both questions. Having Jumped over one enemy piece, the Jumping must continue as a part of that same move if your piece reaches a square next to another exposed enemy piece.

Question: While Jumping, may I change direction?

Answer: Yes. You may change direction as often as the position permits.

Question: If I have two possible Jumps, do I have to choose the one that captures the most pieces?

Answer: No. If presented with capturing alternatives, you may choose which opposing piece to capture, as well as with which of your pieces to effect the capture.

Question: Knights and Men appear to have the same abilities. Is there any difference between a Knight and a Man?

Answer: Yes. A Knight (only) may combine a Canter and a Jump in a single move, called a Knight’s Charge.

Question: It’s my move, and I can Jump an enemy piece. Am I forced to Jump?

Answer: If a Jump is available, you are compelled to capture either by a Jump or by a Knight’s Charge.

Question: It’s my move, and I can Jump an enemy piece. Are there any exceptional circumstances under which I may ignore the compulsion to capture?

Answer: When there is a Jump available, the only exception to the capture compulsion is if on the previous move you have Jumped into your own Castle. In that case, only, you must ignore the compulsion to capture, and vacate your Castle.

Answer: No. A Knight’s Charge must follow the order of, and is limited to, first the Canter(s) and last the Jump(s).

Question: It’s my move, and I don’t have any possible Jumps, but I have a possible Knight’s Charge. Am I obligated to Charge?

Answer: No. You are never obligated to make a Knight’s Charge.

Question: It’s my move, and I don’t have any possible Jumps. While Cantering one of my Knights, I’ve reached a square where it’s possible to Jump an enemy piece. Must I do so?

Answer: Yes. The Canter of your Knight has now become a Knight’s Charge, so you must make a capturing move, either immediately, or later in this move.

Answer: You must tell him to take his move back. A player who makes an illegal move must retract that move and make a legal move. If the mistake is only noticed later on, the game must be restarted from the position in which the error occurred.

Question: May I move one of my pieces into my own Castle?

Answer: You may not enter your Castle by means of either a Plain Move or a Canter or the Cantering portion of a Knight’s Charge. You may, however, enter your Castle by means of a Jump or the Jumping portion of a Knight’s Charge.

Answer: You must continue the Jump out of your Castle. The World Camelot Federation Official Rules of Camelot are the rules that you must follow―they supersede the Parker Brothers rules.

Answer: You must vacate your Castle. That move takes priority over the requirement to Jump.

Question: On my previous move, I Jumped into my own Castle. I now have the possibility of either Plain Moving out or Jumping out. May I choose either move?

Answer: No. If you have the ability to vacate your Castle with a Jump, you must choose that over a non-capturing move.

Question: On my previous move, I Jumped into my own Castle with my Knight. I now have the possibility of either Jumping out or moving out with a Knight’s Charge. May I choose either move?

Answer: Yes. You may satisfy the requirement of vacating your Castle with a capturing move by making a Knight’s Charge.

Question: Once I move one of my pieces into my opponent’s Castle, may I move that piece out?

Answer: No. That piece must remain in your opponent’s Castle, but may move from one Castle Square to the other (called a Castle Move).

Question: Is there any limit to the number of Castle Moves that I can make in a game?

Answer: Yes. You are allowed at most two Castle Moves per game.

Answer: The game is not over. The World Camelot Federation Official Rules of Camelot are the rules that you must follow―they supersede the Parker Brothers rules. Two or more pieces vs. one piece is not a win; its outcome—possibly a draw—is yet to be determined. In some Parker Brothers rules, a win by elimination required the elimination of all of the opponent’s pieces. In other Parker Brothers rules, however, the wording was changed to “elimination of all, or all but one, of the opponent’s pieces.” This change in wording resulted from the fact that it is not possible, with correct play, for one piece to stop another (opposing) piece from entering its Castle. Thus, if one side has two pieces and the other side one piece, it is impossible (with correct play) for the one to stop the two, even if the stronger side already has one of its pieces in the opponent’s Castle, and even if the weaker side temporarily has the opposition (a position where the pieces are on the same rank, file, or diagonal with an odd number of squares separating them, and the stronger side must move, thereby allowing the weaker side to stop the advance of the stronger side’s piece). This change in wording, however, not only failed to take into account possible misplays by the stronger side; much more importantly, it failed to take into account situations where the weaker side could initiate a combination (a series of forced moves that leads to a significant change in positional or material advantage) that would, although reducing itself to one piece, reduce the stronger opposing side to one piece or no pieces, thus securing a draw.

Question: The WCF rules say that stalemate is a loss for the stalemated player. Shouldn’t stalemate be a draw, as in Chess?

Answer: The game is won if a player has two or more of his own pieces left and his opponent is unable to make a legal move. Stalemate is a win for the stalemating player, a loss for the stalemated player. Stalemate most commonly occurs when one side has only one piece, is in its opponent’s Castle, and has exhausted its two Castle Moves. However, stalemate is a win only if the stalemating player has two or more pieces left; otherwise, with both players only having one remaining piece, the game is drawn, with or without the occurrence of stalemate.

Question: I have an old Camelot board on which the squares are numbered 1 through 156, A, B, Y, and Z. But I notice that the WCF rules use a different, algebraic notation system. Why the change?

Answer: The algebraic notation system is simpler and more logical to use, and conforms to modern standards of game notation. Oddly enough, Parker Brothers advocated using an Abbreviated Algebraic Notation system in its game of Chivalry, the forerunner of Camelot. Unfortunately, the abbreviation resulted in Jumps not being differentiated from Canters, and worse yet, intermediate leaps not being specified. As a result, Camelot was introduced using a Numerical Notation system. To standardize the recording of games, the World Camelot Federation adopted a Full Algebraic Notation system.

Answer: To standardize the recording of games, and in so doing simplify the comparison of game scores, the WCF rules specify that the colors of the two players are White and Black, and that White always moves first from the same starting position.

Question: What if I have a question that isn’t answered here?

Answer: I promise that no question will go unanswered! Feel free to contact me at michael@worldcamelotfederation.com with any questions you have, no matter how simple, no matter how complex.