title: Balbo's game
text: # Balbo's game
  
  Balbo's game is a chess variant invented by M. [Monsieur] G. Balbo in 1974. The chessboard has a novel shape comprising 70 squares, and each player commands a full chess army minus one pawn.
  
  The game was featured in Le Courrier des Echecs magazine, September 1974.
  
  ## Game rules
  
  The starting setup is as shown. All the rules of chess apply, except there is no castling, and promotion squares are specially defined:
  
  * At the end of the d- through h-files, pawns have normal promotion options.
  * At the end of the c- and i-files, pawns may promote only to a bishop or knight.
  * At the end of the outer four files, pawns may not promote.
  