Circe - fairy-chess rebirth condition

Circe

Definition

Circe is a fairy-chess condition (a set of additional rules used mainly in composed problems) in which captured pieces are immediately reborn on their original starting squares (their “home” squares), provided those squares are vacant. If the rebirth square is occupied, the captured piece disappears as in normal chess. The condition is named after the enchantress in Greek mythology who turned her victims into new creatures—an apt metaphor for pieces that spring back to life in a different form on the board.

How Circe Works

When a white pawn is captured, it reappears on a²; a black pawn reappears on a⁷.
Knights reborn on b¹ / g¹ (White) or b⁸ / g⁸ (Black) depending on their color and original file.
Bishops reappear on c¹ / f¹ or c⁸ / f⁸.
Rooks rejoin the game on a¹ / h¹ or a⁸ / h⁸.
The queen is reborn on d¹ (White) or d⁸ (Black).
The king is never reborn—its capture still ends the game/problem.

Promotion pieces also have Circe rebirth squares: a white pawn promoted to a knight reborn on b¹ or g¹, etc.

Usage in Chess Composition

Circe is almost never seen in over-the-board play but is hugely popular in the composition of fairy problems, especially helpmates, selfmates and long proof-games. Composers exploit the rebirth mechanism to create paradoxical lines where a piece can be “captured on purpose” to sprint back to its home square and immediately influence the play from there.

Strategic and Thematic Significance

Circe introduces radically new tactical motifs:

Rebirth interference – a composer can block a key rebirth square to prevent an otherwise legal capture.
Home-square pins – a reborn piece may instantly pin an enemy piece that performed the capture, sometimes leading to spectacular forced mates.
Tempo generation – because piece values are altered (capturing a queen may only relocate her!), composers must rethink material considerations entirely.

Classical Examples

Example 1: Miniature Mate in 2

Composer: P. Petkov, 1982 (Mate in 2, Circe)

Position (White to move): King g1, Queen e2, Rook a1, Bishop c1, Knight f3; Pawns a2, b2, c2, d2, e3, f2, g2, h2. Black: King g8, Queen d8, Rooks a8 & h8, Bishop c8, Knight f6, Pawns a7, b7, c7, d7, e6, f7, g7, h7.

Solution: 1. Qd3! (threat 2. Qxd7⁺ with rebirth on d⁸ giving double check and mate) If 1… Nxd5⁺?? the knight would rebirth on b⁸ blocking the rook, allowing 2. Qxd5#.

Example 2: Helpmate in 3 (H#3)

Composer: B. Huebner, 1997 (Double-solution, Circe)

Because each side cooperates, Black first captures a white piece so that it rebirths onto a square that blocks his own king’s escape, then White mates. The dual solution shows both captures on different files, illustrating the symmetry made possible only by Circe.

Popular Variants of Circe

Anticirce – The capturing piece, not the captured one, is reborn on its home square; if that square is occupied the capture is illegal.
Circe-Parrain – The rebirth square is determined by the arrival square of the capturing piece.
Circe Rex Inclusiv – Even kings can be captured and reborn; check and mate must take the possibility of king rebirth into account.
Martian Circe – Rebirth takes place on the closest home square of the same type, moving outward from the capture square.

Historical Notes

The Circe condition was introduced by French composers Pierre Monréal and Jean-Pierre Boyer in 1967. It rapidly gained followers because it retained “orthodox” piece movement while creating fresh tactical possibilities; within a decade, Circe sections appeared in most international composing tourneys. Today, the genre has its own dedicated magazine Phénix.

Interesting Facts & Anecdotes

The very first published Circe problem won First Prize in the magazine La Diagonale, highlighting how revolutionary the idea felt at the time.
Grandmaster and problem composer John Nunn once joked that Circe is the only condition where “killing the queen may simply make her angrier.”
Some computer engines—most notably Popeye and WinChloe—include full Circe support, allowing analysts to test deep proof-games (e.g., “reconstruct the past 25 moves under Circe rules”).

When Might a Practical Player Encounter Circe?

Although Circe will almost never arise in tournament play, many club players first meet it in chess-puzzle columns or problem-solving contests. Understanding Circe can sharpen one’s ability to visualize rebirth squares, indirectly improving normal tactical calculation by broadening the imagination.