General
You own whatever pieces are currently in your zone, regardless of who originally placed them.
Piece ownership in Martian Chess is determined entirely by location, not by color or original assignment. Any pyramid piece physically located in your zone of the board is considered your piece and may be moved by you on your turn. If a piece crosses the border into another player's zone, it immediately becomes that player's piece. This is the central rule that makes Martian Chess distinct from standard chess.
General
Each player controls a specific region of the board; pieces in that region belong to that player.
The board is divided into equal zones, one per player. In a 2-player game, each player owns one half of the 8x8 board (4 ranks each). In a 4-player game, each player owns one 4x4 quadrant. For 3, 5, or 6 players, geomorphic board sections are added to create appropriately sized zones. The boundary between zones is the key dividing line — pieces on your side belong to you; pieces on the opponent's side belong to them.
Turn structure
On your turn, you must move exactly one piece from your zone.
Each turn, a player must select exactly one piece currently located in their zone and move it according to its type's movement rules. Passing or skipping a turn is not allowed. If a player has no legal moves (all pieces in their zone are blocked), special end-game conditions may apply.
Movement
Pawns (small pyramids) move one space in any direction, including diagonally.
The Pawn is the smallest pyramid piece. It may move exactly one square in any of the 8 directions (orthogonally or diagonally). It captures by moving onto a square occupied by an opponent's piece. Pawns are worth 1 point when captured.
Movement
Drones (medium pyramids) move exactly two spaces orthogonally or diagonally, and can jump over other pieces.
The Drone is the medium-sized pyramid piece. It moves exactly two squares, either orthogonally (like a rook but exactly 2) or diagonally (like a bishop but exactly 2). Crucially, Drones can jump over intervening pieces — they are not blocked by pieces between their start and end square. Drones capture by landing on a square occupied by an opponent's piece. Drones are worth 2 points when captured.
Movement
Queens (large pyramids) move any number of spaces in a straight line (orthogonally or diagonally), like a chess queen.
The Queen is the largest pyramid piece. It may move any number of squares in a straight line — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally — exactly like a queen in standard chess. Queens are blocked by intervening pieces and cannot jump over them. Queens capture by moving onto a square occupied by an opponent's piece. Queens are worth 3 points when captured.
Combat
Capture by moving your piece onto a square occupied by an opponent's piece; the captured piece scores points for you.
A capture occurs when you move one of your pieces onto a square currently occupied by a piece in an opponent's zone (i.e., a piece belonging to an opponent). The opponent's piece is removed from the board, and you score points equal to its size: Pawn = 1 point, Drone = 2 points, Queen = 3 points. You keep the captured piece as a physical score token. You cannot capture your own pieces (pieces in your own zone).
Restriction
You cannot capture a piece in your own zone.
Since all pieces in your zone are considered 'your' pieces, you cannot move one of your pieces onto a square occupied by another of your pieces. A piece may only capture pieces belonging to opponents (i.e., pieces located in another player's zone). You also cannot move to a square already occupied by one of your own pieces.
