Short assize

"The short assize" (French court assize = "short sitting") is H. J. R. Murray's name for a chess variant that was played in medieval Europe.

It was somewhat like sittuyin but developed independently, probably to get the armies into contact sooner.

It was current in England and Paris in the second half of the 12th century, and perhaps at other times and/or places.

After that, the usual rules of medieval chess (i.e. shatranj or similar) applied.

The ordinary European chess of the time was sometimes called the long assize to distinguish.

A short assize chess initial position
A short assize chess initial position