Does the player have the option to move the king either 2 or 3 squares in castling?
. Normally, in castling, a player will choose to move the king three squares. The player has, however, the option of moving it two squares instead. This is in keeping with the teachings and tradition of conventional chess, where two types of castle exist. It should be remembered that the reason for having two types of castle in conventional chess is the absence of symmetry; the king being not at the center of its rank. In MINISTERS, given the larger board size the king is normally moved three squares in castling to reach the point where it is usually best protected. Since there are sometimes situations where the player may in fact prefer to move the king by two squares, rather than three, the player is given the option. In this way MINISTERS has two types of castle similarly to conventional chess, one leaving the king one square away from the board corner square, the other two squares. Such situations are not common. The option is given to the player, to use if ever the need arises.
