Hietman

The spirit of the army in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was tempered by the hietman. He showed a pattern of courage, inspired in times of despair, restoring hope and faith in success, cared for soldiers between battles. First, the duke elected a hietman for a certain military campaign, and then the position became lifelong. The mace of the great hietman was given to the most prominent magnates of the duchy - seven Radziwills, six Sapiehas, three Ahinskis. And each of them was distinguished by bright managerial and competitive talent.

Hietman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Leu Sapieha. Portrait of the 17th century.
Tombstone of Hietman Kanstanсin Astrozhski in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Model of the original monument from 1579, lost in 1941.

When the hietman wanted to emphasize that he despised danger and was firmly convinced of his and the army's lucky star, he went to the battlefield without a helmet and armor. But never forgot the sharp sword. A brave, intelligent, prudent hietman also gives strength to the Belarusian and Litvin chess army. It unites soldiers with the idea of ​​fighting for supreme power for those who really deserve it.

Ян Караль Хадкевіч (у чырвоным) вядзе войска ў бітве пры Хоціне. Карціна Юзэфа Бранда, 1867 год.
Jan Karol Сhadkievich (in red) leading an army in the Battle of Khotyn. A painting by Jozef Brandt, 1867.

 

At the beginning of the game the piece of the hietman stands to the right of the kniaź: f1 - white; d9 - black. Hietman can walk in any direction, including diagonally, and at any distance. The main thing is that these steps are consistently and steadily approaching victory. It is the strongest figure in the army: having lost the hietman, the ratniks, it happens, immediately yield to the enemy.

The game allows an ordinary ratnik to become a hietman: to apply for a high position, it must reach the edge of the field and thus prove his military prowess.

The project is in three dimensions

"Belarusian Chess" exists in digital, noble and gift versions. Get to know them.