TITLE: Is chess Turing-complete?
QUESTION [25 upvotes]: Is there a set of rules that translates any program into a configuration of finite pieces on an infinite board, such that if black and white plays only legal moves, the game ends in finite time iff the program halts?
The rules are the same as ordinary chess minus the 50 move rule, exchanges and castling.
And what is the minimum number of different types of pieces (i.e. the simplest game) that is needed for a chess-like game to be Turing-complete?
(Each type of piece having a set of allowed moves that is invariant under translations)

REPLY [2 votes]: If you allow for a board with an infinitely repeating looping section (to emulate the infinite tape), I'm pretty sure you can develop a turing complete chess board.
Pawns probably can't be used (because they can't be moved back to loop a calculation) and queens probably have too much movement range to be useful as well. You'll probably need "walls" on your board (impassable squares) and possibly even multiple kings (all of which can be checkmated).
Suggested computation method: white is 1 move away from having his king checkmated and must check the black king on every move. The black king is moved around various arrangements of walls, white rooks, bishops and knights which perform the various operations required for calculation. Calculation halts when the black king comes to a dead end and can never win or can always win.