Jetan - Jetan in Burroughs' Novels

Jetan in Burroughs' Novels

According to The Chessmen of Mars, Jetan was said to represent an ancient war between the Yellow and Black races of Barsoom. This explains why the orange pieces begin on the "north" side and black pieces on the "south", because Barsoom's Yellow and Black races inhabit its north and south polar regions, respectively.

The second half of The Chessmen of Mars takes place in the city of Manator, where the most popular civil event involves human beings fighting to the death in a life-sized Jetan game viewed by hundreds of spectators. The "board" is large enough that some of the pieces are mounted on thoats and yet still fit in a single "square". However, this life-and-death version departs from the rules of Jetan in one very significant way: When one piece lands on a square occupied by another, the first does not automatically replace the second. Rather, the two pieces fight to the death, and the winner of the swordfight wins the square. The lone exception involves the Princess: if one side's piece lands on a square occupied by the other side's Princess, no battle occurs, and the first side wins the game.