Sconibulus

The Elephant is a very important part of most attacks and defenses, so it’s nice to be able to tie your opponent’s down. Two of the most common ways to do this are the Frame, wherein a piece is stuck on a trap, with only a single piece in support, so that if the supporter moves the piece on the trap is lost and the hostage, where a piece is frozen within flipping distance of a trap, so that if the trap is abandoned it can be captured.

Frames: These usually require the elephant to be the piece in support to prevent capture, as weaker pieces can often be pulled away. To use a frame effectively, one needs to prevent the opponent from breaking it by either pulling or pushing one of the blocking pieces away, this can quickly lead to trap loss. Another thing that often needs to be done is to rotate strong pieces out of the frame to fight in other areas of the board. Ideally you can tie your opponent’s elephant down defending a horse with only a horse and seven small pieces (dog, cat, rabbit) or two horses and four small pieces, which leaves your elephant and camel free to terrorize the rest of the board. However, be mindful that the elephant does have the ability to leave, don’t leave your camel exposed or you might find yourself in a disadvantageous trade.