Comments by GeorgeDuke

Stephane Burkhart, who posts Mapped Chess this week, made the last Comment in his own Fractal Chess from 2006: ''In reading the ECV by Pritchard, I found a similar (but not reducible to game to mine) called 'Sub-Chess' by Chabotaryov in 1988. So I must give him the origine of the concept.'' In turn, Mapped Chess and Fractal Chess have their comparabilities for follow-up Comment. Nowadays only a year later, the prolificists (not referring to Burkhart's 5 games at all of course nor singling any one out) do not simply thank for the information about a related (earlier) form. Not having researched their topic, they increasingly are defensive or annoyed about comparable prior art called to attention. People have been at this for at least 1500 years, and madly for ten years(25 years counting Betza), so Burkhart's is a good reaction, loosely ''How interesting great minds can think alike'' in praise(respect) for the priority. Cleverly here in going from larger to smaller scale a la Fractal, same-side opposite-colour Bishops can end on same colour. ''See the consequences at smaller scale.'' Ingenious and maybe at first opaque in the detail requiring another Comment along with the Mapped one. These CVs in style are not far removed from Ralph Betza and J. P. Neto and David Howe in mixing the abstact with the specific embodiment.

Above Average 6.5 out of 10. The newer prolificists Joe Joyce and Gifford are relatively untested objectively. Here 11 piece-types on 121 are close to the norm roughly 10%(wide divergence sometimes makes a good game too, so this measure is mostly descriptive). Let us begin to place these new bodies of work(as done by looking at 10-15 Charles Gilman's 150 CVs mostly June 2007). Renaissance (1980) 120 squares, Vyremorn (developed 1987-1999) 132, and Jester(1999) 120 are three 'comparables' as a rough starting point, somewhat randomly chosen. PoM and those three all are characterized by being very large 105 to 132 squares(not extremely large: that would be 144-196) and somewhat complicated. There has to be a pretty compelling new mechanism to expect much following for a CV bigger than 85 or 90 squares and so rather complex. Most pieces here are just renamed longstanding variant fare. In PoM of the two actually novel pieces, the Medusa is only another name for 'Ultima/Rococo/Fugue'(PoM predates Fugue) Immobilizer restricted to one, two or three steps. Unique castling rule of trading places and extended Pawn two-step from Rank 3 are possibly unique features. The Sample Game and Problems enhance the product, but over-all somehow lack of imaginativeness compared to Vyremorn and Renaissance. The other two very large Chesses from the same period(excluding earlier Renaissance) have wider more original piece mixes. The other new piece is the Morph, superficially Rococo Chameleon-like. Since captures are not so common or controllable, Morph would remain a prosaic Bishop on the average the first maybe 10 or 20 moves before opportunity to Morph. Just Medusa as restricted maximum-three-stepper and Morph on 8x8, 8x10, 9x10 would make a Good game, but PoM stretched to 121 looks to be long drawn out. It has the usual disadvantage on >=100 of poor Knight(Horse) and Bishop(Adviser) being lost or foresaken by the more powerful long-rangers battling to pick off Pawns or bully those weaker pieces.

1997 was a big year for naming pieces Medusa. The naming of Medusa is the lead-in to this 1997 Betza article. Ralph Betza calls 'Medusa' a piece like Immobilizer but instead of adjacency, the mechanism for immobilizing is whether the piece attacks the Medusa(causing the same Immobilizing on attacker as Immobilizer). Also in 1997 pamphlet 'How To Play Medusa Chess', also precisely the lead-in for 'PoM', Gary Gifford calls 'Medusa' an equivalent to 1960's Ultima Immobilizer(one-, two- or three-stepping) plus normal captures. Gifford must have been aware of Ultima if not web-based Chess Variants. [Anyone please inform if knowing Betza's Medusa is used elsewhere; we suspect other CVs even by JJoyce or GGifford or JGood themselves may have that we glanced but have not reached again, yet it seems to originate here with Betza; and welcome any corrections]

Gary Gifford's Comment about his own PoM ''The Medusa is not be underestimated'' is rather fatuous, because as well as other games, the renamed Immobilizer, Medusa, figures in this far superior game Rococo. Immobilizer, or this 'Medusa', is forty years old coming from Ultima and of course it is not underestimated, full Queen-moving form or restricted up-to-three square form. [The PoM form also captures normally so being way too strong] In Rococo we think Immobilizer is already the strongest piece superior to Long Leaper. There have been extensive discussions for these piece values over years, Advancer, LL, Immobilizer, Withdrawer, Chameleon, all Rococo units; and incidental use in PoM is comparatively insignificant. Combined Gifford 'Medusa' and more original Morph together would have good potential if on a reasonable not oversized board. But here in Rococo is professional-design implementation of Immobilizer. After 3500 separate write-ups for CVs, it is important for designers to begin not to see their creations only in isolation. The trend unfortunately and incredibly is to take things the other way and even ignore past art.

Rule Number 25. Reaching the Quintillions. 2,998,272,000,000,000,000. No rounding up to 3 Quintillion either, leave it that way. A logical thread too. Here we ask the age-old problem, how can Knight or Bishop be further strengthened on 10x10? Answer in part, Selective Inverse Capture. (a) No effect (b) In addition to regular move and capture, Knight attacked by any piece or pawn may capture it by its manner (c) Bishop only has the power of Inverse Capture[Ralph Betza's ICC] (d) Both N and B have the capability (e) Falcon only adds this inverse capture provision to her repertoire (f) Knight, Bishop and Falcon (g) The provision of 'b' excludes Pawns attacking (h) The sub-rule 25d excludes only Falcons, never able to be captured inversely. For example, '1c4b25d' strengthens Knights and Bishops on 10x10 to the extent that Knight can also move as Camel at option, and Knight and Bishop both may capture inversely. Period. Fully described. No need for separate Chess Variant Page write-up #3501, nor politics.

This looks fun but who has the time? The only GC log was abandoned before completion. Since we are using Havel's Jester 1999(and Brown's Centennial 100 sqs.) for comparison of Very Large CVs, this recalls the fine novelty of Jester, Quadra-Pawn, and Archer together. Somehow here so many as 110 squares are an exigency to accomodate the specific mix, and they must have gone back and forth between the piece-types and size to perfect it. Piece values to the tenths seem like serious effort, taking account of that board size. The five different promotion variations(Shogi-like) are an overcomplication, and Brown simplified with slightly later Centennial, their semi-collaboration justifying extensive borrowing. The 'inadvertent' Murray Lion's appearing so frequently, as here, may carry a message: who can rule out random(computer?) piece creation as a possibility? Two pieces per move until capturing could be a good standard for Very Large category. These two Comments three yrs. apart intentionally complement so not to repeat.

Still within the first two of 9 sections of Inverse Capture, Ralph Betza speculates ''...how the game would work if you had some Inverse Capture pieces on the same board as some normal pieces.'' Clearly that would be the better embodiment, more natural in not having to re-interpret each piece's ability(ies), changing as they do by position with each move. Suppose only Knights have Inverse Capture capability. We in fact incorporate that option in '91.5 Trillion FCVs' at Rule Number 25. If on Betza's 8x8, Knights take inversely, then Queen attacking Knight can itself be taken. So, Knights thus empowered will seldom be captured by Queen or Rook. The third section is not so related to this article, describing a Mutator ('Immediate Effect') that allows a capturer to continue capturing as long as possible. The idea of Taylor's Immediate Inverse Capture within is that only to attack(Betza's Medusa-like from first section that immobilizes) is to be captured: the piece is immediately removed, no choice in the matter, as itself captured. These are not so well playable as Simple Inverse Capture particularly with the Rule applying to only one or two of the piece-types as stated.

This thread is for Chess-Battle, a fine game chosen by CVP founder Hans Bodlaender, using Pritchard's then new ECV as major source. The game dates from before the modern era of CVs (1933) and its power derives duly from respect for that historicity, as well as being eminently playable. The early CVPage write-up from 1996 is among the first 60 or 80 CVs getting separate Rules treatment. Chess-Battle's relation to other CVs from the rachetting-up 1930's is evident, a popular time for war-theming. The same decade's Novo Chess from the other end of Europe is another example using military units. Cavalry and Soldier here in Chess-Battle are interesting compound movers. Cavalry incorporates both Knight and Camel distances and cannot jump over enemy's pieces.

Late in the game, Ralph Betza develops the theme of multiple occupancy in several articles. Zero Relay is one Multiple Occupancy CV recently reviewed. Generally a 'Betza' article creates not only one CV rules set but using earthy slang revival of Betza himself, 'skads' of games. ''A King in a crowd is also immune to Check. It is possible to get both Kings onto the same square, and it can be done at least as early as White's 7th move.'' A distinguishment is between Pawn's movement ability and its capture ability, as to what circumstances allow Pawn movement onto already occupied square. The other regular pieces of course have not that dichotomy. Moreover, there are hundreds (primarily non-Betza) CVs with pieces moving and capturing differently. For starters find CVs with Cannons, or go to Divergent Chess for specific (non-Cannon) case offhand. Their pieces would either complicate or deepen (according to taste) the Multiple-Occupancy principles, chiefly two, enunciated by Betza. So, this Crowd Chess represents another unexplored infinite-extent Mutator 'corridor' acknowledges Betza.

In 1990's the effort was apparent to describe in terms of alternatives to Classical Chess as part of mission. Here Bodlaender's first paragraph and also year 2002 Comments by others set context of Carlos Cetina's particular solution. Carlos Cetina from Mexico proposed Bishop Conversion Rule, one of a side's Bishops moving only once per game orthogonally one step, as far back as 1983, now used elsewhere than 9x9. In a separate offer Cetina has nothing to do with, follow the link at the second section. It appears one can still order Professor Michael Corinthios' 1977-patented ''symmetric chess'', also configured 9x9 ''the game of the millennium'' from the warehouse in Avon, Ohio, USA, for 30+USD. Carlos Cetina can be heralded as the best of 1000 contributors in providing sample games here, in Sissa Chess, and in Coherent Chess. Also credit both developers, Cetina and Dr. Corinthios, for having no use of poor awkward overworked Knight-compounds RN and BN, that Orthodox-driven players perennially revive to keep their comfort zones. Well, two Queens are not very novel nor is the Conversion Rule itself, as will be seen, so this CV is not nearly matching Cetina's other couple CVs which have the interesting multi-path Sissas. Someone just Commented about Modern Chess, also 9x9, having one of those (BN) copied over and over from year 1617 Carrera's(Centaur BN).

This CV has all Excellent and Poor, and that happens not so infrequently. Such wide fluctuation may be indicative of Chaos, or transition to and from chaotic system, or state change. In 1948 Kristensen's is a more liberal Bishops' Conversion rule than Cetina proposes later in 1983. Bishop adds one step forward and back to its inventory as often as wanted. Kristensen's shows 9x9 like all of Maura's Modern, Cetina's, Chancellor Chess and Ministers Chess. The one Barrier Pawn is a cannibal but for capturing the other Barrier Pawn. From the amazing starting array, every piece can be moved. The better CVs implement only few new rules rather than overcomplexify. Kristensen's has all interesting features, and the only mistakes are having two Queens and secondly using unnecessary RNs(the Carrera masterpiece Champion) and worse placing them next to regular Knights.

Roberto Lavieri CVs feature cannibalism, like Kristensen's Chess, as secondary feature, being just convenience once in a while to open lines of attack. In fact, in Altair, still another 9x9, all the pieces may capture any friendly unit. Lavieri's Maxima is a major use like Rococo of 40-year-old Immobilizer. Altair's rank jumping as a non-capturing move, appearing again in Achernar, has to be unique. The Reducer is an Immobilizer adaptation, able by adjacency to 'Reduce' most enemy moving to one square only instead of full pattern. Highly tactical test of skill this Altair. Confining the King to the Fortress and the way of moving of the Soldier particularly give the 'Oriental flavour'. Overtaker -- like Cannon and Canon and Cannon Pawn(partly) and Orthodox Pawn and Divergent and most Outback Chess pieces -- always moves differently than it captures. The Diamond Warrior has a correspondence with the established commercial Omega Chess Champion and more closely is all but copied by newer Templar of A.A. de la Campa. The Lion-Man could be better described by Lavieri as a Queen restricted to one or two squares. Bent rider Mage, actually 800-year-old Gryphon, is re-used in later well-regarded Maxima.

Easter Island is proof that rapid deforestation is not monopoly of the 21st Century. How could a complex society descend into ecocide? Or become vanished civilisation in environmental ravaging causing eventual collapse (contributed to by invaders, called 'explorers')? Yet the carving and erection of Moai statues testify something peculiar having happened, and Chess being inherently optimistic facing adversity, 'Thus was born Hanga Roa', Easter Island's (and Chilean Juan Kirsinger's) game of chess. Hanga Roa has but three piece-types on yet another 9x9, together with Lavieri's Altair the best of the 20 or so extant on 81 squares. The initial position comes at the end, a nice touch. The winning conditions are either to get one's Moais (King) across the board (other side of Island) or capture the opponent's Moais by totally surrounding it with any combination of pieces of either side excluding same-colour Stones offering escape. Moais only moves over a string of own Stones, displacing and removing them one and all passed over by the very movement. Ariki moves like Queen, except for no capturing, and instead throws two Stones upon completion of move. 'Mato to'a' moves like King and captures normally by displacement, chiefly Stones. Critical Stones are not pieces as such in that they do not themselves move once placed. Tending to reappear once gobbled up by Mato to'a, there become a lot of Stones on squares even 50%, 75% or more, like encroaching so-called 'civilisation' itself. Great. [Larry Smith adds ''The fact that a computer program has difficulty playing this game increases its potential.''] Smith's quote is said about Go too, with Hanga Roa and Go itself having their similarities.

Also at the top of 9x9 size, Weave and Dungeon. White Weave is like sine waves seen from above, Black Dungeon. Only the 81 squares may be occupied. ''An implied underpass[which cannot itself be occupied] is the trough of a strand located directly beneath the bridge of a cross-strand'' makes perfect sense. (White)Segments are only two or three long. Of the two motions, sliding and stepping, sliding is continuous either within Dungeon(Black) or along a strand(White). The other motion, a step, is abrupt change of altitude(there are four altitudes, but again exactly the 81 spaces). Capture being by displacement, the connectivity described is enough to differentiate the six piece-types, with some single moves allowed combining sliding and stepping both. Wins are graded hierarchically as Triumph, Ovation, or simple Victory. ''Stalemate and repetition are a loss.'' LCC's 2002 Comment still applies, ''This variant has easily the most interesting geometry I've seen.''

Ed Friedlander's applet lead-in calls these ''unusual pieces,'' but they are not at all. Elephant combining Queen and Nightrider is too powerful but probably unique. Tim Stiles' recent doubly bent riders, the ones called Wolf and Fox, must have gotten their names from the different Wolf and Fox here, which are only Carrera Champion(RN) and Centaur(BN). Similarity to other 1940's Kristensen's in having two Pawn types. Professor Joseph Boyer, who oversaw tournament of Wolf Chess, is one of the five or so prolific fairy chess originators of consistently high quality including Sam Loyd, T.R. Dawson, V.R. Parton, and Ralph Betza.

The essentially one-piece-type(like Battle Chieftain) moves according to the rank on which it stands. Charosh's 1972 N-Relay permits piece guarded by own Knight to move as Knight. Neto's 2003 Delegating Chess extends that to any friendly piece relaying its power by coverage. Havel's Jester in 1999 moves like the last opponent's piece moved. Betza's Zero-Relay allows multiple occupancy and then ability to move off a square with power of another friendly piece on that same square. And so on with the likes of Chameleon in Ultima/Rococo(1962/2002) capturing according to the victim's method. Well, this one is the minimalist option among the notions. Just follow the sidebar.

1998 Upchess' one type piece moves according to the Rank it is on. The Bobber in Schizophrenic Chess the first time it moves is a one-step Queen(=King nonroyal). Its second move allows up to two steps Queenlike(Lavieri's Lion-Man et al.) Third one- two- or three-step Queen. By its 11th Move it is full Queen and stays that way on the 12x7 board. The moves of Left Schizzy and Right Schizzy depend on whether they are in files a-f or g-l. Obviously the two reverse each other's pattern, either moving like a Queen from one half of board or an Omega Chess Wizard plus Knight from a starting square in the other half of board. Schizophrenic year 2002 thus is taken to have drawn on Upchess.

In section 4, Ralph Betza differentiates among three immobilizing types: standard Immobilizer moving Queenlike and causing adjacent enemy(ies) to freeze; Basilisk, like the legendary creature with lethal gaze, fixing any opponent piece it can 'see'(meaning along Queen-lines); and third Gorgon freezing any enemy 'seeing' the Gorgon. Ultima has variants better than the original, not in CVPage, and the Repellor described by Betza pushes adjacent enemy piece(s) one more square away from an arrival square, and if that is not possible, any are captured. So, Repellor is one vehicle for making multiple capture possible without multiple occupancy. There are many other instances, for example, Rococo Long Leaper that may plurally capture.

Ralph Betza seldom goes over 8x8. One article 'Chess on a Really Big Board' has sizes 256-square and larger. Uncharacteristically, Outrigger Chess keys off 80 squares with the two standard new files, but differing mechanisms and connectivity in the usual 'scads' of games. Glenn Overby borrows Toroidal effect for Orwell Chess after this 2002 article. In Inverse Outrigger, the outer files are conveyors rather like recent Abdul-Rahman Sibahi's Quake Chess. Outrigger Torus has complicating connectivity reminiscent of Jeremy Good's in such as Flying Kittens. Big Outer Chess has the layering of Betza's Concentric Outrigger. Like all wisdom going back to Socrates, it seems any supposedly 'new' Chess rule is always found someplace in the right Betza. ''Sometimes it's more fun to make up the Rules than to play the game,'' concludes Betza.

Seven(7). How many pieces at most may the piece capture? Immobilizer 0; King & Withdrawer 1; Coordinator 2; LL 3 (on 8x8); the Animated Illustration shows Chameleon capturing 7 pieces at once on 8x8. An enemy Immobilizer diagonally adjacent to the arrival square makes eight(8) since that is the 'capture' mode of Immobilizer, transferred to the Chameleon.

Looking like Balbo's Chess, Rectahex Chess with non-edge cell having six adjacent cells becomes isomorphic with standard Hexagonal Chesses under Ralph Betza's treatment. ''Hexagonal Chess can be played quite simply on a normal rectangular board.'' However, Phil Brady says 5 years ago, ''The advantage of playing with hex-moving pieces on a readily available rectangular board is outweighed by the complexity of biasing the board to match the connections of a hexagonal one.'' The obligatory scads of variates include Rectahexahexarect, replacing a Rectahex piece with its Hexarect equivalent at option, and vice versa.

Tetrahedra have 4 faces, 6 edges. This pyramid stands on edge instead of face. Two edge-pair's midpoints determine one line, and 2 such lines determine a plane (the 4x4 here). That cross-section is a rectangle not usually square. So are all cross-sections of all other parallel planes intersecting. Cleverly and arbitrarily, Mark Thompson chooses 5 such planes and 2 more planes fashioned out of two edges, totalling 7, in order to get notional-3D 84 spaces(year 2002 84-square contest). They then divide conveniently into two(1x7), two (2x6), two (3x5), and one (4x4) making 84. How is that related also to 84 as tetrahedral number? 84 as tetrahedral number(think sphere-stacking oranges) sequences one(1), supported by 3 making four(4), supported by 6 making ten(10)[this is experimental too], then 10 making twenty(20): 1,4,10,20,35,56,84,120... For the five piece-type differentiation, the six edges each have two directions for 12 altogether. Contrast these 12 to the 26 directions necessary for complete interpretation in awkward standard cubic chesses (6 orthogonal, 12 diagonal and 8 triagonal or trigonal). See in the tripartite diagram the distinguishment between King and Rook.