[ List Earliest Comments Only For Pages | Games | Rated Pages | Rated Games | Subjects of Discussion ]
Comments by GeorgeDuke
Courier 'de la Dama'. Courier Chess with a Modern Queen and other changes for more dynamic play. (12x8, Cells: 96) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Crooked Bishop must turn 90 degrees each step. It is a multipath chess piece after my article of that name. To its (0,2) squares CB is two-pathed. To others of its squares, however, it is single-pathed. Ralph Betza's Crooked Bishop is not very effective since it implements variably depending on the squares. There are better ways to define a change of direction of 90 degrees or 45 degrees in a chess piece. Cetina's Sissa(45- or 225-) is superior to Crooked Bishop because it is easier to visualize the destination squares.
Personally I would not bother using Sissa or C.Bishop in a CV. Frequent reference to Sissa is for comparison when running across multi-pathers. Raven(R+NN) and S appear about the same value since Sissa has four paths to its Rook-squares, both near Queen value. Raven too does not generally fit well into any quality CV. I like Sissa better because of originality and well-known arrival squares.(The Courier de la Dama Furious uses CB.) Crooked Bishop so-called is only somewhat less vacuous than 'Crooked Rook':--is that already invented? [Yes of course, in same article Betza re-invents CB]
Wildebeest Chess. Variant on an 10 by 11 board with extra jumping pieces. (11x10, Cells: 110) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'WXYZ,LargeCV': Schmittberger discusses values of Camel and Zebra, the latter not used here. A board this size makes C and Z very close; three points are useful for each in most comparisons. A nice 'idea' game more than one of highest play-worthiness; and Camel not Z completes its thesis (See other Comments). Low piece density reminds one of 17th-C. Turkish Great Chesses, and Wildebeest plays similarly. 'Gnu' is preferred name now for 'Wildebeest'(N+C).
Fantasy Grand Chess. Variant of Grand Chess with different armies and fantasy theme. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'DEF,LargeCV': (In contrast, Drop Chess is one that fails to add anything to Betza's Ch-Diff-Armies.) This Fantasy Grand Chess tries to extend C-D-A to 10x10 and at least has some good pieces to extract. Somewhat thought out, teams are not so equally power-matched as Betza's: Elves are stronger, Druids not so. Under-utilized pieces within these several Fantasy links recommended (in varying degree): Mage, Cannon, Cyclops, Two-headed Cyclops, Titan. Not recommended: Pegasus, Crooked Bishop, Crooked Rook. Maybe a computer could determine the worthwhile match-ups of Armies. This analysis is not comprehensive.
Chivalry. With 30 pieces on a 10 by 10 board. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'ABCLargeCV': Knight goes like Camel, or like Zemel(5,1), but not Namel(7:1). Put another way, these are the 'non-Rook' Crooked Bishop squares close in except Ferz ones, but Chivalry's N just leaps there. It transits to later Camblam N, that also goes to Rector(4,5) and Antelope(3,4). That is just the modality of the Knight. I do not believe Paul Leno is behind this.
Europan Chess. A 14x14 board with extra pieces. (14x14, Cells: 196) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'DEF,LargeCV': A 'solemn duty' to make this game, says Mark Hedden. Standard men with four heterodox pieces on 14x14; Pawns have 1,2,3,4,or 5 initial option. Crooked Bishop. 13th Century Gryphon(Grande Acedrex) is accurately pegged at seven points. Hedden's insight: 'Even if you don't know how to use it well, it is still worth 5 or 6.' Archer is Camel or Knight if not capturing; and stopping rifles a second step along either path to capture. Last, Supercomputer is compound of Trebuchet(3,0), Camel, and Alfil(2,2). Creative but opaque combinations.
Edge of the World (EOTW) Chess. Pieces have momentum on 12 by 12 board. (12x12, Cells: 144) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'DEF,Large CV': 'A player may use his move to stop a piece before or after a piece has move(sic) it's full momentum.' That suggests either simultaneous moves (like XYMYX) or move retraction. This is one of those half-sense rules descriptions. What computer evaluates attempt at humour? Michael Fryer: 'R C7:C7 This stops the Rook at C7.' Get it?
Giant Chess. 16x16 board with the same pieces as Turkish Chess, but also the "Dev" piece which takes up four squares. (16x16, Cells: 256) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'GHI,LargeCVm': 'Shogi' is Xiangqi Cannon, and Elephant is its diagonal equivalent, Vao or Canon, invented by Thomas Dawson early 20th century. The innovation in this game is the Deve, which occupies four squares(2x2) at once. Deve's move is two-square(in a block) never one-square(See diagram). Cobra Chess starts 'sub-cross-thread' of pieces that move to, or have effects over, more than one square. Whilst same-coloured pieces cannot stand at either one's squares, Cobra occupies a single point, or intersection, and can move 'between' same-coloured pieces along grid-lines. Both Deve and Cobra always have effects, and vulnerability, over four squares. More mobile Cobra can be captured at any of its four positions. Deve capture is accomplished by three-square control and fourth-square arrival by opponent.
Excelsior. At certain moments in the game, pieces are moved to an additional 5 by 4 area. (2x(8x8), Cells: 84) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'DEF,LargeCV': What goes to 5x4 upper level: any Pawn promotee, any checking piece, any capturing piece. There is not room there for potentially thirty-four units, nor provision to return to the main board from the twenty squares.
Big Outer Chess. Large variant with concentric circles on the board, so there is less concentration on the centre. (12x12, Cells: 148) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'ABCLargeCV': Chess with self-modifying rules may be long-term solution to the computer problem. Hopefully not. Big Outer pieces lose power toward the center within three zones. So, pieces have positionally self-modifying rules of movement. Ralph Betza's Turning Chess, Polypiece Chess, and 'Many Rules in One Game' use more extreme alterations of piece(s) and rules within a game. Antoine Fourriere's Pocket Polypiece is specific embodiment where two different of six types of pieces on both sides change their way of moving almost every turn. David Howe's Mega-Chess has pieces that are themselves recursively games of chess. A fully self-modifying game would not anticipate its own sets of rules ever-changing. In limited sense of continually modifiable rules in unusual methodology for CV, Big Outer is evaluated here as being original 'idea' game.
Alekhine Chess. Named in honor of Alexander Alekhine, World Chess Champion 1927-1935, 1937-1946.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Only about 10 (not so many as 20) of about 400 large CVs in CVPage have the kind of perfect symmetrical ideal Derek Nalls must mean. Over 95% of them do not. That shows it to be a rejected standard.
Twenty-First Century Chess. An updating of Chess for the video game generation, on a 10x8 board with Barons and Jesters. (10x8, Cells: 80) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'1ABCLargeCV': This has normal symmetry; no one bothers with east-west symmetry. Dominique Leste's Archbishop Chess last month has exact same initial position, and two of Carrera-Bird-Capablanca's (N+B=Cardinal) were done before year 2000 too(Janus Chess). One Pawn's additional power of forward-only Ferz: any of a hundred other rather innocuous powers might work as well to confound opening theory; no creativity there. Under 'The Play of the Game', do not follow Munzlinger's advice not to castle at a good early opportunity against three strong compounds and two Rooks.
Contest to design a 10-chess variant. Cebrating 10 years of Chess Variant Pages with a contest to design a chess variant.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]The natural of course is the Pythagorean ascending 4-3-2-1, each square half offset. What is the name for that famous design? Then use just two piece types with maybe self-modifying rule of movement. One completion: piece adjacent one step up at option, else one step down at option; lateral one-step always available. Each one's other piece-type has opposite orientation. Goal: capture the other's two pieces. If no other move available, one step any direction always permitted.
Tetraktys Chess. Squares are Pythagorean ascending 4-3-2-1, each square half offset right and left: in other words, a row of one sits over a row of two squares, over three, over four. Squares are numbered top-down: 1, 2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9-10. Two piece types are drop-placed in the first two moves. Lateral one-step move always available. Piece 'A' has one-step-up option if there is any piece (of either colour) adjacent to it; otherwise 'A' can go one step down. Piece 'K' has one-step-down option if there is any piece adjacent; else 'K' can go one step up. In addition, there is an 'off-board'(notionally one-step sideways) allowed from any of 1,2,3,4,6,7,or 10 to any other non-adjacent and vacant square from among those seven. Squares 5,8, and 9 are excluded from this off-board non-capturing move. Sqs. 5,8,9 can of course be reached variously by normal one-s-u, one-s-d, or ordinary one-step lateral(from one or two of 4,6,7,10). Move is required, no null move. No piece may remain in the 7-8-9-10 row for four turns. If and when only two pieces left, no piece may remain in the 7-8-9-10 row for three turns. Goal: capture the other's two pieces. Inability to move also loses.
9x9 Squares Rotating Chess. Usual set of pieces in different setup and changed movement on 9 by 9 board. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'9ABCLargeCV': Berolina Pawns promote at interesting squares. Rooks move like Bishops. Knight is Camel. So, only Queen is not colour-bound (not counting K and P). 9x9 here not a game worth playing, there should be saving in related 10x10 Multiple Knot Chess from year 1997, Hyperbolic, Fibonacci et al. for their conceptual ideas, some of those being large chesses to review.
Symmetrical Chess Collection Essay. Members-Only Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Since this comment is for a page that has not been published yet, you must be signed in to read it.
Since this comment is for a page that has not been published yet, you must be signed in to read it.
Nomic Chess. Combination of Peter Suber's Nomic with Ralph Betza's Chess For Any Number of Players.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Doug Chatham mentions Nomic Chess in new 'Big Outer Chess' Comment, where I rate as progressively more purely self-modifying the following: B.O.C., Ralph Betza's Turning Chess; Fourriere's Pocket Polypiece, Betza's Polypiece; Betza's Many Rules in One Game; Howe's Megachess, the latter's pieces being recursively a game of chess. The ideal would be a fully self-modifying chess that does not even anticipate its own sets of rules. How could such a game be played strategically? To be brief, probabilistically; for there would still be an environment in which an embodiment is more or less likely to arise. I do not know whether the term for Peter Suber's Nomic 'self-modifying game' originates in Douglas Hofstadter's 'Metamagical Themas'; but that is where I first saw it. Nomic Chess substantially applies Suber's method to chess rules and armies. Yet there is a difference between putative random selection of rules and deliberate self-amendment.
Giant-King Chess. Kings take up four squares each, all of which must be attacked to check. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'GHI,LargeCVm': A game of perfect initial-array symmetry, Giant-King belongs in the sub-cross-thread including Cobra Ch. and Giant Chess featuring pieces having multiple-square occupancy. King takes up four squares at once and consciously is checked the way Karakus' Giant is captured: a fully four-square attack; whereas Cobra is captured at any of its 4 squares. A worthy chess not at all because of starting symmetry, but for its interesting mix including Gryphon, Wildebeest(Gnu), Cardinal, strong pieces to combat enhanced King. In fact, the King's move's one-step improving that other Giant's two-step, and Pawn's effecting promotion of other pieces, together make for quite the original, balanced CV.
4 Armies. Each player controls two armies. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'1ABCLargeCV': How would this array's symmetry be characterized? It is not to be found in any opening manual. Cardinal appears to be the correct substitution here for Queen. Pawns are omni-orthogonal-directional and not promotable. 'Either army [of one's two] may move first'. In 'Clockwise' variant, each armies' pieces capture only pieces of one of the two opposing armies. Those two rules combined especially point to interesting tactics!
Haynie's Great Chess. A decimal chess variant with Cardinals, Marshals Amazons, Nightriders Commoners, Firzans, Wazirs, Camels, And Zebras. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'GHI,LargeCV': Incomplete, ill-considered mishmash. Wazir and Ferz weakest for 10x10. Camel and Zebra not good as separate stand-alone pieces.
Gigachess. On 14 by 14 board with 20 different pieces. (14x14, Cells: 196) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'GHI,LargeCVm': Within its milieu of defiantly large CVs, Gigachess has nice group of pieces. Twenty piece-types over 196 squares equal the recurrent ten percent in not going overboard. One of two Pawn-types is also forward-only ferz. Theme-based too in having animal side and knighted side. Without such an innovation as Giant Chess'(256 sqs.) Giant, among the interesting units are Crossbow(Vao, diagonal Cannon), Lion(F+W+A+D+N), Elephant(F+A), Machine(W+D), Ship(equal half-Gryphon). A table of close estimates for piece values included. Maybe a unique winning condition short of checkmate, or central board feature/mechanism, or just two-three fewer ranks and withal piece-types, would advance Gigachess towards 'excellent'.
Symmetrical Chess Collection Essay. Members-Only Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Since this comment is for a page that has not been published yet, you must be signed in to read it.
Grandkingdom Chess. A decimal variant with several powerful pieces. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'GHI,Large CV': Billing as 'a new expansion for dynamic interaction' is dubious with such great power density and Pawns about unchanged. Add to the regular 16 pieces, one Amazon(R,B,N), one Cardinal(B,N), two Marshalls(R,N), two 'Crossbow-Knights(N+Vao), two 'Archer-Lords'(Cannon+Vao). Vao is used here of course to mean the diagonal equivalent of Chinese Cannon. At least there are no (Cannon+N)s or (Cannon+B)s. Yet each one of the eight new pieces are more than 1.5 times Rook-value. There would not be much finesse in play of Grandkingdom Chess.
25 comments displayed
Permalink to the exact comments currently displayed.