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Comments by Roberto Lavieri
1st World Open Chess Variant PBEM Championship. Tournament proposal open for public comment before creation.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Panal: a hexagonal chess. A double-royal piece variant on a 61-hex board. (Cells: 61) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]It seems to be a very interesting game. I have not played PANAL yet, but I´m going to realize some tests of playability, although my first impression is hightly positive!
PromoChess. Everything but the king can power up. Mix of Japanese/Western/fairy pieces. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Excellent, great playability, the game play is really nice. For me, one of the best 'western chess with oriental flavour'
Ready Chess. Pieces cannot capture right after capturing, they have to be restored first. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Good!.What about this idea inserted on little board Shogi variants?...
Hex Shogi. A new family of hexagonal Shogi variants.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Dr.Duniho: I have had some fun playing Hex Shogi, but my impression is that Zillions game play (actually modest skill) can be improved, (as you did with your Shogi version). Why don't update Hex Shogi using the same ideas?. Yours, Dr. (it doesn't matter a lot, you may say 'Mr.' also) Roberto Lavieri
Rook Mania. Game where all pieces have different sorts of Rook-like moves. (7x7, Cells: 43) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I have briefly play-tested the game, it is interesting and should be ranked as 'good', nevertheless, there is an observation: Basilisk seems to be extremely powerful on a board of 43 squares. Playability must be better on a longer board.
Maxima. Maxima is an interesting and exiting variant of Ultima, with new elements that make Maxima more clear and dynamic. (Cells: 76) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]That´s correct. Camelot is an older game than Bombalot or Thronschach, but Camelot is a game more close to Draughts, and not to Chess. Bombalot was invented around the 60´s, perhaps a bit before the aparition of Ultima, and it was played in some places of Europe, but aparently not so much. (nevertheless, it still is played in certain circles). Camelot is a more popular game, and as you have pointed out, there is a Federation of players, and it was one of the favorite games of the Grand Master Capablanca (of course, other was CHESS!). In Maxima, the rules for occupancy of the Goals is a little different, as you can see in the description. Finally, Thronschach is a more recient game... Thank you for your comment
Mortal Chessgi. A Chessgi game in which captures reduce material. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]What a nice idea for like-Shogi games!. I have play-tested Mortal Chessgi, playability is really good and decisions and the emerging situations are usually very interesting. Zillions plays Mortal Chessgi with a medium-good level. Why not MORTAL SHOGI?. I think that MORTAL SHOGI should be a great game...
Jumping Chess. Pieces capture by jumping. Board has extra edge squares making it 10x10. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]You must think well the initial setup if you use nightriders. The piece may add intensity to the game, but you must evaluate if idiosincracy of the game is lost with this piece, Jumping Chess is very near FIDE CHESS, with it´s own particularities, but the idea seems to be not too far from FIDE CHESS. The game is beautiful AS IS, but all idea that can add interest to the game should be considered and WELL evaluated (you can play-test the changes and alternative setups using Zillions. As you must have noted, Zillions plays Jumping Chess with a good level of play.
Heroes Hexagonal Chess. Hexagonal variant with special Hero piece which enhances other pieces. (Cells: 84) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Beautiful game. The concept of HEROES is nice, and adds a new dimension to the game. Dynamic is a bit slow, but this fact correspond to the 'on purpose' characteristics of the game, with reminiscences of ancient variants. It is one of the most clear Hex Chess games I have played. Enjoyable.
Ryu Shogi. Large modern shogi variant. (7x12, Cells: 84) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I like this game and the mobility of pieces depending on the ZONE they are on. It has some elements of historic variants, but it is a modern like-Shogi game with a really good game play. Excellent.
Voidrider Chess. A 43 square variant with movable spaces. (7x9, Cells: 43) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Excellent playability. The game play is surprisingly more interesting than it appears at first.
Home page of The Chess Variant Pages. Homepage of The Chess Variant Pages.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]If the rules previously stablished prohibits the use of computer, there is no way of being sure the player is not using that. The object of a game by e-mail is usually to have some fun, someone that uses a computer for analysis perhaps can do that if there is not exprese prohibition, because the object of the game should be to produce a good game for make posterior comments on positions and moves, etc.But if it is prohibited, it is only a Honour thing the use or not, any artificious control may be ineffective, but if there are not at least some thousands of Dollars in prize, at first, it should be stupid to broke the honour code violating the rule, at second, It really matters that it is the case that someone is suspicious of dishonest playing chess by e-mail?
Taikyoku Shogi. Extremely large shogi variant. (36x36, Cells: 1296) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]This is a message to everybody: Please, don´t try a computer implementation of this game. I don´t think the Monks in Pazomian hills are interested on. Neither I am. How many moves are needed for finish a game?. I have not an stimation of the media number, but, gross thinking, it would be more than 20.000 moves, perhaps much more.
Benedict Chess. Instead of being captured, enemy pieces switch sides. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]It is an easy victory for white almost all the time, unless white commit fatal errors. Maybe playability would be better if the pieces movement is limited in rank, a longer board and pawns setup in third rank at first, but I'm not sure it is enough. As pointed out by the author, the game is certainly chaotic.
Hippodrome. Solitaire game using a small board. (4x4, Cells: 16) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating] Outback Chess. New pieces on plus-shaped board. (10x10, Cells: 84) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I like this game, I have playtested it, and it is interesting enough for make a comment. About Platypus movement, I should prefer limit the three forward only to its first movement, or perhaps only from the first rank. It is a promoting piece, and it can promote to a powerful piece in this game, but it can reach the last rank in three steps. The argument that it is not easy is partially valid, but not at all, it depends on the instance of game you are playing. No more details, it is a very good game.
Yesterday night I have made some tests, And I must admit Michael Nelson is right, if the forward Platypus movement is reduced to one with exception of movement from first rank, the game slows too much. Perhaps if the range is equal for the horizontal and vertical, say range two except from first rank, the result is better, but the game has its own idiosincracy as is, and now I accept that, but first I have to try for being convinced. Platypus is a clever piece in the game, it can promote to a piece more powerful that any other piece in the game, but the promotion is not a necessary win for the team of the promoted Platypus, it depends on position. I like this 'Australian' game, but the duck faced Platypus made me take some minutes of atemption
Ryu Shogi. Large modern shogi variant. (7x12, Cells: 84) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]There is an error in the ZRF. You can take opposite king and the game is not finished, Zillions continues playing.
L. Fun contest: Help us create a new chess variant by committee.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I am waiting for ROOK definition to play-test the game (I don't know the winner proposal for Rook, but I think it will be Crowned Rook (8) or Rookers (11).) My first impression is that the game is, as expected, a Camel. As Horse design, a Camel is not so bad, but it is a camel, undoubtely. If the Tower of Hanoi survives as a complete piece to the end, strategy would be extremely deep, because the optimal strategy should be to split it in eight parts, mantained joined and advancing as an amoeba against the enemy king -the subjective value of eight joined GUARDS in an end of game is much more than the value of a Queen-, if there is not another tower in enemy band, the possesor of the tower must win the game. If there is too a full Tower (splitted) in the enemy pieces, strategy must be very complex, and the end in a good game may last many moves. These are speculations, I'm going to wait for the Rook, and then, I'm going to evaluate the Camel extensively. Good luck for the designers by committee. That is needed, a bit of luck.
Ideal Values and Practical Values (part 3). More on the value of Chess pieces.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Excellent the ideas pointed out by Robert Shimmin. I have used informally something like that once, evaluating piece values for a game, but not with rigurosity, it was only a flash idea that I have not analized well. Parameters perhaps can be calibrated with the use of simulation of standar games, I´m going to think a little more about it.
Invent-and-Play: Opponents Wanted. Members-Only The list of designers (and their games!) who want to participate.[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.
Glenn's Decimal Chess. A 10x10 blend of FIDE, Shogi, and Xiangqi influences. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I have not downloaded the game yet, Perhaps I'm going to test it early tomorrow morning, but it appears to be a very good game. If I were the author of the game, perhaps I should try a 4x4 fortress, because of size of board and power of some pieces, but It is only an idea not yet tested. The game looks at first well balanced and undoubtely well thought, it is not merely a collage of ideas from some cultures's games. When tested, I'll provide you my impressions. As first commentary, I'm greatly impressed with the ellegance used to take advantage of the castling rule without really castling, and without loss the essence of Xiang Qi Fortress.
Game dynamic is interesting in this game, it is faster than I thought at first. A 4x4 Fortress should be an alternative to be considered, but I have not tested it yet. The power of pieces is well balanced. I would prefer a change in initial setup, change positions of Pegasus and Gryphon, to allow more stable openings. Early direct attacks against the enemy king aren't usually desiderable, because defense is normally enough to contrarrest the attempt, and the attacking team may fall to inferior positions after attack if it is not well analyzed about positional consequences, so the game must be fundamentally positional and strategic until cleared enough. The game is faster than some others DECIMAL chess games, I have tried a few games against Zillions, with an average number of about 80 moves to finish the game, with a little standard deviation. It is a game very playable and enjoyable. I like it.
Maxima. Maxima is an interesting and exiting variant of Ultima, with new elements that make Maxima more clear and dynamic. (Cells: 76) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Maxima's Guard is an excellent example of how difficult can be stablish 'the theoretical' value of pieces. How to measure 'positional and strategic value?'. Every one who has played Maxima, is convinced that the Zillions's value asignated to the Guard is subestimated, nevertheless Zillions assigns an exagerated value to Withdrawer. Experience says that perhaps the value of a Guard is superior to the value of Withdrawer in many instances on game play, so it is not clear how to apply theoretical ideas that can be consistent to the fact that in this game a short-range piece can be at least as powerful than a large range piece, perhaps the fact that the Withdrawer needs to be adjacent to enemy for capturing makes the difference, but there are more things, there is a Guard's shadow value due to its strategic power, Guards are dangerous not only in some situations, but in the ends of game. How to express this fact with theoretical formulas?. Other notorious example is ROCOCO, the pawns are much more powerful than the value you can assign to them with many calculation or algorithmic methods of estimation. Some revision must be made on these ideas for Practical values...
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