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Comments by Nicholas Wolff
Hiashatar. Mongolian Decimal Chess.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Hey Jose! I did some research on this game and I find many discrepancies between rules of different websites (including yours). Can you please answer some questions for me? -Is castling allowed? -Can knights give mate? -Some sites claim that a bodyguard blocks ALL sliders (including your own). I think your way is better. -I read a rule that if a piece resides next to a bodyguard and tries to move away, it can only move one space. I think that if this rule was true, it would only affect the pieces that the bodyguard would normally affect (question #3). I do not think it would affect knights. Can you address this, too, please? I think that is it. Thanks! Best, Nick
Thank you Jose and Mats for the clarifications. I read and understand everything pertaining to our game now. I'll let you know if I find anything else. Thanks! Best, Nick
Hey everyone! I have finally finished developing my rules for a game of mine and am looking for some people who would like to proof-read them for me and see if there are any grammatical errors or confusion with the rules. If anyone is interested, please let me know and I'll email them to you. Thanks for the help! Best, Nick
Taikyoku Shogi. Extremely large shogi variant. (36x36, Cells: 1296) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]For the longest time, I have been trying to come up with some way to play this. I have tried excel documents, etc. I finally gave up because there are so many different translations to the pieces/rules that you'd be playing a different game just about every game you play. VERY interesting concept, though.. If someone came up with something, I'd be interested in playing it.
Mats, I agree that the game itself is complicated, much like many variants found on this site, but I hardly think it is apalling. Mankind naturally gravitates towards bigger and better things. Considering that this was played in the 1600's, it probably was eccentric for its time, but I think after its rediscovery in 1997, it has put a spark in at least some people, including myself. To play and finish a game on the world's largest board game would be the equivalent of a runner training for a marathon, which less than one percent of the world has completed. Apalling... I wouldn't classify it as that. Eccentric... even now, to a degree. Complicated... undoubtedly. Intriguing... to me it is.
Step, to my understanding, means just moving one square, like an orthodox King. Slide would be what a bishop or a rook does. Jumping is for Knights, etc. You can google some interesting photos of taikyoku shogi boards. They are HUGE! I would not doubt that you'd have to crawl over a board to make a move.
I would be interested, but I do not wish to enter any of my variants. I have not created a final preset to WKC III and do not have the time to do so. If I may, I'd suggest Smess. It isn't too long of a game, not complicated, and not invented by anyone on the site, leaving it fair that one person doesn't have more than one variant in play. If you will accept this condition, I will gladly play. This time control will also be workable for me and my demanding work schedule. Thanks!
I have never seen so much drama regarding chess variants! Oy! Anyways, I am personally one of those chaotic players, taking up the challenge on almost any type of variant out there, even if it is less variant-like than most. With that being said, I'll stand by Joe and Carlos' tournament idea, unless they change it. As far as themed variants go, I try to shy away from those. I like variety. Nothing against it, and I still may join, but its not my 'cup of tea'. The inventor's tournament was a good idea with a flaw that Fergus corrected. For instance, I really have one variant that I have created that I would even deem worthy of a tournament; however, I don't even have a working preset for it and the rules were still up in the air on a few parts for it. Thus, I would be out of the running. If we did a selection of games, though, we can STILL run into the issue that started this all. Joe, I am not singling you out, but I want to use you as an example. Joe (and I, coincidently) seem to be avid players of chaotic variants. Joe has proven this with his 'Hypers', his 'Chieftains', etc. etc. (Jeremy Good was one, too, I believe). I like the bigger variants too (Taikyoku Shogi, etc). If Joe (or I, or Jeremy) came up with a list that looked like Taikyoku Shogi, HyperChess, 3D Hyper Shatranj, Chieftain Chess, then Fergus or Mats or everyone for that matter would be forced to play one of those anyways. Back to square one. I guess I'm on stand by until this all gets resolved. I'd love to play in a tournament, but my schedule can only handle one. Hope we can all decide together though. I love competition and a tournament with 4 players sometimes doesn't provide enough.
Carlos, If it would be alright, I'd like to change my submission to Wildest Kingdom Chess. I took some time today to re-create my preset, adding the new porcupine graphics (Fergus, could you please upload those so I can complete the preset?), updating the rules page to reflect the porcupine. This game has been tested/played on several occasions on the site, just not with an official preset. It might be too difficult for Fergus to program, but I think my rules page makes everything really clear. Once the porcupine pieces are uploaded, I'll post the preset. For now, you can review the rules at wildestkingdomchess.webs.com. Thanks!
Chieftain Chess. Missing description (16x12, Cells: 192) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]The secret is in having more moves than your opponent. If you can out-move your opponent, then victory will be much easier. A little harder if you have the same amount of pieces/moves.
Carlos: The original version is too unbalanced and doesn't really allow for movement for all of the pieces. My preset is complete, except for the upload of the pieces. Once those are done, I can add them and be finished. 2 minutes of work is all that I have left. Once that is done, I'll post the game. Here is the link for the rules. I may have mistyped it: http://wildestkingdomchess.webs.com/. It adds the porcupine (as invented/suggested by yourself) and I think it is pretty solid. Of course, I will take any questions there are. When is the start of this tournament? I emailed Antoine, so I hope he is the one to upload.
Thanks, Antoine! Once those get added, I'll be complete. I appreciate your help.
All: My wife closed my window with my preset that I was making, so I have to rebuild it, I think. I apologize for this. Once I actually get the time, it shouldn't take me too long. Perhaps this weekend. Thanks, Antoine, for the uploading and thanks, Carlos, for the compliment! I hope it is a tournament favorite :)
Hey all! I hate to jump on the bandwagon with this, but I need to withdrawal. I am going through a VERY taxing divorce right now and may not even be able to make moves on my regular games, let alone add so many and finish that preset. I apologize for the very late notice. Please keep your thoughts and prayers right now. Things are getting very ugly for me... -Nick
Carlos, I'm sorry to see you go, my friend. Good luck!
Index B to Man and Beast. Alphabetic list of Man and Beast pieces starting with the letter B.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]As a bystander, I just want to offer some outsider perspective: Charles: Honestly, I have tried to read your articles, but they intimidate me. Sometimes, I get a little lost reading them, but I don't by any means consider them to be horrible or pointless. I put a lot of effort into things that my own wife finds useless, but that does not deteriorate the value that it has to me. I commend you for all of the effort that you have given into this. As for your variants, I do notice that you have many of them, and that many more have variants that can be derived from other variants that you have created. 12 Sharp Chess is a great example of this. I, however, have found many of your variants interesting and have even implimented a few onto Game Courier myself. You provide many new perspectives into the game and I only wish I had the opportunity to try them all. This remains true for almost every variant I find here, though. Fergus: I have never gotten the idea that his articles are the reflection of this site, and even if I did, I would not have held anything against it nor its editors. To me, I see this site as a tool to provide a reflection of many inventor's ideas. A way to express ourselves openly, if you will, in a world where the intellectual or not all the time the welcomed ones. My wife would rather I play sports than learn how to program, play chess and its variants, invent variants or other games, or create piece graphics. This place has served as my get-away from life and I appreciate you allowing me to experience this. Of course, I am no editor, but in the eyes of a 2 year veteran of the site (and one who didn't even discover the forum side of it until a year after he joined), I do not find any fault with Charle's ramblings. Not sure if that will provide any help or insight, but I think the opinion of an outsider might help the situation. Thanks! Best, Nick
Charles: Sorry, I should have clarified when I said it intimidates me. I have a really hard time concentrating on things sometimes and your knowledge of the English language is much more vast than mine. Big words and many words intimidate me no matter what the subject is. Also, I am not very educated in the regards of chess variants. I can read, understand, and execute rules, and maybe throw in a little bit of strategy, but mechanics like pawn structures, piece values, notations, piece names, etc. I just enjoy playing games for what they are, so I think that may also play a part. I did some more looking at a you articles, I believe they are well written and you seem to have an understanding what you are talking about. My uneducated self cannot think of any suggestions for you. My apologies. Best, Nick
Panchimera. all the king's horses - a variant that doubles the number of each FIDE piece and then adds the knight augmented pieces. (11x12, Cells: 132) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Hey Greame! Very interesting looking variant. The fact of having a lot of familiar pieces makes playing this game seem easier to me. It could probably be a great 'gateway variant' for those not yet introduced to our world. The only thing I would suggest is maybe a triple step pawn rule. Otherwise, play could start fairly slow and pawn structures could remain unchanged for the most part. Are you putting out a preset for it? I'd give you a game. -Nick
Hey Graeme! Ok, thats fine. I just suggested it because I have a feeling that once a player opens up the pathways for their pieces get out, I think the pawns will remain relatively untouched. We can definitely see how it works out in our game, though. How does your Zillions implimentation play it? Best, Nick
Xiangqi vs Orthodox Chess. Missing description (9x9, Cells: 77) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]If only this website had the 'like' button, Christine's comment would most assuredly get one.
The Game of Nemoroth. For the sake of your sanity, do not read this variant! (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I have an excel document with some pieces that I'd be willing to play someone a game with via email. Any takers? Shoot me an email at therealwolff (at) gmail (dot) com. I've been trying to play a game of this for a while, but the person I have been playing via email hasn't moved in months, now. Thanks!
Dürer's Chess. Dürer's Chess, played on a board of 151 tessellating pentagons and diamonds. (Cells: 151) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I know there is a way to tweak the piece values, as you said you wanted to do with the archer and pawns in your rules, but I don't know the ZoG programming language well enough to tell you how. I have seen a few games do it. If I recall (and I may be wrong), try either Catapults of Troy or Fugue. I think those at least one of those two .zrf files has examples on how to do it. Hope that helps!
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