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I'll agree that a setup diagram is sorely needed.
Also, some clarification of the Camelopard's "Leaper making moves of length 5 units" is needed. This could be interpreted to mean (0,5)(5,5), or (0,5)(1,5)(2,5)(3,5)(4,5)(5,5), or (0,5)(3,4). (Nonetheless, I really like the piece.)
As an aside, the Zerdinal is what I've been calling Kuhani (for reasons explained in the linked Comment).
Please consider moving the "Tribune" pieces behind the Pawns' line. I believe it would look better that way.
Why does that make it look better? Tribunes are there to prevent Camelopards from jumping over pawns on the first turn.
Tribunes are there to prevent Camelopards from jumping over pawns on the first turn.
It's hard to tell that, since you haven't yet clarified the Camelopards' move. In fact, I don't see any way that the Tribunes' location can block the move, however I interpret your current description.
Because it doesn't block but if you move your Camelopard past a pawn line on the first turn, the Camelopard can be captured.
Now I see the Camelopard's (5,0)(3,4) move properly described in the Introduction, but it'd be helpful if that was in the Pieces section, either as well or instead.
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12x12 = 144.
Some interesting pieces in this game, I'm wondering if this is the first game with the 'Camelopard' in it.
It's first appearance is as you say from R.J.Darvall. You can see the chess problem here: 'Variant Chess' #2, April-June, 1990, page 20, 'Fairy Chess Review' 1949, R.J.Darvall, mate in 2. Amazing from the year 1949, so yes, this could be the first game ever it is in, if anyone knows another, please say.
Correct me if I am wrong, but the Tribune: (2,0)+(3,3) leaper and the Zerdinal: Slides diagonally, or makes a (3,2) leap are named by Charles Gilman with his thousands of piece creations lol. Is that where you got them from, and if so, are these the first games they also have ever been in. If anyone knows another game they are in, please say!!
Anyway, good work on the game.
Zerdinal is Kuhani in several Bob Greenwade’s games, e. g. here.
How did this be the first of my chess variants to get excellent rating and the first one to get favorited by someone else other than myself in the same month a variant this based on is featured? If you click on the underlined words for Tribune and Zerdinal then you will be taken to Gilman's article. This isn't the only one of my chess variant pages that reference Gilman.
ZB appears in Grand Apothecary Chess-Modern
Hi, sorry HaruN Y, I didn't notice you can click on them.
Alright, so it appears Charles Gilman talked about the Zerdinal and Tribune in 2008.
Aurelian Florea then used the Zerdinal, calling it 'Sangoma' in 'Grand Apothecary Chess-Modern' in 2021 and Bob Greenwade also used this piece, calling it 'Kuhani' in 'Short Sliders (and the Leapers Who Love Them)' in 2023.
As for the Tribune, unless there is a game from Charles he used it in, 'Camelopard Chess' could be the Tribune's first appearance in a game.
And for the Camelopard, 'Camelopard Chess' seems still to be the first game this piece has played in.
Oh, and thanks all for the info!!
H. G. Muller wrote on Sat, Apr 13 06:03 AM UTC in reply to Christine Bagley-Jones from 12:47 AM:The Zerdinal has mating potential, and it might be useful to give a link to a pre-programmed checkmating applet for it. (E.g. in the Notes section.)
/membergraphics/MSinteractive-diagrams/EGT.html?betza=ZB&name=zerdinal&img=zebrabishop
That also applies to the Half Duck, which does not have its own Piececlopaedia page where such a link can be found. There is no checkmating applet that can do crooked sliders like the Snake, but the non-lame sub-set FN easily forces checkmate, even on 16x16 boards. Forcing checkmate for a piece that has FR3 moves, such as the Tetrarch, is trivial (even on a quarter infinite board), and probably does not need an applet: the piece alone can drive the bare King to a corner.
I would avoid the use of yy in the move description of the Aviaanca, as this is really an undocumented feature of XBetza, to make recognition of some bent riders in the bracket notation possible as long as the latter is still implemented through pre-processing. It will be abandoned when the bracket notation will be parsed directly. Better use [W?AA].
@Christine,
Thanks For including me in this discussion!
Should I replace Heavenly Tetrarch with piece that won't be as trivial?
I mean trivial in checkmating.
It looks like replacing the corner piece with Limping Queen allows white to do 1.c6 then 2.Ga10. Looks like I have to change it again.
It looks like replacing the corner piece with Limping Queen allows white to do 1.c6 then 2.Ga10. Looks like I have to change it again.
If this Limping Queen is the one that I posted in PotD a few days ago, I'm sorry I missed it.
(I also don't see how the nature of the corner piece affects the above opening.)
Yes. The only way to prevent Ga10 is to move the Limping Queen on a-file. I just prefer a setup where white can't force the corner pieces to move from the start since they can castle.
In that event, if I'm understanding this correctly, moving a Pawn to b7 should also block the Giraffe. In any event, changing the corner piece from Limping Queen shouldn't be the answer (I'd want to leave that move open as a possibility); you could just switch the Zerdinal and Aviaanca, for example, or have the Giraffe start in a different spot where it can't move to a place that threatens the King.
Wouldn't that be a free Pawn? The initial setup is like this because this game was inspired by Grande Acedrex, I also like Camelopards starting on file d & i because there they protect each other.
That's a fair point.
Another option would be to allow the Aviaancas an ifA, and/or the Half-Ducks iffN (or iffN2).
Overall, though, I think your better bet would be to change the Giraffes' CC to C3.
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Can you include some images please (at the very least a setup diagram and matching piece images)?
Also, perhaps an introduction?