Comments/Ratings for a Single Item

I would suggest enlarging the board a little, just a little, to 11 files x 12 ranks, for the following reasons:

1. dividing the board to three equal areas (The warfield, the white camp, and the black camp.)

2. More importantly, the white squared bishops, in both camps, have quite a field in the opening, which might lead to quick exchanges. Adding a rank would let the white squared bishops from one camp oppose the dark squared ones in the other.

3. The white squared bishop is slightly stronger than the dark squared bishop. (In the current form, a dark colored bishop and a knight can't force mate.)

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I wonder how the game would be like played with Extinction or Suicide rules.

(It would also be interesting to have a Wildebeest variant.)

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'the restriction that only if they have at least four of every type can they have more than four of any type.'

I assume that this applies to promotion only ? I mean, if a player has five rooks and one of his knights was captured, surely a rook wouldn't demote ?

Another question regarding promotion:

Assuming the player has a full set of pieces, and a pawn reaches the last rank; I understand from the rules that the pawn can only promote to a queen because he has less than four queens. Am I right ?

I've only just read the comments, as for some reason the first one didn't get e-mailed to me. My first thoughts are as follows.

1: I'd be reluctant to go to 11x12 as that would over twice the FIDE number of squares and so no longer 'nearly' double in that aspect.

2: You're right about the point in pieces not being demoted or lost due to another piece being captured. I'll try to rephrase it to make this clear. As for promoting if you have the full quota, yes, the first two must become Queens.

3: I am indeed planning a Nearlydouble Wildebeest Chess, on a board of 14 ranks by 15 files, and decreasingly powerful double Pawn moves from successive ranks.

In fact, the 11x12 (132 squares) board is 'nearer' to double boards (128) than 11x11 (121). The simple calculations show that 132-128 is 4 , while 128-121 is 7 .

So it would still be nearly double.