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Comments by RobertoLavieri
Recognized Chess Variant: Magnetic Chess. Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Magnetic Chess is a good game, but I don´t know people that have played this game more than once, including me. I doubt a lot about its popularity.
Game Courier Tournament #1. A multi-variant tournament played on Game Courier.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I think Fergus and Michael are right, and the discussion on PMC rules is also important in the context of the First Game Courier Tournament, obviously. If the current game object of the discussion is an Antoine´s victory, the method used for ties can permiss Antoine be the winner inclusive if he loses one game in the last round and wins in the rest. With a draw, the first place championship is still disputed, and theoretically Fergus, Antoine, Gary and me have still chances, although in my opinion, the Alice game of the next round is going to be the decisive for the first place, I have to play two of three games in the next round that are not comfortable for me (I´m a bad player in both, I think), and I can lose both, and in Maxima, the third, well, I´m experienced, but Gary is a very good player, so all can happen, and I can not bet one penny for me for the first place in the Tournament. This is perhaps one of the reasons of Fergus insistance on the rules, isn´t it?.
Fergus, I have said that it was, perhaps, an additional reason for alerting a drawn condition in the PMC game, but I´m not cathegorical on this, it was only a bad thought expressed with some class of humour, if you can consider it as some class of humour. Going to the facts, the current game is a draw according to the rules, but if it does not apply for any reason, Antoine´s position is clearly better. With a draw in this game, it is possible, at least in my opinion, that the first place in the Tournament can be decided in the Alice game of the next round, but this is not a certain fact, there are more games to play, and all can still happen. In every case, good luck to everybody, this Tournament is great regardless the results, and I only expect to see very interesting and enjoyable games in the last round. Nice!
I´ll get Carlos Carlos suggestion and I´m not going to add more. The PMC game has not finished yet, oficially. Please, accept my excuses, for my part, about some of my out of place comments, if it is the case, I feel bad with it. Fergus, forget it. My humour is sometimes acid, and additionally I spoke in a language 'close to English', not in Italian or Spanish, so you could not understand what I said completely, but I tried a joke. There was not an additional motivation in your comments on the rules, very probably, I only think the result is of interest for you and some players in the Tournament.
Amazons
. Amazons and a computer version.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Amazons is a great game. I can´t say it is a Chess Variant, the game is of territorial nature, and it is perhaps more close to Go. This game is moderately popular, perhaps more in South America than in other lands, I have seen it passionately played by a few universitary students, but it is not still a very diffused game, though. It is not easy implement a good program which plays Amazons well, but I have seen a couple of free decently strong programs for this game. You can try YAMAZON (v0.48), by Hiroshi Yamashita (http://www32.ocn.ne.jp/~yss/index.html), a very good contendor and a real challenge for intermediate players, and the reasonable strong program INVADER (v 2.1), by Richard Lorentz, which plays Amazon in a board of NxM http://www.csun.edu/~lorentz/amazon.htm). If you try these programs you are going to be greatly surprised, unless you are a very high-level player.
For a brief history of the Engeneer Jose Raul Capablanca, Grand Master and ex-World Chess champion, you can go to this page: www.chesscorner.com/worldchamps/ capablanca/capablanca.htm - 17k -
Recognized Chess Variants. Index page listing the variants we feel are most significant. (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I eventually use physical boards and pieces to play Chess and Chess variants, and it is nice, apart from the social aspect involved, perhaps additioned with a cup of good Colombian coffee, Spanish Jerez, French Cognac, or a simple fruit cocktail, although it is always confortant enough a good conversation about an interesting topic. My son prefer play Chess on Physical boards, and rarely he uses the computer to play. Latin people has the tendence to be very social, perhaps this is a reason because Chess players (and Chess variants players) in latin lands still prefer play in Clubs or as members of groups, using physical boards when possible, but personally I like too the use of computers and Internet, it has its enjoyable points too, it is incredible how the distances dissapear instantly, and you can meet people everywhere to play, and form part of communities that, without modern aids, it is impossible they can exist. Is some aspects, human beings are going, step by step, and without taking it in account, constructing the skeleton of one only macro-living-being, phylosophically, THE HUMAN.
Checkismate. Put the King in check to win. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]What King?. The other player´s King or yours?
The grey Kazimdzhanov now appears in the list of the top-100 players in the World, not in the top-10, not in the top-20, but in position 54th. in the last ratings actualization, after being proclamed World Champion. Definitely, FIDE Champion is far from being considered as a real World Champion, and FIDE continues deteriorating the Federation image. Is the generalized opinion that only four players, except perhaps some new ascending players, have the power to be the authentic Champion: Kasparov, Krammnik, Anand and Leko, so a logic way to determine the Champion should be a Candidates Tournament to chose other four players and organize an all-around with the eight, selecting the top 2 to fight for the tittle.
It exits the variant in which you win if you put your own King in check?.
Fanorona Chess 
. Variant played on a Fanorona board with capture by approach and by withdrawal.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I tried this game briefly, the game play is interesting. I suspect that some ends tendence is to draw, I have to play some test games to verify it.
Games for Game Courier. The many games you can play online with Game Courier.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I report the same error, you can´t display any game using the filters. It seems that the problem is originated from the Alice game mentioned in the message.
I see a different message that the one reported by Greg. Here is it: Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_STRING in /home/chessvar/public_html/play/pbmlogs/alice_chess/markthompson-crazytom-2004-264-062.php on line 83
ChessV. Program for playing numerous Chess variants against your PC.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]ChessV plays decently many variants, but it should seem relatively weak for some very strong chess players when the selected game is, precisely, Chess. Subjectively, I think Chess V, 10 seconds per move in Pentium4 2.1 GHz, plays with ELO around 2000-2100, it is good for many players, including me, but it may be considered relatively weak by a few others. If you are one of these people, you can try the last version of Fritz, or perhaps the ultimate Chessmaster version may appear not so weak for you.
What about ULTIMA?. I´m a bit anxious to see it in Chess V
Maniac: Chess and Chess Variants Program . Chess and Chess Variants Program.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Maniac, as player, is a very weak program, but it is interesting itself by its facilities to create new variants.
Greg, I coincide with you, Maniac has a great potential. Visual Basic was not, surely, the best decision for this program, and additionally, I deduce that there are some problems with the search method used, looking with some care the way the program plays after a few experiments with the adjustable evaluation parameters; nevertheless, all has solutions, and it should be interesting see this program improved. I don´t know if the author has interest in improvements. The fact I know is that it was an academic work.
Whale Shogi. Shogi variant. (6x6, Cells: 36) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Whale Shogi is a very good game. A ZRF would not be very difficult, I´m sorry I have not time enough to do it, for a while, but perhaps other people can be encouraged to write the code.
The average number of moves to finish a good Whale Shogi game may be not very high, perhaps around 20 moves. I think this class of game should be excellent in a 7X7 baord, but it is the need of another piece to insert coherently in the game. (well, it is easy show ideas, the interesting thing is chose the best one, without a loss of the personality of the game. I don´t think that the criterium would be uniform in this case, and accepted as the best by everybody)
Ultima. Game where each type of piece has a different capturing ability. Also called Baroque. (8x8, Cells: 64) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Greg, I have tested three ULTIMA games using Chess V. Good effort!, I appreciate it a lot, but I have some observations. First, you can take the enemy King and the game continues without end. It happened with immobilized Kings in the three games, so I have not seen if it happens in other cases. The second observation is about the A.I. game play, it is possible that you have noted that Chess V is a weak ULTIMA player, (much more than I thought at first, surprisingly to me) and I noted a strong ingenuity with the Immobilizer power, perhaps you must augment the penalty for immobilized pieces to 50%, but it is necessary that the A.I. take also in account situations in wich the immobilizer is immobilized with a Chameleon and then be vulnerable in the future. I could capture the enemy immobilizer in this way twice. Kings can act in a better way in Coordination with the Coordinator, it is necessary augment the bonus in the position evaluation when there are more enemy pieces in line with the King after a King move. Pawn movement is ingenuous too, but it is not easy a solution, perhaps the best should be a good bonus in the position evaluation (not in the piece) for a movement that reduces the brut mobility of enemy pieces (number of squares the pieces can reach), and other bonus in the evaluation function (a bit less than the other) for a Pawn move that augments the number of potential capturing squares using the pawn moved, i.e., looking how many sandwiches can make the Pawn with own pieces, although there is or not an enemy piece between (covering potential). I know it is not easy improve a lot this game, but it should be good a revision. I´m very sorry I can´t help a lot with the code, but I´ll try to help you as I can.
Chess V, playing White, beated Zillions, 30sec. per player, in this ULTIMA test game: Zillions Save Game File Version 0.02 HC RulesFile=C:\Archivos de programa\Zillions Development\Zillions Demo\Rules\Ultima.zrf VariantName=Ultima 1. Pawn g2 - g5 1. Pawn a7 - a6 2. Pawn b2 - b5 2. Pawn f7 - f3 3. Pawn h2 - h4 3. Pawn c7 - c4 4. Pawn h4 - f4 x f3 4. Long-Leaper b8 - h2 x f4 5. Pawn c2 - c3 5. Long-Leaper h2 - e5 6. Pawn f2 - f5 6. Long-Leaper e5 - a5 x b5 7. Long-Leaper b1 - b3 7. Coordinator a8 - a7 8. Coordinator h1 - h2 8. Withdrawer d8 - c7 9. Withdrawer e1 - g3 9. Coordinator a7 - f2 x e2 10. Withdrawer g3 - h4 x f2 10. Pawn c4 - e4 11. King d1 - e1 11. Pawn e4 - a4 12. Long-Leaper g1 - g3 12. Pawn d7 - d6 13. Coordinator h2 - f2 13. Withdrawer c7 - c5 14. Withdrawer h4 - b4 14. Pawn a4 - a3 15. Long-Leaper g3 - e3 15. Pawn d6 - d4 16. Withdrawer b4 - a4 16. Long-Leaper a5 - b6 17. Withdrawer a4 - b4 17. Long-Leaper b6 - c7 18. Long-Leaper e3 - e6 18. Chameleon f8 - f7 19. Long-Leaper e6 - e4 19. Withdrawer c5 - d6 x b4 20. Pawn c3 - c4 x d4 20. Pawn b7 - a7 21. Pawn c4 - a4 x a3 21. Long-Leaper c7 - a5 22. Coordinator f2 - c5 22. Long-Leaper a5 - a3 x a4 23. Coordinator c5 - c3 23. Pawn a7 - c7 24. Pawn f5 - a5 24. Long-Leaper a3 - c5 25. Chameleon f1 - f5 25. Long-Leaper c5 - a7 26. Chameleon f5 - e5 26. Chameleon f7 - f2 27. King e1 - d1 27. Withdrawer d6 - c5 28. Pawn d2 - d5 28. Long-Leaper a7 - b8 29. Pawn a5 - b5 x c5 29. Long-Leaper b8 - b2 x b3 x b5 30. King d1 - c2 30. Pawn h7 - h5 31. Coordinator c3 - f3 x f2 31. Chameleon c8 - f5 32. Long-Leaper e4 - g6 x f5 32. Immobilizer h8 - h6 33. Chameleon e5 - f6 33. Pawn e7 - e5 34. Coordinator f3 - f5 34. Pawn c7 - c5 x d5 35. King c2 x b2 35. Long-Leaper g8 - c4 36. Pawn a2 - a3 36. Pawn h5 - h3 37. Chameleon c1 - b1 37. Pawn h3 - d3 38. Chameleon b1 - d1 38. King e8 - d7 39. King b2 - b1 39. Long-Leaper c4 - a4 40. King b1 - a2 40. Long-Leaper a4 - f4 41. Chameleon d1 - a4 41. Long-Leaper f4 - f3 42. Immobilizer a1 - d1 42. Long-Leaper f3 - h5 43. Immobilizer d1 - g4 43. Pawn a6 - a7 44. Chameleon a4 - f4 44. Pawn a7 - a8 45. Chameleon f4 - e3 45. Pawn d3 - d1 46. Chameleon e3 - d4 46. Pawn e5 - e3 47. King a2 - b3 47. Pawn c5 - e5 48. Coordinator f5 - e4 x e3 48. Pawn e5 - f5 x g5 49. Chameleon f6 - f7 49. Pawn a8 - a6 50. Coordinator e4 - e6 50. Pawn g7 - g8 51. King b3 - b4 51. Immobilizer h6 - g5 52. King b4 - c5 52. Pawn g8 - g7 x g6 53. Coordinator e6 - g6 x g5 53. Pawn d1 - d2 54. Coordinator g6 - h6 x h5 54. Pawn d2 - a2 55. Chameleon d4 - d6 55. King d7 - d8 56. Chameleon d6 - e7 56. Pawn a6 - a4 x a3 57. Chameleon e7 x d8
Comment on the game: ChessV vs. Zillions, 30 sec. per player per move. Opening was weakly played by both programs, and you can observe the that the Pawn movements are not the best in both. The game play was more tactical than positional, the pair King-Coordinator is not used in the best way, and Immobilizer potential-and-risks is not well appreciated. But Chess V 'understood' better the game philosophy, and the end was played relatively good by Chess V, although with clear deficiences by Zillions. Very interesting test game!.
Three tests more, Zillions playing White, Chess V playing Black, 10 seconds per move. Results: Chess V won 3-0 !. Chess V is still relatively weak playing against humans, but it is definitely stronger than Zillions. I have detected an important bug, as I said, that must be corrected inmediately: When Chess V King is immobilized, it appears that if you can capture it, the prgogram does not detect it is Checkmated, you capture the King and the game cam continue endless. Now I think that 50% of penalty for immobilized pieces is perhaps too much, but I suggest augment it a bit, 30%, but if your immobilizer is immobilized, the value of your immobilizer must fall at least to half. There must be an important penalty for an immobilized King, much more if the immobilizer is potentially safe, Chess V takes not a good care with its King sometimes against the enemy immobilizer. I´ll add more when I have more to add.
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