Check out Grant Acedrex, our featured variant for April, 2024.


[ Help | Earliest Comments | Latest Comments ]
[ List All Subjects of Discussion | Create New Subject of Discussion ]
[ List Earliest Comments Only For Pages | Games | Rated Pages | Rated Games | Subjects of Discussion ]

Comments by ultimatecoolster

Earlier Reverse Order LaterLatest
[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Thu, Oct 16, 2008 06:04 AM UTC:
Dr. Muller, did you intend for a single piece to have multicolored
components? If so, what is the purpose of this?

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Oct 17, 2008 05:12 AM UTC:
What I think would be a good rating system would be to have every user
that wants to judge, including those that are competing, view every
contest entry, and rate the entry on a scale of 1 to 10, in multiple
categories, e.g. Creativity, Playability, Analytical Interest, and Overall
Enjoyability. Those that score the highest amount of points in one category
compared to others will be first, second highest second, etc. within that
category. If prizes cannot be equal or someone thinks they should not be
equal, I think the Overall category winner should receive the main prize.
If a limited judge system is chosen, however, I would be happy to be one
of the judges, as long as I don't come up with a ridiculous amount of
entries first, as I did with the upcoming contest! ;)

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Oct 25, 2008 08:04 PM UTC:
I could do it today.

John Smith wrote on Sat, Oct 25, 2008 10:09 PM UTC:
It should be up by tomorrow.

John Smith wrote on Sun, Oct 26, 2008 12:52 AM UTC:
It's up. I'm open to any suggestions.

Super Asian Chess. An aggressive take on the Asian variants of Chess. (9x10, Cells: 90) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Sun, Oct 26, 2008 02:31 AM UTC:
I thought it depended on the dialect.

Indistinguishable Chess. Player pieces indistinguishable from each other. Board squares are indistinguishable. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sun, Oct 26, 2008 07:31 PM UTC:Average ★★★
This could be played Apocalypse-style, also, where the squares don't have an outline either.

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Wed, Oct 29, 2008 05:58 AM UTC:
This thread is for ideas for themed Chess variants.

With Halloween just around the corner, I've been thinking of creating a
Halloween-themed variant.

Here are the pieces I have so far:

Witch - Moves as Queen, but can jump any number of pieces and cannot
capture. Can also turn adjacent pieces into Frogs (0,3 or 3,3 leapers) .

Ghost - Moves to any empty square on the board and immobilizes adjacent
pieces.

Frankenstein's Monster / Zombie - Moves as Wazir, but can be revived
after the captor leaves its square.

John Smith wrote on Thu, Oct 30, 2008 12:14 AM UTC:
I'm thinking of a piece called a Headless Horseman, which would move as a
Gryphon or Aanca, but cannot capture when moving 2 steps or more:

m . m . m . m .
. m . m m . m m
. . m . m . m .
m m m m x x x m
. . . . x H x .
m m m m x x x m
. . m . m . m .
. m . m m . m m

I would estimate it to be worth about 7 Pawns. Does anyone have other
value suggestions, with reasons or playtesting?

John Smith wrote on Thu, Oct 30, 2008 02:36 AM UTC:
Perhaps I could do that, if it's only for one move. I'd have to playtest it.

John Smith wrote on Fri, Oct 31, 2008 01:24 AM UTC:
I guess you're right, Joe. I just based my assumptions of capturing move
values on a theoretical piece that moves as a Shogi Pawn, but can only
capture, being more valuable than a piece that moves as a Shogi Pawn, but
can only not capture. I'll try to have the correct value up.

John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 1, 2008 10:45 PM UTC:
It should be worth 6, I estimate, to apply the 12 (value of the Gryphon +
Aanca)/ 9 (value of the Queen) ratio to the Keen, which is worth 4.5 .

I have also come up with a new piece, the Unicorn, which moves as an Advancing Mao-rider. Does anyone know the value of an Advancer? I estimate it to be about 10 or 11, being more than a Queen because it takes 8 pieces to be able to fully defend a piece from it. A Mao is worth about 2.5, I think, so we can apply the 2.5 (Mao) / 3 (Knight) ratio to the Nightrider, which is worth about 5 or 6, to make 10 (a bit less than an Advancer, as it only attacks 4 squares) / 9 * 2.5 /3 * 5.5 = about 5, same as a Rook.

ximeracak.. A leaper-heavy fantasy variant designed for play with a standard set. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 2, 2008 12:15 AM UTC:
It would be nice to have a piece that moves 3, 4, or 5 squares orthogonally to make a nice diamond shape with the major pieces' combined movement diagram.

Ziggurat. Mesopotamian-themed variant on a 43-square board. (13x5, Cells: 43) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 2, 2008 02:04 AM UTC:Average ★★★
It is strange that the Horse is more powerful than the Chariot, and that there is only one of them, which would imbalance the game if you thought is was worth less. What are your justifications?

Halloween Chess. Chess with 5 new, Halloween-themed pieces! (13x13, Cells: 169) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Thu, Nov 6, 2008 02:08 AM UTC:
Zombie dropping does not count as a turn, and is automatic.

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Thu, Nov 6, 2008 03:03 AM UTC:
I've been thinking about this variant for a while: Fool Chess (not to be
confused with Graeme Neatham's Fool's Chess) . It would incorporate all
kinds of Fool, Jester, or similarly named piece in Chess variants. For
example, it could have the Courier Chess Fool, which moves as a Wazir, the
FIDE Chess Fool, which moves as a Bishop, and even the Jester from Jester
Chess, which imitates the last moved enemy piece. Does anyone know of any
other Fools?

John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 7, 2008 12:09 AM UTC:
Actually, I might try to 'combine' these pieces into a sort of average,
or use all of them in one piece, like my Super Asian Chess Elephant.
Imagine a new kind of Falcon, which moves N spaces backwards as a Hunter
Falcon Falcon, then N spaces forwards as a Hunter Falcon Falcon, then
repeats either of those, and can move in any order of the moves I've
said, thus resembling a Sissa, but with a Falcon name also somewhat
resembling a Falcon Chess Falcon. I hope that George Duke is OK with me
using a multi-path piece named a Falcon in a variant without credit,
although it is not the same piece.

John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 7, 2008 12:25 AM UTC:
And another combination piece!: The Lion, which is a WFDAN +
Omnidirectional English Draughts King. It has the abilities of every piece
bar the Crocodile from Congo, and whose range is the same as the Chu Shogi
Lion!

John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 7, 2008 01:48 AM UTC:
In my variant, I could have the aforementioned falcon, a piece called a
fool which moves as a Wazir or Renniassance Chess Duke, and an elephant
which moves as a Wazir, then Alfil, or Alfil, then Wazir, or as a Waffle,
which makes altogether a bent-path bonanza!

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 7, 2008 02:12 AM UTC:
Dutch Chess.

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 7, 2008 11:38 PM UTC:
How about this Falcon? : Moves as Hunter Falcon Falcon , but after
capturing moves at a 135 degree angle off of the piece. It is what Mats
Winther would call bifurcating, and mimics the hunting style of a real
falcon.

John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 8, 2008 09:39 AM UTC:
I don't know what to say, but that seems like a really weak piece,
according to Betza's magic number. The awkwardness explodes
exponentially, making it probably worth a maximum of 1/8 of a Pawn. Have you tested this piece? To quote David Paulowich, it strikes me as almost as bad an idea as the original Shatranj Elephant. Only worse. Much, much worse.

Elephant Hunt. Ituri Forest Pygmi traditional game with chess-like elements. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 8, 2008 10:16 AM UTC:Good ★★★★
I'm thinking of making a 3-player variant with a piece called a Roc, which is a giant mythical bird thought to eat elephants.

Tournoy. Pieces have orientation that can be rotated. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 8, 2008 11:46 AM UTC:
Pat does not exist? I assume you forgot to translate stalemate, correct?

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 8, 2008 07:34 PM UTC:
Yeah, I guess my old Falcon is more creative. I've never seen any piece
other than a Sissa that is a multipath that can move an unlimited amount
of spaces. You seem to have misunderstood my piece, which can only capture
on the square it finishes its move on, but your version is great because
then it can swoop like a real Falcon. Well, that leaves at one more piece
for my next variant. I think it could be an Elephant (any ideas?) , and I
could rename the Falcon as the Hawk, so to fit in nicely with a Seirawan
chess set. ;) (And no, I'm not H. G. Muller.)

John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 8, 2008 08:22 PM UTC:
What I meant was moving without leaping in one kind of move N squares, then
moving without leaping in another kind of move N squares. I don't think
most of them count, because they simply repeat a short multipath move, and
the others are leapers, which I view as moving one square at a time,
'hippogonally', 'dromegonally', etc. I'm sorry if I sound conceited.
I am not trying to make my definition so narrow that I had to have an
original piece.

John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 9, 2008 03:36 AM UTC:
Mein gott! I just got an idea! The 'OTHER HALF'ling! It does the moves
that a regular piece can do that a Halfling cannot!

Hex Shogi. A new family of hexagonal Shogi variants.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 9, 2008 04:27 AM UTC:Good ★★★★
You are incorrect that the Gold General is the Japanese version of the Wazir and the Silver General is the Japanese version of the Ferz. The Gold General is the Japanese version of the Ferz and the Silver General is the Japanese version of the Alfil.

Seachess. Chess with a marine war theme. (Cells: 128) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 9, 2008 04:39 AM UTC:Good ★★★★
Where can a Cruiser plant mines? Also, your diagram for the Cruiser's movement is incorrect. The C needs to be shifted to the left or the m's to the right.

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 9, 2008 04:41 AM UTC:
This post has been removed for excessive foul language.

Hex Shogi. A new family of hexagonal Shogi variants.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 9, 2008 05:16 AM UTC:
Sorry about that. I misunderstood what you meant.

Falcon Chess. Play Falcon Chess on Game Courier![All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 9, 2008 10:59 AM UTC:
To quote David Paulowich, it strikes me as almost as bad an idea as the
original Shatranj Elephant. Here is was referring to the nonleaping Camel in Cardinal Super Chess. Combining with a nonleaping Zebra is like adding a Trebouchet to the Alfil. Both pieces are dreadfully awkward on the small board, but these lame Falcon components do not even have the tactical opening value that normal long leaping pieces have. The Falcon needs a larger board, just as a Camel and Zebra do. Unfortunately, this makes it incompatible with the Pawn and Knight. It's like fitting a round (multipath) piece in a square (riders/leapers) hole. Perhaps you should consider revising Falcon Chess.

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 9, 2008 11:16 AM UTC:
With my new evaluation of George Duke's Falcon, I admit that my own (the
multipath non-bifurcating one) is almost as weak, or even weaker. I am
considering tweaking it to be able to 'fly' , i.e. pass any amount of
pieces, so to make the board less cramped. Can anyone tell me if this would make it too powerful? I know
that the Bison has a very high tactical value through forking and jumping
over the enemy's Pawns in the opening. I would much appreciate it if
someone could playtest my new Falcon, and my original Falcon (the
multipath bifurcating one).

John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 9, 2008 07:22 PM UTC:
It's earlier in the thread. Here's how it moves: Moves a forward Bishop,
then backward Rook, then forward Bishop, moving the same distance each
step, without jumping. Can also move bR bR fB and all other combinations of two fB moves
and 1 bR move, or two bR moves and 1 fB move, just like George Duke's
Falcon, but moving unlimited and having the step directions restricted to
the fB and bR moves. Also, it does not have to land on a piece to capture
it. It simply has to step on it at the end of a fB or bR step. Note that
this mimics the hunting style of a real falcon. There is a restriction,
however, that it may only capture 1 piece in a turn. The alternative form
can also move without being restricted by other pieces. If you can, implement in on the Falcon Chess board with one side having George Duke's Falcons, and one side having my Falcons replace his. An optional second test if my Falcons lose is to use the unrestricted version instead.

Here is an example of when it moves 2 bR fB X bR.

Starting position with lines showing how the Falcon will move.
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . p . F . . . .
. . | \ | . . . .
. . | . | . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .


Step by step:

. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . 2 . F . . . .
. . 3 2 1 . . . .
. . 3 . 1 . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .

Ending position.
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . F . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .

John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 9, 2008 07:54 PM UTC:
By the way, to the editors: I cannot go past the last few items in
comments. When I click Next 25 Items, it goes to different threads, like
Zhou Xia. Can you fix this so I can see the earlier discussion? And is
there any way of renaming a thread?

John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 9, 2008 11:58 PM UTC:
Could you rename it to Piece Ideas?

Star Pool Chess. Large variant of Makruk, with a center non-square that acts as a bridge. (Cells: 84) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 10, 2008 05:12 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
'This game is played on an 84-hex board.' Copying and pasting, eh? ;)

Storm the Ivory Tower. A Smess adaptation of Chinese Chess. (9x10, Cells: 90) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 10, 2008 05:45 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
How about instead of having the Ninnies capture two squares, you give them the ability to move 90 degrees to the arrows on their current square? It would prevent them from getting trapped in the Fortresses. Other than the additional moves for the Ninnies and Fuddy-Duddies, this is an excellent Xiang Qi-like variant.

Prime Number Contest. Yes, just as the title says! I hope this is legal![All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 10, 2008 05:57 PM UTC:
OK, I think I've got it handled.

Storm the Ivory Tower. A Smess adaptation of Chinese Chess. (9x10, Cells: 90) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 10, 2008 06:00 PM UTC:
Doesn't the Yahoo violate this rule, then?

John Smith wrote on Wed, Nov 12, 2008 05:30 AM UTC:
I meant in the way that it does not move at every step as indicated by the arrows. How about Ninnies that can move one step as indicated by the arrows, then one step 135 degrees to that, with the ability to pass a piece encountered on the first step? I admit it is rather awkward, though it accurately depicts the Xiang Qi Pawn's move.

John Smith wrote on Wed, Nov 12, 2008 11:17 PM UTC:
I thought this was intended as a technically serious game, but I now understand it is not. In keeping with simplicity rather than trueness to Xiang Qi, I now endow this game with a rating of 10/10.

John Smith wrote on Thu, Nov 13, 2008 01:05 AM UTC:
By that, you must be saying Xiang Qi is drawish!

GuilloQi. A large octahedral variant with a hint of Raumschach, Loonybird, and Xiang Qi. (16x(), Cells: 222) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Thu, Nov 13, 2008 11:07 PM UTC:
Is it not obvious by my initial description, e.g. Knobby Humanoid for Pawn?

Take Oo Ninnin. A Smess-like game vaguely similar to Shogi. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Thu, Nov 13, 2008 11:11 PM UTC:
I did suggest the board could be improved in the notes section. I am embarassed to ask this after my perhaps ill-taken comments on your similar game, but would you like to make the new board?

Stations. Missing description (9x5, Cells: 61) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 14, 2008 01:19 AM UTC:
Although I do not know how powerful the Dreadnaught is, I think it would be more aesthetically pleasing if you had two, the second positioned in front of the first and the Fighter moved forward one space.

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 14, 2008 01:48 AM UTC:
How about this Lion: moves without capturing as Squirrel, but captures by
igui as King?

Take Oo Ninnin. A Smess-like game vaguely similar to Shogi. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 14, 2008 06:20 AM UTC:
The board is perfect except the space in front of the King is forward instead of backward. Also, I said these pieces corresponded in no way to their Shogi counterparts. It was necessary to reverse the Silver and Gold to make an aesthetically pleasing arrow setup (1 2 3 4 4 3 2 1) , and because if I implemented it the normal way, the Silver would always be able to move sideways in the opening position, which it normally cannot do. I'll see if I can reverse it, if possible. Then again, you can always just put the Gold in the Silver's spot and vice versa. When I say rotated, it can be either way.

💡📝John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 14, 2008 06:33 AM UTC:
I just noticed: there is a blue and white line on the right side of the right Gold spaces.

💡📝John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 14, 2008 03:34 PM UTC:
Thanks for the board, Fergus. In regards to rotated pieces being more powerful: Isn't that the point? Golds are more powerful than Silvers in Shogi. The only problem is the Bishop being stronger than the Rook. Any suggestions?

GuilloQi. A large octahedral variant with a hint of Raumschach, Loonybird, and Xiang Qi. (16x(), Cells: 222) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 17, 2008 03:23 PM UTC:
Shhh, Kuyan! (or Judith, I don't know which is your given name and family name) It makes the King seem imbalanced if you say that!

💡📝John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 17, 2008 03:25 PM UTC:
Fergus: Yes, it is a 3D game. the boards are connected orthogonally by their centres and all other connections are implied from that. Triagonally means by using the non-standard diagonal (ND) also known as the 3D diagonal, or 'triagonal' as analogy with diagonal modifying 2 dimensions of location.

Chess Dial. Play starts with Shogi, then mutates into Xiang Qi, then FIDE Chess, then Shogi again! (9x10, Cells: 90) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 17, 2008 03:29 PM UTC:
That's only correct for Pawns, actually, pieces only are changed (other than Xiang Qi Pawns' river promotion) if they were promoted in the game they are currently in. It would be interesting to see people wonder whether they should promote, though.

Roc Hunt. The Pygmy Elephant Hunt game is now expanded to 3 players, with the new piece, the Roc, which eats elephants! (28x28, Cells: 784) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 17, 2008 03:30 PM UTC:
I'll try to do that.

Take Oo Ninnin. A Smess-like game vaguely similar to Shogi. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 17, 2008 03:40 PM UTC:
New diagram.

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Tue, Nov 18, 2008 03:23 PM UTC:
Does anyone know of any women that are fans of chess variants? The only one
I know of is Christine Bagley-Jones. Web demographics say this site
primarily is viewed by middle-aged men.

Prison Break. Starring the sliding pawns, the Ninja Guards, the Knight, the Bird, the King and introducing the captivating Ice Queen! (6x8, Cells: 46) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Wed, Nov 19, 2008 03:32 PM UTC:Average ★★★
While the Ice Queen is somewhat creative, the other pieces I think you overuse in your variants.

Stations. Missing description (9x5, Cells: 61) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Wed, Nov 19, 2008 03:34 PM UTC:Good ★★★★
This game is remarkably similar to my own Complete Permutation Hexagonal Chess.

[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
John Smith wrote on Thu, Nov 20, 2008 02:48 AM UTC:
How about the Anti-Cannon, which reverses the Xiang Qi Cannon's capturing
and non-capturing moves?

John Smith wrote on Thu, Nov 20, 2008 02:50 AM UTC:
Oh, darn! Did I recreate this topic as the name was being changed?

ZigZag Madness. Featuring the crooked dual path sliders: the ZigZag Bishop and the ZigZag Rook. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Thu, Nov 20, 2008 11:49 PM UTC:
I don't understand why they can't move to adjacent squares. Is this supposed to make them on par with their non-zigzag counterparts? Also, you got my hopes up of someone using Ralph's Zigzags, which are the same as crooked pieces, but move two steps after each turn instead of one.

John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 12:12 AM UTC:
I'd like to see an (incorrectly or loosely) Ironic Chess. Anybody up?

Xiang Hex. Missing description (9x7, Cells: 79) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 12:17 AM UTC:Good ★★★★
Doesn't the board need to be one rank longer?

Lions and Dragons Chess. Hexagonal variant. Dragons carry a ball to the goal while Wizards avoid capture. (Cells: 84) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 12:43 AM UTC:Poor ★
This isn't very Chess-like at all, and the Lions are an extreme kludge for holes in the board.

Xiang Hex. Missing description (9x7, Cells: 79) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 01:10 AM UTC:
I mean doesn't it need to be one rank SHORTER? So Soldiers can't actually enter the river and there are two cells between them and their opponents, making it the same as Xiang Qi? I haven't tried out the Zillions implementation, because my computer is broken and I have had to use a public computer.

ZigZag Madness. Featuring the crooked dual path sliders: the ZigZag Bishop and the ZigZag Rook. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 01:12 AM UTC:
As I said before: Is this supposed to make them on par with their non-zigzag counterparts?

Xiang Hex. Missing description (9x7, Cells: 79) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 01:19 AM UTC:
Actually, it could be longer if you wanted the board less crowded and still having the properties of an imaginary river, and you could push the Cannons forward, so they are 2 ranks in front of the Horses.

John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 01:49 AM UTC:
I admire that. Do you want to play a game with me on Game Courier?

CwDA: Breakfast Brutes. An army with the theme of a balanced breakfast. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 02:00 AM UTC:
I'm sorry. It was actually inspired by the Pancake piece.

Xiang Hex. Missing description (9x7, Cells: 79) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 04:28 AM UTC:
There is one thing I don't like about this game, however. The Palace is smaller and the Mandarins weaker. Only one Mandarin is needed in the opening and middlegame, the other being restricted by the first, just serving as Cannon fodder. I realize there is no way to make a larger Palace and more powerful Mandarins without violating a regularly shaped Palace and the General and Mandarins occupying the lowest rank of it.

John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 04:34 AM UTC:
All this river talk is making me CV design hungry, actually. I want to create a game with the same real river as Christian Freeling's Congo. I'm open to collaboration! ;)

Chess Variant. Private Taking the two most famous Fairies into Capablanca. (10x10, Cells: 100) [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.

Since this comment is for a page that has not been published yet, you must be signed in to read it.

Magic River. Xiang Qi pieces crossing the Magic River turn into their Western counterparts, and vice versa! (17x9, Cells: 77) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 11:35 PM UTC:
It would be great if you could! Does anyone want to create another game with a River with me?

Three-players Chess. Newspaper announcement of three player chess.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Fri, Nov 21, 2008 11:38 PM UTC:Good ★★★★
The board is not symmetrical. The only way to make it symmetrical would be to switch one of the Queens with one of the Kings. I have seen this mistake in many Chess variants that incorporate both Chessmen and Draughtsmen.

MiliQi. A small Xiang Qi variant with a Western militaristic feel. (5x10, Cells: 50) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 12:51 AM UTC:
Thanks, but you did not get the Cavalry move correct. It moves as the Xiang Qi Elephant or the Xiang Qi Horse. You implemented it as a Moo.

Magic River. Xiang Qi pieces crossing the Magic River turn into their Western counterparts, and vice versa! (17x9, Cells: 77) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 02:08 AM UTC:
Do you mean being able to move on the squares on the XQ side? That would ruin the magic of the river! :(

The Sons of Mithra. Elaborate Fantasy variant with 13 different types of pieces per side. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 02:36 AM UTC:
I hate rifle pieces. How about the Ranger moves as it does, but captures 2 or 3 orthogonally?

Eurasian Chess. Synthesis of European and Asian forms of Chess. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 03:04 AM UTC:Good ★★★★
I hate Grand Chess. It's like having Rook connection spoon-fed to you and the Pawn promotion is terrible. It's called promotion for a reason. It's not called rescuing. And if you do have that rule, why make the Pawns able to check? They cannot consummate the capture. I understand that modifying you setup's Rooks will give an undefended Pawn, but please understand.

Magic River. Xiang Qi pieces crossing the Magic River turn into their Western counterparts, and vice versa! (17x9, Cells: 77) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 03:08 AM UTC:
An additional rule: As soon as a piece can capture, it cannot move further. Otherwise interboard travel is unrestricted by the other side's pieces.

Chalice. A Christianity-themed game played Alice on a Holy Grail. (3x(8x9), Cells: 47) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 03:17 AM UTC:
Added some clarifications for the Pawns' Dabbaba movement.

Man and Beast 09: Mighty Like a Rose. Systematic naming of pieces following Curved, Crooked, or Bent paths.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 03:43 AM UTC:
What would you call a Crooked Panda?

Magic River. Xiang Qi pieces crossing the Magic River turn into their Western counterparts, and vice versa! (17x9, Cells: 77) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 04:48 AM UTC:
You are wrong. Although Xiang Qi has no freezable pieces, it has pieces that are bound to their own side of the board.

💡📝John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 04:53 AM UTC:
Another clarification: The Western side should go first, and the Cannons should turn into Grasshoppers as soon as they cross the River, and not after. This nullifies the quick attacks they can make in the opening.

💡📝John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 04:39 PM UTC:
It is, however, possible that the game is already balanced. Larry, you should run it on Zillions. Fergus: You should note that the Queens are only offensive Queens for Xiang Qi. They freeze when they cross the River.

Pillar Chess. Variant with elements from Pillar Checkers. Captured pieces are stacked beneath the capturing piece, stacks can be split. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 05:03 PM UTC:
It seems that it is very easy to recover from material loss.

Triumvirate Chess. Uses three Knights. The last remaining opposing Knight must be checkmated as the King. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 05:22 PM UTC:Good ★★★★
I agree with Peter Aronson, regarding the power of a royal Knight. Does Joe Joyce have anything to say?

Trophy Hunt. Squirrels and Elephants instead of Kings, Queens and Bishops. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 05:29 PM UTC:Good ★★★★
It looks a bit difficult to capture the Squirrel, with only the Crow and Pawn uncovered by its capture range.

Kings and Pawns. Proprietary game on 8 by 7 board with two types of pieces and no capturing. (7x8, Cells: 56) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 05:43 PM UTC:Poor ★
This game is terrible. One can easily draw by moving pieces back and forth along the first and second rank, and if there they are blocked, it is draw by stalemate. The only way to win this game would be if stalemate were a loss.

Magic River. Xiang Qi pieces crossing the Magic River turn into their Western counterparts, and vice versa! (17x9, Cells: 77) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 07:33 PM UTC:
It moves normally, with the River being non-existent when coming from the Eastern side, traveling until it is possible for it to go to one of the 4 squares surrounding a standard destination point, then goes into one of them, and continues its path as the new piece until the legal move of the new piece would be surpassed if it went farther. Is this clear?

💡📝John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 08:32 PM UTC:
The Knight is permitted to land in the 'Magic
River' before translating, but can only temporarily be in the Magic River. The Magic River is not a rank for the Horse. Pieces cannot deeply penetrate except for Rooks/Chariots and Cannons. They turn into their counterparts immediately after crossing the Magic River. And the move can capture.

Xiang Hex. Missing description (9x7, Cells: 79) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 08:35 PM UTC:
Ever think of a Jang Hex?

Magic River. Xiang Qi pieces crossing the Magic River turn into their Western counterparts, and vice versa! (17x9, Cells: 77) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Sat, Nov 22, 2008 11:02 PM UTC:
In my original version, Pawn promotion does work as such. I have not decided on the facing Kings rule. I will decide as soon as someone playtests my game without it and with it.

Save the Standard. A Tafl inspired game, with equal forces and the addition of a Cavalry piece. (15x7, Cells: 101) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 23, 2008 07:36 PM UTC:Good ★★★★
Cavalry occupying a Hill or Haven square may also be captured by a Standard using the normal Chess method of capture by replacement.

Why?

John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 23, 2008 08:34 PM UTC:
Why can't it capture Infantry in the Hills and Havens also?

Dimension X. Chess on two planes - one with the usual chess pieces, the other with spooky trans-dimensional pieces with strange interactions. (2x(8x8), Cells: 128) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Sun, Nov 23, 2008 10:12 PM UTC:Good ★★★★
This page needs a rewrite. I also keep seeing these:

.--.
|FF|
|FD|
.--.

Ladorean Chess - Shaco Ladorean. Variation on Capablanca's Chess. (10x8, Cells: 80) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 24, 2008 12:02 AM UTC:
Does anyone here think one of the pieces sounds edible?

Save the Standard. A Tafl inspired game, with equal forces and the addition of a Cavalry piece. (15x7, Cells: 101) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 24, 2008 12:04 AM UTC:
I think they should be able to land there, but also be able to be captured by replacement. Why is there this distinction?

Ocean's Eleven Chess. A war of thieves, each band possessing 11 members, and all having their eyes on the enemy's diamond. (2x(9x9), Cells: 47) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 24, 2008 10:57 PM UTC:
It is carrying the Diamond. It cannot drop the Diamond. I will have an ASCII diagram up soon. Thieves get a permanent promotion.

Conditional Quantum Chess. You may move to two squares each turn, but only one is a real move. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝John Smith wrote on Mon, Nov 24, 2008 11:00 PM UTC:
The reason you can take your own pieces is so you can anticipate if your opponent's capture was real, then recapture.

100 comments displayed

Earlier Reverse Order LaterLatest

Permalink to the exact comments currently displayed.