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Quinquereme Chess. Large variant with a new piece, the Quinquereme. (12x12, Cells: 144) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Jeremy Good wrote on Sun, Jan 21, 2007 12:52 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

Knappen is one of the best variant designers, and his work is a huge
inspiration to me. Kudos for an ingenious game with an intriguing type of
nightrider that moves as a camel every other move.

Here is a curiousity I discovered in a game I just started: 

If White moves the f pawn on the first move, black's unprotected pawn at
j10 is threatened by the Pentere, also threatening a nasty double check,
which would force the king to flee. j10 is an unprotected pawn. 

The problem with unprotected pawns in opening positions is not that they
make a more inferior game than otherwise for the second player. That's a
common misconception. It is simply that variations can be forced, giving
the game an immediate tactical edge sometimes not allowing for the
flexibility many prefer to have in their opening choices. For a large
variant, I don't that's a bad thing. 

Please note: The forced moves will only happen if one of the players
decides it would be of advantage to force them, just as it is optional
whether to create the sort of pawn structure which leads to an open or
closed game.