Rich Hutnik wrote on Mon, Apr 21, 2008 08:26 PM UTC:
My take on why I propose the Eurasian pawn that moves forward, but captures
NE, NW, and N is that it is a way to close the gap in spaces, without
adding extra mobility. Whether or not it is needed, depends on the
context. I will say in Near Chess on a 8x9 board, the pawn capture
forward is very important to the game. The pawn capture forward (North)
is what forces pieces to develop behind the pawns instead of in front,
which is a trademark of Near Chess. If one were to allow moving two
spaces forward for the pawn, it would be unbalanced and unfair to black.