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Rococo. A clear, aggressive Ultima variant on a 10x10 ring board. (10x10, Cells: 100) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

George Duke wrote on Fri, Oct 19, 2012 03:23 PM UTC:

Add a full-rim border to 64 squares and you get 100-square 10x10. In turn, 64 squares come from 36 squares surrounded and 36 from 16 of the 4x4 smallest useful board. Well, here's a 2x2: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MSdavesexamplega. The brilliance of Rococo is precisely the *Border Square*. The border squares make Rococo's play like a large Chess yet requiring the master precision most decimal Chesses lack.
Now piece/Pawn can move off a border space, but not onto one except in capturing. For design analysis a decade ago, http://www.chessvariants.org/index/displaycomment.php?commentid=5613, border squares were counted as 0.5 making Rococo as if 82 squares, right on the cusp of regular/to/large categories. Withdrawer can capture ending on a border square only from the 28 squares comprising the 8x8 perimeter, and border squares are more important the Withdrawer than LL, as Abbott implication mis-leads, http://www.chessvariants.org/index/displaycomment.php?commentid=5123.

Abbott and Betza, for that matter Dawson and Parton -- unable to imagine let alone cope with the ensuing chaos brought about by 80, 84, 90 and 100 -- were unapologetic adherents to strict 64 squares, outsized and outmoded.

Breaking the rule, Cannon Pawn gets established as 2.0 points above, instead of orthodox 1.0 to Pawn of every other design analysis, to keep comfortable, familiar values Advancer and Long Leaper. Important to Cannon Pawn, Border Square secures its value as 2.0, piece-comparable. For instance, Rococo Pawn captures there where Long Leaper cannot unless already in the perimeter.