H. G. Muller wrote on Mon, Sep 12, 2016 03:08 PM UTC:
Bigger is in general not better, in terms of the potential to catch on. Games tend to take longer, and people are impatient. Chu Shogi was a game as good as Chess variants without drops can get, and dominated Japan for many centuries. But with 46 pieces each games just last too long by modern standards, and almost no one plays it anymore. Which is a pity.
Shogi seems to have much more potetial to catch on than Omega Chess, Grand Chess or extensions of those. It really deals with the draw problem. I would rate Elven Chess above Grand Chess anyway, because I am biased, of course, but also because you can easily play it with equipment that is already around. I think a rule to prolong the presence of the strongest piece is favorable in large games, as it speeds up their completion.
Last month I happened to participate in a Superchess tournament where the 'Fool' (called 'Joker' there) did participate, and the concensus of the participants seemed to be that it was a cumbersome piece, difficult to handle and of very limited capability, and easily lost. They did not really applaud its usage.
Bigger is in general not better, in terms of the potential to catch on. Games tend to take longer, and people are impatient. Chu Shogi was a game as good as Chess variants without drops can get, and dominated Japan for many centuries. But with 46 pieces each games just last too long by modern standards, and almost no one plays it anymore. Which is a pity.
Shogi seems to have much more potetial to catch on than Omega Chess, Grand Chess or extensions of those. It really deals with the draw problem. I would rate Elven Chess above Grand Chess anyway, because I am biased, of course, but also because you can easily play it with equipment that is already around. I think a rule to prolong the presence of the strongest piece is favorable in large games, as it speeds up their completion.
Last month I happened to participate in a Superchess tournament where the 'Fool' (called 'Joker' there) did participate, and the concensus of the participants seemed to be that it was a cumbersome piece, difficult to handle and of very limited capability, and easily lost. They did not really applaud its usage.