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Game Courier Tournament #4: An Introductory Semi-Potluck. A tournament to feature games good for introducing people to Chess variants.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
🕸📝Fergus Duniho wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 01:32 AM UTC:
Now that I've made the page for this tournament, I will sign up for it and pick Eurasian Chess as the first game for the tournament.

Joe Joyce wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 03:37 AM UTC:
I'll sign up, and offer Great Shatranj [D version] again, although Modern Shatranj is my most chesslike game. Modern [R version] was played in the last tournament, and a little variety is nice. Besides, Great is a better game. It does, however, require you to attempt to make a rules-checking preset. I do not think that will offer you any difficulties, but if the promotion rules pose a problem, you could use a default 'any lost piece' promotion rule instead of the 'only 1 of a pair or a guard' rule in place, because it is unlikely to make any difference. Offhand, I don't remember playing a game where a pawn was actually promoted, much less 2 pawns from the same side.

🕸📝Fergus Duniho wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 04:20 AM UTC:
Joe, Your variant seems more like an intermediate level Chess variant than an introductory level variant. It introduces several new pieces that are not in Chess, and learning it could be as difficult as learning Chess for the first time was. Let's stick to variants in this tournament that are mainly variants of Chess rather than other games with their own identity, such as Smess, Ultima, Shatranj, etc.

Sam Trenholme wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 05:34 AM UTC:
OK, here’s a modest variant I invented back in 1994:

Replace the Bishops with what I call “W-Flyers”. Inspired by Shogi’s Gold and Silver generals, this piece is a rider which can move forwards or backwards (but not sideways) like a rook, or forwards (but not backwards) like a bishop.

Here is a diagram of its move:

\.|./
.\|/.
..#..
..|..
..|..
If people are interested, I have a Zillions preset for this minor Chess Variant.

Joe Joyce wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 05:34 AM UTC:
Okay, make it Modern, then, if I still have the option. 

I might suggest that Great Shatranj is just a modest variant of Capablanca Chess; one where the infinite sliders are 'reduced' to a 1 square step or a 2 square leap, instead of their cross-board [linear] slides. :-)
However, Modern will do. [And if it won't do, then how about Hypermodern Shatranj, which is even closer to standard chess? ;-)]

Sam Trenholme wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 05:45 AM UTC:
Joe: That sounds like it’s still too complicated for what Fergus is looking for.

How about this: The rules are identical to FIDE chess, but every piece can only move a maximum of two squares. Pawns can not move two squares; only one. Every piece can leap two squares over pawns and other pieces. Castling is normal--this is the only time the rook can move three squares.


Vitya Makov wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 07:37 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
Ok. I think CWDA is the best. I have invented a new Mighty Men army (cannot say when page with rules for this army will be ready).

The theme of this army is man (or king). 
Man (b,g lines) moves like a king (ferz + wazir). 
Benz (c,f lines) moves like a bishop forward or like a rook backward. 
Pioneer (a,h lines) moves like a man or like a rook forward or backward. 
Robot (d line) moves like wazir, dabbaba, knight or alfil. IT DOESN'T 
MOVE LIKE FERZ. 

Here's the example game: http://play.chessvariants.org/pbm/play.php?game=FIDE+vs.+Man&log=judgmentality-cetina.carlosr-2009-193-681

Also Fisher Random - sure, must be!
Heavy Gravity Chess.

I will participate in tournament.

Vitya Makov wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 07:42 AM UTC:
I think Modern Shatranj can be played in this tournament.

Vitya Makov wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 07:51 AM UTC:
Crazyhouse
Cardinal Chess
Alice Chess
Glinski's Hexagonal Chess
Embassy Chess

Vitya Makov wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 08:10 AM UTC:
Berolina Chess

Nicholas Wolff wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 08:13 AM UTC:
I would like to offer 007 Detente Chess - Balanced Version.

If that is too complicated, though it should work for any player of chess, then Avalanche Chess.

And I wish to sign up for the tournament. 

THANKS FERGUS!

H. G. Muller wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 08:19 AM UTC:
If you are looking for modest variants of Mad Queen, I would suggest Knightmate.

Jose Carrillo wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 01:08 PM UTC:
My variant proposal:

Ajax Random Chess:
http://play.chessvariants.org/pbm/play.php?game%3DAjax+Random+Chess%26settings%3DAlfaerie1

If random variants are OK, otherwise:

Ajax Orthodox Chess: (One of the positions of Ajax Random Chess)
http://play.chessvariants.org/pbm/play.php?game%3DAjax+Orthodox+Chess%26settings%3DAlfaerie1

M Winther wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 06:51 PM UTC:
It would be great if Gustav III's Chess was tested. It is a modest variant. However, thanks to the Amazons, brutal tactics will occur. In this way, the very useful Gustavian board is tested, too.
http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MPgustaviiisches
/Mats

Carlos Cetina wrote on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 09:17 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
I sign up for the tournament and pick Symmetric Chess whose setup is this:

All the FIDE chess rules apply. When castling the king steps three squares. The Bishops Conversion Rule holds.

I'll submit the corresponding items for rules and preset nextly.


🕸📝Fergus Duniho wrote on Fri, Dec 4, 2009 01:43 AM UTC:

Okay, it looks like we have six games now. Among those of you who listed more than one game, I picked one. If you have a strong preference for one of your other choices let me know. For now, the list looks like this:

  1. Eurasian Chess (Fergus Duniho)
  2. W-Flyers (Sam Trenholme)
  3. HyperModern Shatranj (Joe Joyce)
  4. Embassy Chess (Vitya Makov)
  5. Knightmate (H. G. Muller)
  6. Ajax Orthodox Chess (Jose Carillo)

I decided against including any multi-move variants. They are difficult to program, and Game Courier's point-and-click capability is good for only single moves.


Nicholas Wolff wrote on Fri, Dec 4, 2009 05:16 AM UTC:
Fergus,

Is there a page to sign up on or just comment it?

M Winther wrote on Fri, Dec 4, 2009 06:39 AM UTC:
But Embassy Chess is only yet another Capablanca variant. Wouldn't it be better to try something new? Thousands of Capablanca chess games have already been played.
/Mats

mirari wrote on Fri, Dec 4, 2009 07:29 AM UTC:
'But Embassy Chess is only yet another Capablanca variant.'

And Embassy Chess is available to play elsewhere - I am playing it at Brainking.  I think chessvariants.org would be better served by including variants not easily playable elsewhere - for example, the Gustav III's chess suggested by Mats Winther looks very interesting.

(Same goes for Knightmate - I am currently playing that on Brainking as well, and would much prefer the chance when playing here to get to try out some new variant not available on other sites.)

I would like to sign up for this tournament (even if it does include Embassy Chess and Knightmate chess as two of the games).

Vitya Makov wrote on Fri, Dec 4, 2009 12:31 PM UTC:
In my opinion Tournament must have some variant like: Fisher Random, Crazyhouse or Capablanca variant - it's a most well known and popular variants. I prefer Capa variant (Embassy) than Fisher Random.

Also Circular or Hex chess looks interesting and original to me. Because other variants are very easy to me. Circular Chess are easy to understand and it have originality, because Rooks are stronger than in chess, knights and bishops are weaker. Fergus, I want to offer not Embassy chess, but Circular Chess (or Hex). Because tournament must be an entry to different-type of board variants. What do you think?

'Knightmate'

Hm. Alice Chess looks more interesting. I think Alice Chess is not complicated at all.

Vitya Makov wrote on Fri, Dec 4, 2009 12:51 PM UTC:
Let's make voting with all variants from the comments (with all of mine (or one of mine) and Carlos Cetina Symmetric Chess). 
I think that variants like 'W-Flyers' is not interesting. I have this 'W-Flyer' in my Mighty Men Army, but I have whole different army. In 'W-Flyers' only one piece is different. It doesn't look interesting.

Jose Carrillo wrote on Fri, Dec 4, 2009 01:02 PM UTC:
I'm OK Fergus with Ajax Orthodox Chess.

I'm already working on programming the code for the preset.

Jose

H. G. Muller wrote on Fri, Dec 4, 2009 01:53 PM UTC:
I thought we were aiming only for modest variants here? This is why I proposed Knightmate, and the W-flyer seems a pretty interesting variant of this type. (The W-flyer might actually be stronger than a Rook, I suspect.) Different armies score much higher on the scale of exoticness, with many unorthodox pieces.

The circular Chess is actually not so strange as I first thought. The board s geometrically distorted in a way that will be very confusing to a Human player, but in fact it is topologically equivalent to a Möbius strip. Just connect the left and right edge of a 9x8 square board together after a twist. So it is probably much better to play it on a rectangular board, and keep in mind that there are moves over the edge that wrap around not in a cylinder, but in a Möbius way. That frees you of cumbersome mapping of fies and diagonals across the void, where in practice all action will be going on.

Vitya Makov wrote on Fri, Dec 4, 2009 02:07 PM UTC:
'The W-flyer might actually be stronger than a Rook, I suspect.)'

Ouch, this is a little different piece, than in my MM-Army. But I'm not against this piece. This variant is playable, I don't like that it has no big differencies from classic chess. 

'...in a way that will be very confusing to a Human player'

I cannot agree with you at all. Initially I have no problems with this board.
Maybe a little confusing in the beginning, but not 'very confusing'.

Vitya Makov wrote on Fri, Dec 4, 2009 02:11 PM UTC:
'no big differencies'

Not big, but no interesting differencies.

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