Comments/Ratings for a Single Item

Let's not forget GM Sam Reshevsky as another proponent of status quo acting to innovate. Fischer never got past re-arrangement in FischerRandom. Reshevsky at least enlivens the board. The line of Bird, Capablanca, Seirawan and so on of Carrera copycats should include Reshevsky. It's really the same thing with or without Centaur(BN) or Champion(RN). Other tangents would be Four-Way(Stockman), Grand, Simplified Chess(2008), Slide-Shuffle, Maura's Modern(1968). Ignoring Mutators -- not considering Mutators at all -- there are still of course hundreds other examples all within this general class of CVs, ones keeping full Orthodoxy at root and deviating, in greater or lesser degree, by different board and arrangement of RNBKQP. The class includes concurrently-Commented Big Board(1974) by Professor Schoenfelder. Reshevsky here, like Seirawan, keeps the central 8x8 intact and adds an extraneous mechanism. Seirawan's is replacement pieces after evacuation, Reshevsky's is flank region of squares for off-beat piece-activity. Literally the 64-square region stays intact these two -- unlike Four-Way, Modern and most others in this class. Zonal's pieces' changing direction of travel within the side zones becomes pretty wild. But in purpose of classification, Zonal(1970) fits these class-distinguishments: no really new pieces, only new array, or drop, on any board. Thus Zonal's zonal areas are less mutator(they only operate there) than simply new board created for standard Staunton units. For this class, think of long-time Carrera Centaur and Champion as the substitutes, the other two (lesser)standard units not quite up to par or first-string, always having been available remaining since the very century after small 64-square Mad Queen had emerged. Earlier three Comments explain the 45-degree, or other, turns permitted in Zonal Chess move. Now announcement of Seirawan Chess in 2008 by another GM is tantamount to saying Reshevsky forty years ago -- and GM Capablanca 80 years ago -- had it wrong. Better to keep the regular pieces on the regular board, would say Seirawan(2008), Slide-Shuffle(2004), and Fischer(1996). The art advances. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

It looks like just-Commented Dragon Chess(tm) with USPatent 6799763(October 2004) 'blatantly copied' (interpreting Commenter Kasparov-F's words) this Zonal Chess. Zonal Chess adds 24 squares to 64[or rather 80] and Dragon adds 24 squares to 100. They both add the 12 squares to both left and right sides of rectangular boards, and both call the extra areas 'flanks'. So the designers of Dragon must have studied this earlier Reshevsky-endorsed commercial Zonal Chess and thought no one would notice. It is still no doubt patentable, but weaker patent because of unoriginality. Any technically novel features and specifics can warrant patent, and about half of patent applications issue in most countries. In field of CVs, since there are millions of possibilities, as typically in other arts, it is not hard to come up with minimally-reasonable novelty and unobviousness, if just wanting to get patent, not overly-concerned about usefulness. 'Kasparov-F' says ''They wanted to commercialize.'' So what? That is what patents are for, whether pharmaceuticals or fireproofing or forensics, any patent being prelude to commercialization. We put this Comment of similarity between Zonal and Dragon(tm) here because Zonal is halfway decent game worth some attention, whilst Dragon(tm) yet another practically worthless game though cleverly worked up to patented Claims(mostly for the board).

The great North American Grandmaster Sammy Reshevsky endorsed Zonal Chess, a bona fide Chess Variant. The flanks are precisely the 'Zonal Areas'. The changes of direction permitted for a 'Rider'(Queen, Bishop, Rook) are presumably any of 45, 90 or 135 degrees, according to the piece. ''Several turns in a move'' permitted actually means an amazing 7 or 8 possible changes of direction for a Queen in the Zone with specific favourable piece placement. The incentive will be to utilize the 36 staggered squares(flanks and beyond) by placing Rook, Bishop, Queen there, availing the opportunity to move as specified like a Bent Rider. 'Bent Rider' is used advisedly in that here there could be up to five steps and then the (one or first) change of direction. Fine work.

Child prodigy and USA Grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky(1911-1992) endorsed commercial Zonal Chess. Right away with formal GM endorsement, we know the game has orthodox pieces. Well, not without exception, since Omega Chess broke ground with approval of the Wizard/Champion pair by more than one titled orthoChess type. The pieces' change of direction by zone is reminiscent of great historical German 'Gala' 600 years old.