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Comments by GlennOverby

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L. The list of official nominations for the variant-by-committee.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Thu, Jul 10, 2003 09:22 PM UTC:
<p>Looking at Peter's questions... <ol> <li>What is the maximum height of a stack of stones? With Eaglet promotion it is possible to get more than 8 stones on the board -- can a stack contain more than 8? <ul> <li>I favor an 8 stone limit as well. I did not vote for the rule that won precisely because of its interaction with the Towers. </ul> <li>Are the pieces of the Tower of Hanoi allowed to both break apart and merge with others in the same move? Or are the breaking moves and merging moves separate? <ul> <li>I favor break-or-merge, but could live with break-and-merge. </ul> <li>And should the Tower be allowed to make capture moves when breaking apart? <ul> <li>I see no reason why not. Only one 'piece' is moving. </ul> </ol> <p>Just my $.02...Glenn

Contest to design a chess variant on 43 squares. Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Wed, Jul 9, 2003 12:39 PM UTC:
I apologize for not making the second round vote rules more clear.  There
should have been a third clause: 'Entrants may vote or not vote under the
same rules as all other voters.'

Now I'm glad that I posted the finalists a few days early.  :)

L. The list of official nominations for the variant-by-committee.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Tue, Jul 8, 2003 01:15 AM UTC:
I have no objection to modifying the official Luotuoqi rules to use
king-capture instead of checkmate for victory.  If a majority of
contributors concur, let it be so.

=====

Entrant 3, the second to propose the Separate Realms Rook (under a
different name), has withdrawn that entry in favor of Entrant 2's earlier
independent submission.  I'll make the change in a few minutes.

Contest to design a chess variant on 43 squares. Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Mon, Jul 7, 2003 11:53 PM UTC:
The eight finalists are now posted to the site.  Congratulations to the
survivors, and a big thanks to all who entered and all who voted.

The finals round of voting runs from 15 July through 15 August.

Glenn

L. The list of official nominations for the variant-by-committee.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Mon, Jul 7, 2003 11:51 PM UTC:
One question, one plea:

Question: Will any two Towers trigger the new promotion rule, or only two
Towers of the same height?  (I recommend the latter.)

Plea:  ZRFers out there, the time is upon us.  We need someone to take up
the formidable challenge of coding The Cube.  Everything else appears to
be moderately straightforward.  If you can code The Cube for an otherwise
standard game of chess, let me know.  We'll beg and plead to let us put
it into a Camel Chess ZRF.  :)

Glenn

Contest to design a chess variant on 43 squares. Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Tue, Jul 1, 2003 11:57 AM UTC:
Hi, folks.  Thanks for the good suggestions.  I am over my computer
difficulties, and will be back up to speed very soon.

There are three entrants who have not yet voted.  All voters who mentioned
voting in this thread have their ballots in.

I am allowing until midnight CDT on Sunday, July 6th for those voters, or
any others, to get in their ballots.  Existing ballots may also be changed
up to that time.  I'll count votes on the 7th.

Glenn

L. The list of official nominations for the variant-by-committee.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Tue, Jul 1, 2003 11:31 AM UTC:
::waving Hello::  My computer was down temporarily.  I'll be up to speed
Real Soon Now.  Promise.  ;)

📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Thu, Jun 12, 2003 04:28 AM UTC:
In a very divided vote, the winner is the Diagonal Bypasser.  A different
method of counting votes might have given either the Sliding Bishop or
Chaplain the nod.  I'll add this to the page over the weekend.

Thanks to everyone who has voted on New Rules so far; that poll closes on
the 30th.

Orwell Chess. Three player variant themed on George Orwell's 1984. (7x12, Cells: 84) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Mon, Jun 9, 2003 02:36 AM UTC:
Thank you, gentlemen, both for the support and the critique.

Recognized1[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
Glenn Overby II wrote on Mon, Jun 2, 2003 10:38 PM UTC:
The poll results are on the site.  I don't have the link handy, but
clicking on Polls on the sidebar of the What's New page should get you in
the right place.

Any number of voters is more input than simply letting the editors pick. 
Our primary say comes in determining what gets on the ballot from public
suggestions.  We also break ties.

Offhand, I could easily have nominated Tamerlane, Alice, or Hostage
without a second thought.  The field was tough, as was picking ONE to vote
for.

Hans Bodlaender resigns as editor-in-chief. Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Glenn Overby II wrote on Fri, May 30, 2003 06:07 AM UTC:
One of the recurring challenges of life, when building up any organization
to fulfill a given purpose, is to build something which will last beyond
the interest or ability of the founder to continue.

Hans has done that, and has in the process established himself as a great
modern contributor to the history of chess.  Well done.

$250 GC Tourney[Subject Thread] [Add Response]
Glenn Overby II wrote on Thu, May 29, 2003 12:00 PM UTC:
Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention.

1st World Open Chess Variant PBEM Championship. Tournament proposal open for public comment before creation.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Thu, May 29, 2003 11:58 AM UTC:
<p>No, this idea hasn't died. A revision to the selection criteria has been floated to the staff for comments. The remark of Antoine Fourriere here is particularly on point, that a player ought not be able to win this by knowing only four games.</p> <p>I seek inputs on a different issue:</p> <blockquote> If you were going to recommend up to five variants for listing in a championship tournament, <b>other than Recognized Variants</b>, what would you recommend and why? </blockquote> <p>I don't have five on the tip of my tongue, although reflection might give me two dozen. But <i>Hostage Chess</i>, <i>Rococo</i>, and <i>Alice Chess</i> strike me as three good starting points.</p> <p>(I expect the revised selection method to involve lists dominated by Recognized Variants, with a few others mixed in for variety.)</p>

84 Spaces Contest. Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Glenn Overby II wrote on Thu, May 22, 2003 12:20 PM UTC:
The finals jury will be Glenn Overby, John Lawson, and Peter Aronson.  This
provides one judge from each preliminary group, and all judges from the
CVP staff.

To the judges of the preliminaries:  Thank you for stepping forward at a
difficult time to ensure that the contest could go on.

Glenn Overby II wrote on Thu, May 22, 2003 01:25 AM UTC:
The 12 finalists have been announced.  I do not have entries in
competition, so I will probably be putting my competitions editor hat back
on to organize the finals jury.  A further announcement may be expected in
a couple of days.

Good luck to the finalists!

PromoChess. Everything but the king can power up. Mix of Japanese/Western/fairy pieces. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Tue, May 20, 2003 12:20 AM UTC:
I left the King unpromoted for two reasons.  One was the notorious
difficulty of checkmating more mobile royal pieces.  The other was the
influence of Shogi itself, where the King is one of just two pieces that
cannot promote.

But there are potentials for promoting the King, and a case could be made
that if it survives to get out 7 ranks it deserves to be harder to kill
:)

84 Spaces Contest Jury members. Please consider becoming a judge for the 84 squares contest![All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Glenn Overby II wrote on Sat, May 17, 2003 12:48 PM UTC:
Two groups have finished judging. The third has been corresponding with me about their overall progress, and I expect they will be done this weekend. I would therefore expect the finalists to be posted within a week.

1st World Open Chess Variant PBEM Championship. Tournament proposal open for public comment before creation.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Fri, May 16, 2003 03:05 AM UTC:
<p><i>John wrote: The selection for options 2 and 3 should be limited to variants posted at the time the contest is announced.</i> <p>I concur, for the reasons you stated. <p><i>Antoine wrote: I would suggest to draw randomly the games for 'choice 1' among all the recognized variants.</i> <p>I think that some recognized variants are clearly superior for purposes of the competition, and others clearly less than suitable. But a random draw between 20 or so games <i>might</i> be OK. <p><i>Antoine also wrote: I don't believe a player should have to be skilled in only four variants to win the Championship.</i> <p>I agree. But I also believe that as we <i>require</i> each player to know a greater number of games, we also reduce the number of players who may be willing to enter. <p><i>And Antoine asked: 'No player may use a machine for active assistance in analysis.' Does this mean we cannot use Zillions at all, or simply that we may not have Zillions search the better move...</i> <p>You can use Zillions as a record keeper. You cannot use Zillions as an advisor. (Enforcing this, as with all rules about outside aid in correspondence play, is of course largely a matter of honour.)

📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Thu, May 15, 2003 05:07 AM UTC:
William: I have no objection to an entry fee of zero.  However, it is
perhaps appropriate to note that open championships in virtually every
competitive discipline routinely charge entry fees.

Roberto:  The choice of games for list 1 is certainly something I would
want discussed.  I would not want to see list 1 larger than three or four
games, as one of the perceived difficulties with the multivariant concept
is being =required= to learn a whole bunch of variants to compete.

On the list 1 suggestions: I looked for games that broadly sample the
different directions of chess variants, while being recognized for
excellence in their own right.

CWDA brings many different pieces into play.
Extinction provides a different way to win.
Grand is a modern great or extended chess, a thousand-year tradition.
Progressive is the quickest multiple-move variant.
There are certainly other candidates.

On the philosophical question of Shogi and Xiangqi as variants: I would
avoid both on list 1, but would look at variants of either.  (Five-Minute
Poppy Shogi comes to mind.)  As for a player listing Shogi, Xiangqi, or
Western chess on their personal list...that's fine with me.

Gnus. Makes (1-2)-jump or (1-3)-jump.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Glenn Overby II wrote on Sun, May 4, 2003 08:41 PM UTC:
On the naming of combined leapers: I developed a family of combined leapers
for Beastmaster Chess.  Positing the Horse's move as three squares
including a turn (another way of describing a 1,2 leap), I used pieces
with four, five, and six square moves including a turn.

The colorbound Roc is (1,3) + (2,2), Camel+Elephant.
The colorchanging Pegasus is (1,4) + (2,3), Giraffe+Zebra.
The colorbound Wyvern is (1,5)+(2,4)+(3,3).

None of these names is in =common= use elsewhere.  Pegasus found its way
into ximeracak. as well.

Contest to design a chess variant on 43 squares. Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Sat, May 3, 2003 03:18 AM UTC:
Voting instructions have now been posted above.  Just send an email to the
address listed, listing up to 15 games in order of merit and including
your name.

Entrants MUST vote for at least 10 games, and MUST NOT vote for their own
at this stage.

Glenn

📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Fri, May 2, 2003 11:56 PM UTC:
Actually, there's a great deal going on.  At work.  :)  I expect to post
the voting instructions later this weekend.

Glenn

L. The list of official nominations for the variant-by-committee.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Thu, May 1, 2003 01:34 AM UTC:
Selecting a royal piece might be an interesting addition to Luotuoqi II.  I
can think of more than a few ideas.  :)

84 Spaces Contest Jury members. Please consider becoming a judge for the 84 squares contest![All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Glenn Overby II wrote on Tue, Apr 29, 2003 12:45 PM UTC:
I have been informed that Group B has also reached a decision. So it looks like a finals list is at least possible by mid-May.

L. The list of official nominations for the variant-by-committee.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
📝Glenn Overby II wrote on Tue, Apr 29, 2003 01:32 AM UTC:
Just two days left for the voters to pick a new Queen!  If you want in on
the remaining three polls (Bishops, the second New Rule, and Rooks) then
send in a suggestion for one or more of them.  :)

I am also starting to look at ideas for how to organize Luotuoqi II,
possibly without the limitation of the standard set.  Given the long
history of chess on somewhat bigger boards, here's my first idea:

The game is for a 10 x 10 board.

First ballot selects three 'doubled' pieces (two of each in setup), and
a fourth- through seventh- choice as possible extras.

Second ballot selects three 'single' pieces (one of each in setup), and
a fourth- and fifth choice as possible extras.

Third ballot selects a pawn to be used, including oddities such as
promotion and multiple step.

Fourth ballot selects three extra rules, with a 100-word limit instead of
50 words.

Fifth and final ballot selects a setup.  This would include three to seven
'doubled' pieces, three to five 'single' pieces, a king, and the row
of pawns (which may be staggered on more than one rank, or have holes). 
Assuming a full row of 10 pawns...which is not mandated, although it is
likely...this makes for 20 to 30 pieces per side according to voter
preference.

Your comments are invited.

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