Comments by Manuel Hohmann
From Jeff's website, in the Torus Games source code zip, there is a Revisions History file that lists Jan 2006 as "Initial Torus Games 2.0 release." I've tentatively set the invention date for this game as 2005.
Thanks for checking!
After some digging, I managed to find a copy of the first edition of "The Shape of Space" from 1985, and it turns out that it already has the same variant displayed there, so I think I can set the invention date even further back.
Grand Tamerlane Chess. 
John Davis invented this variation of Mideast Chess. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]But does anyone know where to find Grand Courier?
There is a description of the initial setup and pieces in this comment.
Torus Chess (The Shape of Space). Chess on a torus from the book "The Shape of Space". (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Are you sure that is the shape of space?
In case you are referring to the title of the page: I put this because this is the title of the book in which it can be found (I have a copy of the third edition), to distinguish it from other torus chess variants, and it is also cited as the source on Wikipedia (German only):
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toroidales_Schach
I don't know how that is possible in the real world. Maybe a diagram can help solving this mystery.
Good point. Actually that same Wikipedia page even has a real world picture:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Toroidal_chessboard.jpg
I can also try to make a 3D drawing (I have already made similar ones of different setups). An alternative (which is easier to draw, but less "real world" like) is to imagine an infinite plane of chessboards glued to each other on all sides, where pieces move on all of them simultaneously and may cross the boundary to adjacent boards, as if they were one board.
Or would it be helpful to create move diagrams for the different pieces?
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Indeed, having just one color-bound bishop is not optimal, and the Anglican Bishop sounds like a good solution.
I wouldn't change it on this page, though, since this page should reflect just the original invention by Jeff Weeks. I think the inventor did not consider this to be problematic, and his intention was simply to find a possible initial setup that would avoid immediate attacks. But I will keep the idea in mind for future submissions.
Also for the alternative torus chess variants listed at the top of this page there is no such problem, since they have two bishops of different color.
I have a few alternatives in mind where the board geometry is different, and bishops are no longer color-bound. These boards are "glued" differently, such that bishops change their color when they pass over the glue zone. I will post them here as well.