George Duke wrote on Tue, Apr 1, 2008 06:26 PM UTC:
Byline April First 2008. (1) American Psytheatric Association recognizes
new disorder, 'Designer-game syndrome', characterized by compulsive
repetition of imagined alternate Rules of Classic games (typically Chess).
(2) Cicely, Alaska USA, develops hybrid of Xiangqi (90 spaces) and Western
Chess (64 squares) having of course halfway 77 squares. Now centralized
Bishop reaches 13 squares on 64, so the 13 new squares situate the four
directions as extensions along and beyond the Bishop a1-h8 diagonal and
b8-h2 diagonal respectively distances of 3,3,3, and 4, X-shape
protrusions, for the total 77 squares. Now one Bishop, Queen, King and any
Pawn potentially may eventually reach all the 77, Knight 70, and Rook 66. [Corrected two years later: one Bishop reaches 32 + the additional 13 for 45, and the other Bishop just her 32.] Hence the
name from 'Rook 66' became 'Route-66', aka 'Root-77' contradictorily for the actual total number
of squares.
(3) University of Texas computer scientist improves 36-square Los Alamos
Chess with 'move retraction', also called 'invoking duality'. Thrice
per game a player may ''invoke duality'' and move any one piece or
Pawn from its present or instead its last immediate location, as legitimate
present move. Other player's pieces stay put. --What's News 1 April
2008.