Greg Strong wrote on Sun, Sep 3, 2017 12:23 AM UTC:
Regarding the hyphen, I've determined it doesn't belong there. I couldn't remember seeing it used the way H. G. describes, but I consulted my copy of Rules for Writers to be sure. It lists all uses for hypens, (as well as practically everything else about the English language), and this isn't one of them.
That said, H. G.'s reasoning is sound, but English is what it is. It's not a programming language and some things are just unclear. You just need to know (or guess) that a red rule book is a rule book that is red while the chess variant pages are pages about chess variants. There is no default associativity, and if complete clarity is essential, it must be phrased differently (e.g., red book of rules.)
Incidentally, English has much bigger problems. Is "or" the inclusive or or the exclusive or? The inclusive or is typically considered to be the default interpretation, but that leads to problems. "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back." Can I have both? If the "or" is inclusive, then yes I can. I can be satisified and still demand my money back. Then there's the fact that "you" is both singular and plural. And there's probably a hundred other examples.
Regarding the logo, I like the logo a couple back with the upside-down shogi king and the unicorn. The unicorn is the perfect piece because it is close enough in appearance to the knight that chess players will recognize it clearly as a chess piece that is different. It might be better if the king wasn't upside-down though. I assume it was done that way to make a base for the word "The", but frankly I would just drop The from the title. The most recent logos are clever but a little too hard to read IMO.
Regarding the hyphen, I've determined it doesn't belong there. I couldn't remember seeing it used the way H. G. describes, but I consulted my copy of Rules for Writers to be sure. It lists all uses for hypens, (as well as practically everything else about the English language), and this isn't one of them.
That said, H. G.'s reasoning is sound, but English is what it is. It's not a programming language and some things are just unclear. You just need to know (or guess) that a red rule book is a rule book that is red while the chess variant pages are pages about chess variants. There is no default associativity, and if complete clarity is essential, it must be phrased differently (e.g., red book of rules.)
Incidentally, English has much bigger problems. Is "or" the inclusive or or the exclusive or? The inclusive or is typically considered to be the default interpretation, but that leads to problems. "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back." Can I have both? If the "or" is inclusive, then yes I can. I can be satisified and still demand my money back. Then there's the fact that "you" is both singular and plural. And there's probably a hundred other examples.
Regarding the logo, I like the logo a couple back with the upside-down shogi king and the unicorn. The unicorn is the perfect piece because it is close enough in appearance to the knight that chess players will recognize it clearly as a chess piece that is different. It might be better if the king wasn't upside-down though. I assume it was done that way to make a base for the word "The", but frankly I would just drop The from the title. The most recent logos are clever but a little too hard to read IMO.