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The Bermuda Chess Angle. Pieces can vanish in a central grid (The Bermuda Chess Angle) depending on dice-determined coordinates. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝Gary Gifford wrote on Mon, Feb 13, 2006 10:30 PM UTC:
Fergus, thank you very much for the code. The Bermuda Chess Angle is now functioning, and I witnessed 3 pieces disapearring in my partial test game. But I think it is functioning at 1/6th power. Here is why. While I earlier had commented that a piece would disapear when on the random coordinate, such as 'F6' I was expecing F and 6 to show up in the two dice indicators. But the game currently has no code for visible dice values. If dice could be seen [after a move was verified], then I expected that the second player would manually delete the affected piece. But it goes beyond having a piece actually residing on the affected square, for if a piece passes through the square it also disappears (i.e., not just when it lands there or is already at rest there). That is why I pictured visual dice and manual removal. However, your code method is far superior! Far superior because the piece automatically disappears if on the random coordinates. [Though not if it passes over - or maybe it does... I don't know.] I can't tell from the following: set BCAF or (>= rank dest 2 and <= rank dest 7 and >= file dest 2 and file dest 7) (>= rank origin 2 and <= rank origin 7 and >= file origin 2 and file origin 7); and the pre-move's code of: if #BCAF: set BCAF join chr + ord c rand 0 5 rand 3 8; capture #BCAF; endif; Anyway, thanks for the excellent code you've provided and if you know what it would take to get the Bermuda Chess Angle up to 100% functionality, again it would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, clueless and codeless Gary

🕸Fergus Duniho wrote on Mon, Feb 13, 2006 04:27 AM UTC:
Here's what should work: Place this line in each post-move section: set BCAF or (>= rank dest 2 and <= rank dest 7 and >= file dest 2 and file dest 7) (>= rank origin 2 and <= rank origin 7 and >= file origin 2 and file origin 7); Place these lines in each pre-move section: if #BCAF: set BCAF join chr + ord c rand 0 5 rand 3 8; capture #BCAF; endif; It is important that the actual capture occur in the pre-move section, so that a player will not know which space a piece will vanish from until he has verified his move. Note that I recycled the BCAF variable for two different purposes.

💡📝Gary Gifford wrote on Mon, Feb 13, 2006 12:50 AM UTC:
Antoine and Fergus: Thank you for the dice/random related comments.  I cut
and pasted cde from Vegas Fun Chess and tried to edit it.  The Goal is
this:
1) Player # 1 moves.
2) 1st Dice rolls a letter 'CDEFG or H'
   2nd Dice rolls a number '34567 or 8'
(Combined, these indicate a board coordinate like F6, where a piece or
pawn, if present, gets removed from)
3) Player # 2 moves
4) Action 2 repeats

So, these are post-auto move actions, instead of pre-auto move actions, as
in Vegas Fun Chess.

I imagine it is a simple thing.... but I've been playing around and keep
getting error codes.  On the last attempt I tried adding some quotation
marks at the front and back of the dice possibilities... but still no go.

If easier, I could use one 36-side dice... but the two will work if coded
right.

Here is my latest error.  Fergus and/or Antoine, if you know what I should
do to fix this I'd be much obliged.

ERROR IS AS FOLLOWS:
on line 1

['CDEFGH']-Dice7 is not a valid expression, because ['CDEFGH']-Dice7
is not a recognized piece, coordinate, command, or subroutine.

For the sake of debugging, here is the full GAME Code program that this
error occurred in. The lines have been properly indented to help you spot
scope errors.

   0 sub postauto1
   1   ['CDEFGH']-Dice7
   2   ['345678']-Dice5
   3 endsub
   4 sub postauto2
   5   ['CDEFGH']-Dice7
   6   ['345678']-Dice5
   7 endsub
   8 moveindex 0
   9 f2-f4
  10 postauto1
  11 end

The game in question is located here:

/play/pbm/play.php?game%3DBermudaChessAngle%26settings%3DBermuda

Thank you...

🕸Fergus Duniho wrote on Sun, Feb 12, 2006 07:15 PM UTC:
Game Courier includes a binary built-in function called rand, which is for generating random integers. Its two arguments specify the range.

Antoine Fourrière wrote on Sun, Feb 12, 2006 02:55 PM UTC:
The preset for Vegas Fun Chess has dice implementation.

💡📝Gary Gifford wrote on Sat, Feb 11, 2006 05:06 PM UTC:
I made a beta version game courier preset for the Bermuda Chess Angle.  It
is at the link below.  Square colors may be changed as it currently looks
like a square cloud is hanging over Bermuda region (perhaps that is
appropriate?)... I cannot add the pre-set link to the rule page as I am
locked-out.  Now that the '10' contest is over perhaps the lock can be
removed?

? QUESTION ?  Does anyone know how I can get 2 simulated dice to roll in
this game so the Bermuda Chess Angle Disappearance Factor can be randomly
generated?  Once that is implemented the game can be fairly played with
random disappearances.  Thank you. 

/play/pbm/play.php?game%3DThe+Bermuda+Chess+Angle%26settings%3DBermuda

Anonymous wrote on Sat, Jan 21, 2006 01:39 PM UTC:
Why not call Chesslantis Chatlantis after chaturanga?

💡📝Gary Gifford wrote on Sun, Oct 2, 2005 06:09 PM UTC:
I just noticed that all the graphics are missing for the Bermuda Chess Angle page. Could the links have been broken? Has this happened with other games? The page without the graphics is rather bland.

💡📝Gary Gifford wrote on Tue, Jun 7, 2005 04:37 PM UTC:
In response to Mr. Gilmans' comment regarding how the latest Bermuda Triangle theory could get into the game, it already is. In the last paragraph of my rules introduction we read '...the rising of frozen hydrocarbons which makes the board density so sparse [by releasing methane] that pieces simply fall through.'

Charles Gilman wrote on Tue, Jun 7, 2005 07:09 AM UTC:
The latest theory on the original Bermuda Triangle can be found at
http://www.terradaily.com/news/life-05zr.html, although I'm not sure how
that could be incorporated into this variant!

💡📝Gary Gifford wrote on Wed, May 4, 2005 03:11 AM UTC:
Ian, thanks for the comment and for the eyebrow raising question, i.e., 

Is Chesslantis the the same thing as Ultima Thule?

The answer, of course, is 'no.' Ultima Thule was, according to the
ancient Greeks, a habitable region very far north (the most north of
regions on planet Earth).

On a related note, perhaps Chesslantis is seen as having been 'myth
placed' in the introduction.  But I believe it helps create atmosphere
for the game.

Ian wrote on Tue, May 3, 2005 01:13 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
'The Lost City of Chesslantis?'

Is that the same thing as Ultima Thule?

Sorry.  If you actually understood that joke, you used a lot of fairly
specialised knowledge to grasp a lousy pun like that.  Good Lord, I'm a
geek.

💡📝Gary Gifford wrote on Sun, May 1, 2005 06:17 PM UTC:
This is to thank Mike Nelson for taking time to comment and also to confirm
his correct conclusion regarding the following two scenarios. 

Mike asked:

1. If a Knight leaps another piece on c3 and c3 is the BCAF, then both the
Knight and the piece leaped over disappear?

2. If a piece captures another piece on d5 and d5 is the BCAF, the
captured piece does not reappear?

The answer in both cases, as Mike correctly deduced, is that both pieces
vanish.

An easy way to visualize this would be to imagine the BCAF (Bermuda Chess
Angle Factor) as creating a momentary hole in the board.  A piece
presently on the hole will disappear, the piece moving onto [or through,
or over] also disappears.  Immediately after the disappearances the square
returns to normal. 

Also see the game rules (Rule #3 and Rule #4).

Michael Nelson wrote on Sun, May 1, 2005 04:00 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
I really like this game concept: randomness at a managable level. The
Bermuda Triangle imagery is rather enjoyable as well.

Some rules clarifications: 

1. If a Knight leaps another piece on c3 and c3 is the BCAF, then both the
Knight and the piece leaped over disappear?

2. If a piece captures another piece on d5 and d5 is the BCAF, the catured
piece does not reappear?

The rules as a whole seem to me to indicate that the answer is 'yes' to
both questions--I'd like to hear the designer's intent.

💡📝Gary Gifford wrote on Sun, May 1, 2005 01:46 PM UTC:
I have updated the game page with a setup graphic and with 5 illustrated positional examples pertaining to piece disappearances, checks, and/or King capturing. I also changed the game objective from 'delivering checkmate' to 'capturing the opponent's king.' The reason for this change becomes easy to understand from the examples.

Jared McComb wrote on Sat, Apr 30, 2005 11:11 PM UTC:
This needs to be added to the contest index. Perhaps it would be possible in the future to add 'this is an entry to thus-and-such contest' flags to the submission page? Of course a check would have to be used to see whether 2 entries have already been submitted by the same person.

💡📝Gary Gifford wrote on Sat, Apr 30, 2005 10:10 PM UTC:
I appreciate Greg's comment. In regard to the '10' factor it only plays in the board size (10 x 10) and number of pawns per side, & number of pieces in the 1st and last ranks. <p>On another note: I just wanted to point out that I cut and pasted the text from my Word.doc into David Howe's easy-to-use submission form and used that to get the game page. A nice, painless method. Quick too. <p>I also see that I can now upload graphics; and I did upload one for the game setup... but I don't know how to get it into the page, or if a CV editor has to add the graphics. <p>If I can add graphics myself I will update the Bermuda Chess Angle page with illustrated examples. <p>I encourage those with unposted games to give David's submission form a try (a link to it appears in one of David's recent comments). <p>Best regards to all, Gary

Greg Strong wrote on Sat, Apr 30, 2005 08:43 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
I really like this.  It adds an element of chance that so many other board
games have, but the probability of disappearance is low enough that you
can still play a game without worrying about it too much...  It's Chess
with a little extra element of risk.  Also, having the Bermuda Chess Angle
in the center of the board is nice, because it helps to equalize the value
of the squares.  The squares around the perimeter, which are normally
weaker, now have the added advantage of safety.

The number 10 is not all that prominent, and as a contest entry, that is a
slight weakness, but as a game overall I still rate it 'excellent.'

P.S.  I am taking Statistics for Engineers this semester, so that may be
coloring my view of the game a little.

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