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Phoenix / Waffle. A piece which has the combined movements of the Wazir and the Alfil.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
HaruN Y wrote on Mon, Mar 25 02:14 PM UTC in reply to Kevin Pacey from 12:31 PM:Excellent ★★★★★

Did someone say March 25th is International Waffle Day?

Here, have this Interactive Diagram!

Bakery Bombers

files=8 ranks=8 promoZone=1 promoChoice=NBRQ graphicsDir=/graphics.dir/alfaerieSVG/ squareSize=50 graphicsType=svg symmetry=none royal=K firstRank=1 borders=0 coordColor=#f0d7a7 lightShade=#eee1ba darkShade=#c37960 rimColor=#9c634f pawn:P:ifmnDfmWfceF:pawn:a2,b2,c2,d2,e2,f2,g2,h2,,a7,b7,c7,d7,e7,f7,g7,h7 knight:N:N:knight:b1,g1 bishop:B:B:bishop:c1,f1 rook:R:R:rook:a1,h1 queen:Q:Q:queen:d1 danish:S:SN:squirrel:,,d8:1 waffle:X:WA:elephantwazir:,,b8,g8:2 donut:D:DN:knightwarmachine:,,a8,h8:2 panncake:C:pNNK:checkerking:,,c8,f8:2 king:K:KisO2:king:e1,,e8

Vao. moves like bishop but must jump when taking.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Zhennan Su wrote on Mon, Mar 25 02:10 AM UTC in reply to Fergus Duniho from 02:03 AM:Excellent ★★★★★

Despite this game is something like a prototype of the final game, I'd be glad to do that. I'll send the rules by e-mail later, with some explanation about those comments and some further info.


Zhennan Su wrote on Mon, Mar 25 02:05 AM UTC in reply to Fergus Duniho from Sun Mar 24 05:58 PM:Excellent ★★★★★

My own use of 矢 goes back to 2001

That reminds me of something. Some of Chinese users use 矢 before 弩 goes in common. 弩 can be expanded more than 矢 (for example, 连弩 神机弩 重弩 弩炮), making 弩 more useful to make variants with promotion. Also 弩 and 炮 are both machine units.


Fairyranga. Game based on Chaturanga & Makruk with Southeastern, Mongolian and even Russian elements. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Jean-Louis Cazaux wrote on Sun, Mar 24 05:15 PM UTC in reply to Daniel Zacharias from 03:24 PM:Good ★★★★

I like it too, very much. I agree with Florin that the text is not well promoting this variant. Maybe someone with better English than me could help Lev in re-phrasing his presentation. That game would deserve it.


Bent Riders. A discussion of pieces, like the Gryphon, that take a step then move as riders.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
HaruN Y wrote on Fri, Mar 22 03:26 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

Betzan Benders

files=8 ranks=8 useMarkers=1 symmetry=none borders=0 promoZone=1 promoChoice=NBRQ graphicsDir=/graphics.dir/alfaeriePNG/ squareSize=50 graphicsType=png symmetry=none coordColor=#f8bcc6 rimColor=#633514 lightShade=#fbb09e darkShade=#de8768 firstRank=1 pawn:P:ifmnDfmWfceF:pawn:a2,b2,c2,d2,e2,f2,g2,h2,,a7,b7,c7,d7,e7,f7,g7,h7 knight:N:N:knight:b1,g1 bishop:B:B:bishop:c1,f1 rook:R:R:rook:a1,h1 queen:Q:Q:queen:d1 vivi:V:vWfyafsWbyabsW:snake:,,c8,f8 crooked crabinal:C:fbsNvW(az)F:crab:,,d8 major annoyance:A:sWsyyyafsWbW:pegasus:,,b8,g8 twin tower:✈️:FyafqF:chancellor1:,,a8,h8 king:K:KisO2:king:e1,,e8

Army with Bent Riders invented by gnohmon.


Equalized Shatranj. (Updated!) Basic weak moves of ancient pieces are compensated by their numbers. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
💡📝Lev Grigoriev wrote on Wed, Mar 20 07:12 PM UTC in reply to David Paulowich from 06:47 PM:Good ★★★★

Круто, прикольно. Что-то в этом есть и от тайских шахмат. Мне нравится такое распределение фигур по цветовым комплексам.

Cool and cute. There’s even a breeze of Thai chess here. I like this management and distribution of pieces on color complexes.


Flying Chess. Some pieces can fly. (2x(8x8), Cells: 128) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Mike Town wrote on Wed, Mar 20 01:20 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

Are people still playing this game? Would love to hear if they are and if anyone would want to play with me? Post on this group and we can make a plan.


Clairvoyant Chess. Players predict what opponent will do to gain advantages.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Daniel Zacharias wrote on Tue, Mar 19 02:14 AM UTC in reply to Florin Lupusoru from Mon Mar 18 06:26 AM:Good ★★★★

I think you're reading a lot into this that isn't there. It just introduces an incentive to make non-obvious moves. Perhaps it could be cumbersome to play, but it's a clever idea.


Florin Lupusoru wrote on Mon, Mar 18 06:26 AM UTC:Poor ★

When chess meets witchcraft. I am against the idea of turning chess players into witches and wizards, but here we are. Sadly, there are lots of similar games that use spells, magic, and predictions. Why do we even call them chess variants? 


Bent Riders. A discussion of pieces, like the Gryphon, that take a step then move as riders.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
HaruN Y wrote on Sun, Mar 17 06:31 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

15 Random Bent Riders Chess

files=14 ranks=8 promoZone=2 promoChoice=RGMQNZKFPIDEJWVXLSCHYUOTB shuffle=RGMQNZKFPIDEJWVXLSCHYUOTB graphicsDir=/graphics.dir/alfaeriePNG/ squareSize=50 graphicsType=png firstRank=1 borders=0 coordColor=#f8bcc6 rimColor=#633514 lightShade=#fbb09e darkShade=#de8768 holeColor=#5a3136 hole::::i1,j1-m1,n1,i2,j2-m2,n2,i3,j3-n3,i4,j4,k4,l4,m4,n4,i5,j5,k5,l5,m5,n5,i6,j6,i7,j7,n7,i8,j8,n8 pawn:A:fmnW2fceF:pawninv:a4-h4,a3,b3,c3,d3,e3,f3,g3,h3,,a6,b6,c6,d6,e6,f6,g6,h6:8 unicorn:R:ympafsW:unicorn:a2,,a7:1 Ferz Trojan:G:FyafsF:gryphon:b2,,b7:1 Osprey:M:DmpafyafsW:bird:c2,,c7:2 pegasus:Q:ympafsF:pegasus:d2,,d7:1 Crossing Dabbabarider:N:DyasD:warmachinerider:e2,,e7:4 Crossing Alfilrider:Z:AyasA:elephantrider:f2,,f7:8 Crossing Bear:K:FyyasF:elephantriderferz:g2,,g7:2 Aviaanca:F:WyyafsW:elephantriderwazir:h2,,h7:1 Spotted Osprey:P:DyafsD:elephantwarmachinerider:a1,,a8:4 Spotted Gryphon:I:FyyafsF:warmachineriderferz:b1,,b8:2 Crossing Panda:D:WyyasW:warmachineriderwazir:c1,,c8:1 Annoying Dog:E:WyyyafsW:knightwazir:d1,,d8:1 Annoying Ferz:J:FyyyafsF:knightferz:f1,,f8:1 Ostrey:W:AmpafyasF:elephantferz:g1,,g8:2 Ostrich:V:AmpafyafsF:elephantwazir:h1,,h8:1 Alfil Trojan:X:AyafsA:elephantwarmachine:k3,,k6:4:4 Osprich:L:DmpafyasW:warmachinewazir:k2,,k7:1 CAT:S:NmpafsyyafF:horse:k1,,k8:1 Aanca:C:WyafsW:rhino:l3,,l6:1 Crossing Bishop:H:FyasF:bishopinv:l2,,l7:2 Annoying Elephant:Y:AyyyafsA:elephantknight:l1,,l8:1 Trojaanca:U:NmpafsyyafW:highpriestess:m3,,m6:1 Annoying Crow:O:DyyyafsD:knightdabbabah:m2,,m7:1 Crossing Nightrider:T:NyasN:knightinv:m1,,m8:1 Crossing Rook:B:WyasW:rookinv:n3,,n6:1 king:#:KisO2:king:e1,,e8:1

Some pieces are named by me.


Bigorra. A 16x16 board chess with all pieces from my variants. (16x16, Cells: 256) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Daniel Zacharias wrote on Thu, Mar 14 04:04 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

This is very fun (but very long!) to play. I like it more than Terachess II because the extra pawn rank allows for more blocking and the very powerful pieces come singly instead of in pairs.


Fergana. (Updated!) The clash of empires on Fergana Valley. (Cells: 168) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Diceroller is Fire wrote on Mon, Mar 11 07:34 PM UTC:Good ★★★★

Looks pretty innovative.


10-directional Chess. 10-directional pieces: an augmented Knight and a restricted Chancellor. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
HaruN Y wrote on Mon, Mar 11 02:44 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

Fabulous FIDEs vs 10-directional Army

files=8 ranks=8 promoZone=1 promoChoice=NBRQ graphicsDir=/membergraphics/MSdealerschess/ squareSize=50 graphicsType=png symmetry=none royal=K lightShade=#9b8dae darkShade=#6c5776 borders=0 rimColor=#505365 coordColor=#8188a1 firstRank=1 pawn:P:ifmnDfmWfceF:pawn:a2,b2,c2,d2,e2,f2,g2,h2,,a7,b7,c7,d7,e7,f7,g7,h7 knight:N:N:knight:b1,g1 bishop:B:B:bishop:c1,f1,,c8,f8 rook:R:R:rook:a1,h1,,a8,h8 queen:Q:Q:queen:d1 eohippo:E:NvW:hippo2:,,b8,g8 fischer:F:NvR:unicorn:,,d8 king:K:KisO2:king:e1,,e8

I know Eohippos aren't Hippotamus.


Trafalgar Chess. (Updated!) 8 extra Pawns in two columns mimic the famous Battle of Trafalgar. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Piotr Smagacz wrote on Sun, Mar 10 10:39 AM UTC:Good ★★★★

I really like this variant. It's simple but adds something new to the game. I think it would also be interesting to add some optional rules:

  • A friendly pawn behind its friendly pawn can bypass it by moving diagonally.
  • The knight has an additional special move. Special move: The knight can move without capturing an enemy piece two squares horizontally or vertically, provided that there is a friendly pawn between the target square and the knight.

These are my thoughts on this variant. Overall, a very interesting idea.


Chess. The rules of chess. (8x8, Cells: 64) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Florin Lupusoru wrote on Sun, Mar 10 09:44 AM UTC in reply to Kevin Pacey from Tue Jan 18 2022 04:08 PM:Excellent ★★★★★

Is chess [still] important? An older member of my chess club once opined in the new millennium that chess is no longer as important as before. I didn't ask what he meant. To me, chess reached its high mark in the 1970's, mainly with the Geo-political stakes involved in the Fischer-Spassky match, and later the Karpov-Korchnoi one. Chess was also important back then since it was seen as a test for AI whether a machine can beat a highly skilled human player at the game. Chess suffered to some degree because of what followed historically, in both cases.

In the TikTok era Chess is more relevant than ever. In a world were people are increassingly lacking concentration, playing chess can not only help people maintain focus, but also evade the modern insanity. 


Patchanka. (Updated!) Decimal variant with several bi-compound pieces. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Florin Lupusoru wrote on Tue, Mar 5 08:20 AM UTC:Good ★★★★

Two of the pieces used here (Phoenix and Medusa) I will be using in my Titanic Chess but I'll have to use different moving and capturing abilities for that purpose. Since these are mythological creatures I have to disagree with the way they are used to move and capture in this game. But appart from that, this looks like a great game. 


Torus Chess (The Shape of Space). (Updated!) Chess on a torus from the book "The Shape of Space". (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
David Cannon wrote on Tue, Mar 5 01:24 AM UTC:Good ★★★★

A good concept, but it needs improvement. I don't like having only one Bishop, as it can reach only half the cells. It's a colour-bound piece, so we really need two. To avoid attacking non-pawns on the other side, perhaps enlarge the board and put a "hedge" of pawns around each army — I don't see that there needs to be only two of them.


N-Relay Chess. Uncapturable Knights give other pieces the ability to move as Knights. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
HaruN Y wrote on Mon, Mar 4 06:30 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

Simplified form of Knight-Relay Chess

files=8 ranks=8 promoZone=1 promoChoice=BRQN graphicsDir=/membergraphics/MSdealerschess/ squareSize=43 graphicsType=png symmetry=none royal=K lightShade=#ffffff darkShade=#ed1c23 rimColor=#0d76bd firstRank=1 borders=0 coordColor=#ffffff pawn:P:iifmnDfmWfceF:pawn:a2,b2,c2,d2,e2,f2,g2,h2,,a7,b7,c7,d7,e7,f7,g7,h7 bishop:B:B:bishop:c1,f1,,c8,f8 rook:R:R:rook:a1,h1,,a8,h8 queen:Q:Q:queen:d1,,d8 relay knight:N:mNxaN:relayknight:b1,g1,,b8,g8 king:K:KisO2:king:e1,,e8

Betza notation (extended). The powerful XBetza extension to Betza's funny notation.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Niels van Ham wrote on Fri, Mar 1 07:44 AM UTC in reply to Bob Greenwade from Wed Feb 28 03:48 PM:Good ★★★★

This i find a very good idea, 31 new symbols, but we could also use the lowercases for 31 new symbols for modifiers, like the different i's for different cases of initial, so that ii is not needed, for I maybe we could use different Imitators.

Examples of what I personally might assign to those letters include Ø as a null move, Þ for a Rose, Ñ for Quintessence, and Ê for Edgehog.

I like these ideas, outside of Rose, since they couldn't be (easily) written otherwise, we could do like ê as the Edge-Modifier (and possibly ë as the Limited Edge-Modifier). We'd also may need a symbol for relative halfling, i originally thought a lone h, but maybe one of these Windows-1252 symbols works better


Symmetric Chess. (Updated!) Variant with two Queens flanking the King and Bishops Conversion Rule. (9x8, Cells: 72) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Florin Lupusoru wrote on Fri, Mar 1 03:05 AM UTC:Good ★★★★

Complicated problems most of the time have simple solutions. You could have put both Bishops on one side of the board, and both Knights on the other side. And the opponent will have them the other way around. Simple. 

Another solution would be to add an extra piece (A Shield Bearer/Scutier to protect the King) and make the board 10x8. 


Home page of The Chess Variant Pages. Homepage of The Chess Variant Pages.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Diceroller is Fire wrote on Wed, Feb 28 07:20 PM UTC:Poor ★

What the flame with fonts on the site?!!


Retreating Chess. Pieces must fall back one square after each move. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
HaruN Y wrote on Wed, Feb 28 05:50 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
files=8 ranks=8 promoZone=1 promoChoice=NBRQ graphicsDir=/graphics.dir/galactic/ squareSize=50 graphicsType=gif rimColor=#11457E lightShade=#FFFFFF darkShade=#D7141A borders=0 firstRank=1 coordColor=#FFFFFF whitePrefix=W blackPrefix=B Retreating pawn:P:fafmoabWfmpWfcabzmFfmpabaspaqcW:Pawn:a2,b2,c2,d2,e2,f2,g2,h2,,a7,b7,c7,d7,e7,f7,g7,h7 Retreating knight:N:fmopafsmocabqmWfmpababspafqWfmopafzcmaqmFfmpabasmpafpaqWbmpabasmpafqmcafqmWbmpafopabzFbmpafqmcafmFbmpafmpafsopabqW:Knight:b1,g1,,b8,g8 Retreating bishop:B:fyocabzmBfympabzpabBfyabzmBbyocafqmBbympafqopabBbyafqmB:Bishop:c1,f1,,c8,f8 Retreating rook:R:fyafomcabRbymcamfRfompabyasmycazmWfcabWbympafpoabRfompabyasmypazopabW:Rook:a1,h1,,a8,h8 Retreating queen:Q:fyocabzmBfympabzpabBfyabzmBbyocafqmBbympafqopabBbyafqmBfyafomcabQbymcamfQfompabyasmycazmKfcabKbympafpoabQfompabyasmypazopabK:Queen:d1,,d8 Retreating king:K:focabzmFfmpabzpabFfabzmFbocafqmFbmpafqopabFbafqmFbmcamfKfompabasmcazmKfcabKbmpafpoabKisO2bopabzF:King:e1,,e8

Russian fortress chess. An old Russian variant for four players. (Cells: 192) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Florin Lupusoru wrote on Tue, Feb 27 06:43 AM UTC:Good ★★★★

Four stars for the original chessboard.

This game was very popular almost two centuries ago and lots of famous people used to play it. 


Betza notation (extended). The powerful XBetza extension to Betza's funny notation.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
HaruN Y wrote on Fri, Feb 23 11:22 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
I used these when I hadn't learned how to use morph
Edgehog
oabyaK(af)mpafoabK
Edgemover
(af)mpafoabKoabyasW
Limited Edgehog
oabyafympafmpabFmpabasmpabafmpabasoabyafympafmpabWmpabasmpabafmpabaz(af)mpafoabK

Chess 2. Different armies, a new winning condition, and duels. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
HaruN Y wrote on Thu, Feb 22 12:21 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
files=8 ranks=8 promoZone=1 promoChoice=NBRQ graphicsDir=/graphics.dir/alfaeriePNG/ squareSize=50 graphicsType=png symmetry=none iron=6 lightShade=#ed2711 darkShade=#9b3423 coordColor=#d9cca9 rimColor=#5e5c50 firstRank=1 borders=0 pawn:P:ifmnDfmWfceF:pawn:a2,b2,c2,d2,e2,f2,g2,h2,,a7,b7,c7,d7,e7,f7,g7,h7 knight:N:N:knight:b1,g1,,b8,g8 bishop:B:B:bishop:c1,f1,,c8,f8 rook:R:R:rook:a1,h1 queen:Q:Q:queen:d1 blocker:G:mU:owl:,,a8,h8 reaper:U:U:wolf:,,d8 morph=! king:K:KisO2:king:e1,,e8

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