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Comments by MatsWinther
This type of variant, Chieftain Chess, could discourage people from participating in a tournament like this. It is over-ambitious. Such variants should only be played in private games, but not be assigned to tournaments. In fact, I don't think it's a chess variant, it's more of a war game. /Mats
I am inclined to agree with Fergus. I don't want to devote many hours of my time to variants that I find unattractive. I could accept playing one or two unattractive variants, but in this form of tournament I could be forced to play most games in variants that I don't like. /Mats
Why must there be so many different variants? If each player brings a variant, and the variants contain many strange pieces, then its beyond my capacity to comprehend all these variants. Why not create a tournament with one variant, or two, or perhaps three? /Mats
I have created a preset for Parton's Gorgona Chess (10x10) here: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MPgorgonachess It checks whether pieces are paralyzed by the Gorgona. A curious aspect of this game is that the king can give mate if the other king is paralyzed. /Mats
I have created a preset for Pyrrhus Chess (8x8). The Pyrrhus is a relative of the Gorgona, which paralyzes pieces. The preset checks whether a piece is paralyzed. Unlike the Gorgona, the Pyrrhus can capture, but it can only move like a king. http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MPpyrrhuschess /Mats
Xiangqi: Chinese Chess. Links and rules for Chinese Chess (Xiangqi). (9x10, Cells: 90) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Fergus, one very important rule is not implemented in your Xiangqi preset. Players are not allowed to move back and forth so that the position is repeated three times (immediately after one another, not overall, as in Fide-chess). If there were no such prevention of repetition, then Xiangqi would be much more drawish. Would it be possible to implement this rule so that the player who tries to repeat the position for the third time is prevented from doing this move? Exceptions are if he makes the move with a soldier, or with the general, when he can continue play. There are cases when players are allowed to go back and forth, when they both go back and forth between different squares, but in this case the players can agree on a draw, so your prevention of the third move only serves as a reminder that it is a draw. /Mats
H.G., I think my summary is good enough, because it is only a matter of putting an end to the repetition process. Whether the third repetition should result in a draw or a win, needn't be evaluated by the preset. The preset merely prevents the third repetition, if it isn't made by a king, or a soldier. It's a clever solution. The players can decide to continue, or the losing player may give up instead of continuing the repetition, or the players could agree on a draw, depending on what the rules say. I have played on the Xiangqi sites, and they brutally prevent three-fold repetition, or judge it as a loss to the repeating party. /Mats
Is the repetition rule really valid for *all* moves, and not only for consecutive repetitions? I didn't know that, because then the notion of 'chase' loses its meaning. Anyway, I don't think it's necessary to check other repetitions than the consecutive. This is the form of repetition that causes problems, and non-consecutive three-move repetitions are nearly non-existent. /Mats
Burmese Chess. Sittuyin preset uses a mix of equivalent pieces from Alfaerie Set.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]This preset does not work when I press 'move'. Also, why do I only see white squares? Something must have changed since this preset was implemented. Burmese Chess should have a working preset. /Mats
To make such tournaments less demanding, I recommend that *modest* variants are used, to a greater extent. People invent such complex variants so I get exhausted just by reading the rules. /Mats
Janus Chess and the Capablanca variants aren't particularly 'modest' variants.
On the contrary, they are quite demanding. The modest type of variants is
what I mostly do, like Castle Chess, Arrangement Chess, and Pyrrhus Chess.
/Mats
On the contrary, they are quite demanding. The modest type of variants is
what I mostly do, like Castle Chess, Arrangement Chess, and Pyrrhus Chess.
/Mats
H.G., but then you have a bias toward 'Mad Queen Chess'. Those who love Fide-chess, which I do, will find my variants interesting. For instance, I think it's very interesting to investigate the properties of the extended castling rule, as in Castle Chess, whether it will bring new life into the King's gambit, etc. To introduce a single new piece, as only change, is also interesting, because new strategical and tactical motives will surface. It is evident, to me, that most chess variant enthusiasts are very interested in rather extravagant creations. I have nothing against it because it is quite creative, as such (even if the particular variant isn't practicable). So it is almost like an art-form. However, I take much more interest in the actual *variations* on the board, tactical motives, etc. This is the *invisible* aspect of chess variants. To manually alter the setup, as in Alternative Chess, changes opening strategy to something completely new. If you are very interested in chess openings, and have crafted variations and stored them in TascBase and Chess Assistant, then such setup changes become very interesting. There is also another important aspect to modest variants. The hardliners in the chess community will never abandon chess for any of the extravagant variants, but they will find some of the modest variants interesting. Some modest variant will prove the future of chess, because Fide-chess is becoming more and more computerized. So I might be doing an important work, with all my modest suggestions. /Mats
Fide-chess has not been beaten to death. It is the *openings* which have been beaten to death. The King's gambit is a case in point. This development took place many decades ago. People realized it was no use to play the King's gambit, anymore. Spassky, heroically, took it up again, but after his game against Ornstein in 1974, he declared that 'this was my last King's gambit'. I predict that in the coming decades GM:s are going to say 'this was my last Ruy Lopez.' When the main variations (c3 + d4) in Ruy Lopez are being abandoned, then chess is in a very critical situation. When the King's gambit died, it was a big tragedy, but we could still cope with the loss. But we can't do without the main variation in Ruy Lopez. After all, we can't fall back on Four Knights. The opening stage in chess is more and more becoming a straitjacket. The choices are narrowed down because systems are cut away where White cannot achieve much. Can White, at the top level, really squeeze something out of Ruy Lopez, Marshall gambit? Is there any point in trying to achieve something against the Russian defence, or should he make a concession and play Qe2? Many people today play 'inferior' variations (like d3 in Ruy Lopez) in order to avoid preparation, because they know it's no use to grapple with the Marshall gambit, for instance. This occurs on amateur level, too. I think we are heading toward an acute crisis in the coming decades. /Mats
On Designing Good Chess Variants. Design goals and design principles for creating Chess variants.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I downloaded your implementation of Spartan Chess, and it looks like great fun. But it is very unlikely that its author has actually managed to find an asymmetric variant that would hold up to the scrutiny of an opening theorist. I am willing to bet a full barrel of manure that either party can force a clear advantage from the opening position (probably Black). Obviously, the author didn't use a computer when creating this variant. It is hard enough to make it work in symmetric variants, but asymmetric variants demand much analysis before one can declare that it is a balanced game. I think asymmetric variants could work if the pieces are decidedly weaker, but with such powers on the board, either party is likely to get the upper hand, either in terms of strategical initiative, or a clear positional advantage. (On the other hand, chess variants don't need to be scientifically sound.) /Mats
Anyway, it was not designed using human+computer analysis. 1300 games can establish that it is materially balanced, but Fairy Max won't be able to find the line that refutes the variant positionally or strategically. Imagine if Fairy Max would play standard chess without opening book. Would it find the lines that come close to refuting black? Will it play the strongest lines positionally and strategically, e.g., the long lines in Ruy Lopez, where Black's position is really challenged? The answer is *no*, not even after 100.000 games. So, those 1300 games lack theoretical value. The analysis must be done by a human expert with the aid of a computer. It would be equally bad if either party could easily neutralize the other party's attempt to gain an initiative. Then it's strategically dead. If the variant holds up to scrutiny, i.e., if it's neither strategically dead, nor favours either partly clearly, then I will be truly surprised. /Mats
I never understood what was so damaging about that discussion. Can't one express one's views anymore without hurting people? /Mats
Seirawan Chess. Normal rules, except two extra pieces can be introduced: Hawk and Elephant (with zrf).[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I now decided it was time to release my Zillions S-chess program here: http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/seirawanchess.htm It also includes a variant with an 'improvement' of the rules. By the way, there is an ongoing Yoos vs. the World S-chess game here: http://www.seirawanchess.com/world/ /Mats
In this late interview Fischer is supportive of some form of amendment of chess, not only FRC. Note that he also mentions a solution where a new piece is added, something which I have experimented with. http://chess960frc.blogspot.com/2011/01/me-and-bobby-fischer-and-chess960.html
Pyrrhus Chess
. Introducing the terrible Pyrrhus that can paralyse enemy pieces with its gaze (with zrf).[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Thanks. The 10x10 variant features Parton's Gorgona, actually. Both variants have been implemented as Courier presets that check whether a piece is paralyzed (this is necessary to avoid confusion). Gorgona: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MPgorgonachess Pyrrhus: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MPpyrrhuschess I mentioned the Pyrrhus on two hardliner Fide-chess forums, and in both occasions it received some appraisal. This is very uncommon, I tell you. The other variant which evoked slight interest among hardliners was my Castle Chess. http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/castlechess.htm /Mats
Spartan Chess. A game with unequal armies. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I have used & nbsp (with no space between & and n) as non-breaking space several times on this site. One can also use & #151 which is long dash (with no space between & and n), etc. Then it looks like this:  and this: — /Mats
Leaping/Missing Bat Chess. Large variant on a 16x12 board with many fairy pieces. (16x12, Cells: 192) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I don't get it. This is not playable, nor is it interesting. So why do people keep inventing these over-complicated variants? Nor does 'crooked' piece movement make any sense. This site is flooded with this type of variant, so the good variants, which are *playable*, and can have an impact in the future, gets drowned in all this muck. Such creations only serve to deter people from taking an interest in chess variants. If some of the chess hardliners want to make variant enthusiasts stand out as unrealistic fools, then they need only link to this type of variant. /Mats
> ... except that the 50-move rule is replaced by a 500-move rule, ...
:-)))
Yes, it is such rules that makes one wonder if these types of inventions are
really only scornful attempts to make fun of variant enthusiasts.
/Mats
Yes, it is such rules that makes one wonder if these types of inventions are
really only scornful attempts to make fun of variant enthusiasts.
/Mats
In practice it is unplayable because it is exhausting to play, and even to learn. Nor has it been proven that it even works. /Mats
Expanded Chinese Chess. Missing description (9x12, Cells: 108) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]The expanded palace removes most of the traditional mating methods. The elbow horse check is rendered almost useless. The standard cannon mate on the last rank (when the king is surrounded by the mandarins) doesn't exist anymore. The added bishops can probably not compensate for this as both bishops move on the same diagonal colour, and the opponent's bishops move on the other diagonal colour. As a result the opponents control half of the squares each, a questionable circumstance. So there is no real bishop pair. The horse is even weaker now on this longer board, and the dragon is almost useless. A rook is even stronger, probably worth three horses. A bishop is probably worth almost two horses. I suspect this game is much more drawish than Xaingqi as it is not easy to invade the squares controlled by the opponent's bishops (and which cannot be controlled with one's own bishops). I suspect mate is much more difficult to achieve. /Mats
Travis, I am trying to give you some input so you can create something that will survive in the future. If the Javelins/Bishops can not cross the river, then you should state this in the rules. If the Javelins cannot attack on the other side of the board, then they are very powerful defensive pieces, only. Yet another pair of pieces to defend the king means that it's much more difficult to achieve mate. The dragons will also serve as defensive pieces, making matters worse. But the dragons are practically useless. Xiangqi pieces can be blocked, so I assume that this is true also for the dragons. This means that they will be blocked most of the time, as orthogonal pieces that move to the fourth square are likely to be blocked most of the time. When the board size is increased, sliding pieces increase their value, while the horse's value decreases. This is a well-known problem in many big-board variants, where the bishop cannot be exchanged for a knight anymore. The relative values of the pieces are changed. It's hardly possible anymore to exchange a rook for a cannon plus horse. If the palace is not increased then the rook can easily invade on the last rank, and move about inside the enemy position, between the flanks. The rook is already very active in Xiangqi, but here it can easily attack the enemy pieces from behind, moving behind the palace, and check the king from behind at the same time. This cannot possibly work. You ought to create a Zillions program and test the variant. You could probably create a good game with an elongated Xiangqi board, but it takes a great deal of testing to make a variant of this type work. I also tried to create a new Xiangqi variant on a bigger board, but I failed, after having tested it in Zillions. /Mats
H.G., it is true that C+H generally is worse than R, but sometimes it works to exchange a R for C+H. In Expanded Chinese Chess, it's very unlikely to work. If the Javelins can cross the middle of the board, then the javelins of the parties can never meet, as they move on different colours. The dragons cannot meet either, so it will be a lot of moving around as pieces cannot be exchanged. The rook is exceedingly strong as it can invade on the last rank and move to the other flank behind the palace. The whole construction is very controversial. I don't believe in it. But perhaps it can be developed with the help of a computer. /Mats
Panchimera. all the king's horses - a variant that doubles the number of each FIDE piece and then adds the knight augmented pieces. (11x12, Cells: 132) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]It is easy to make Zillions move central pawns initially, something which I do in all my programs. All that is needed is to reward early pawn movements. See my Zillions implementations: http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/chessvar.htm The problem is that if Zillions hops about too much with powerful super-knights, then he loses tempo and might be strategically lost. However, this depends on how the variant is designed, of course. I also discourage early queen excursions, and the like. /Mats
Chaturanga. The first known variant of chess. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]It is this 4 colour chess variant: 4-handed Chaturanga with dice. http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/4chaturanga.htm Please try my implementation. It plays rather well. It is also quite fun. This variant could possibly be popularized. /Mats
Bario. Pieces are undefined until they move. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]If it's my implementation you have used, it is very lousy and should be reworked. The code is too heavy and slows the program down. Nor does it follow the initial rules exactly. But I never got around to it because I think the variant is inferior. It is not a serious variant, but merely entertaining. Maybe you could try Barion instead, a related variant, which Zillions plays better. http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/barion.htm /Mats
An awkward aspect of Bario is that a rook and a bishop becomes much stronger than a queen, due to the movement choice he has when the pieces are in potential state. It wrecks the relation between the pieces. If you play well and gain material, it might turn out that the opponent is stronger anyway. But it could be fun. That's why I said that it was for entertainment, not serious chess. In Barion Zillions plays much better, that's the point. Probably it lacks those unfair characteristics of Bario. Whether it's a good variant I don't remember. It's from 2006. /Mats
Rules of Chess: Pawns FAQ. Rules of promotion and movement of pawns explained.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]It is important to point out that 'en passant' can only be performed in the move immediately following the double-step move. This is the only chance to capture 'en passant'. It can't be done in the following moves. /Mats
Dürer's Chess. Dürer's Chess, played on a board of 151 tessellating pentagons and diamonds. (Cells: 151) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]It is very easy to tweak piece values. You create one or more invisible squares outside the board, and fill them with empty pieces (either of a neutral party, or an equal amount of black and white dummy-pieces). Then you make an add to these squares, but first you must verify that it's empty: (define tweak-shift ( $1 (verify empty?) add)) These extra adds must be placed outside the normal move type, so that they get a lower priority (to avoid that Zillions wastes time on them). The more adds you make to these external squares, the higher is the piece value. If you need to lower the piece value, you must increase the piece value in all the others. When increasing the general piece value of all pieces, the queen must have most adds, and the pawns need only a few, perhaps only one extra add. Have a look in any of my implementations: http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/chessvar.htm /Mats
I don't understand why you can't download. Other people have downloaded. /Mats
Simpleton's Chess. This is an even simplier version of Simplified Chess. (7x8, Cells: 56) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I doubt very much that it is more complex than standard chess. The queens need only to watch out for pawns, and most of the queens will soon be exchanged. There is nothing to fear in this game - no knight forks! Just strengthen your position and exchange queens. That's the only thing you can do. /Mats
Baseline chess with Fischer rules. Start with dropping major pieces on baseline, a variant that uses rules from Fischer Random Chess but is not random. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]An even faster approach is Relocation variants: http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/relocationvariants.htm /Mats
Rules of Chess FAQ. Frequently asked chess questions.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Both players cannot be in check at the same time. The players must have missed that either party was in check and continued to play. They should go back to the position where the first check occurred and begin anew from there. /Mats
Chess without Pawns: A chess variant without pawns and with two kings each. Only the kings can capture pieces. The inventor, Rapetsky, believes it is close to original Chaturanga. http://toptoptopaet.narod.ru/english.html A Zillions implementation can be downloaded here: http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/Chess_without_Pawns.zip /Mats
Xiangqi: Chinese Chess. Links and rules for Chinese Chess (Xiangqi). (9x10, Cells: 90) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]That is interesting. One could post to a Chinese chess forum and ask somebody to translate.
Large Chinese Chess
/Mats
Large Chinese Chess
/Mats
Flexible Chess (F-chess). The light pieces are external and can move from any empty first rank square (with zrf).[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]The introduction method used in Flexible Chess implies that the light pieces are potentially present on empty squares on the first rank. It makes the game more dynamic as the pieces move immediately when they are introduced. /Mats
Flexible Chess is my new modest improvement of Fide-chess. The light pieces are external. The introduction method used in Flexible Chess implies that the light pieces are potentially present on empty squares on the first rank. It makes the game more dynamic as the pieces move immediately when they are introduced. http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=Mlflexiblechessf /Mats
I posted my very modest Flexible Chinese Chess idea to a Yahoo Xiangqi
group and the owner threw me out! I also posted it to the Vietson discussion
group, where I use to play Xiangqi. I wasn't dispelled but the message
was removed.
What's going on? How come they regard this little idea as so dangerous
and destructive? They seem to view this little enhancement as a blasphemy.
So I begin to wonder whether many chess players are actually religious chess
worshippers, and that's what causes the exaggerated reactions. This is
where religion has gone, into games! They are chess and Xiangqi believers,
not players.
/Mats
group and the owner threw me out! I also posted it to the Vietson discussion
group, where I use to play Xiangqi. I wasn't dispelled but the message
was removed.
What's going on? How come they regard this little idea as so dangerous
and destructive? They seem to view this little enhancement as a blasphemy.
So I begin to wonder whether many chess players are actually religious chess
worshippers, and that's what causes the exaggerated reactions. This is
where religion has gone, into games! They are chess and Xiangqi believers,
not players.
/Mats
Hiashatar . Mongolian Great Chess played on a 10x10 board with a pair of Bodyguard pieces per side.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Don't miss my Hiashatar implementation in Zillions: http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/hiashatar.htm /Mats
If you could point me to a suitable traditional graphics, I would be happy to implement it, if it's public domain. Don't forget to post any new findings about Hiashatar variants. /Mats
Ed, I have now added an alternative 3D piece set to my ZRF. I found images on the net, resized and coloured them. I also added an outlined board instead of a squared one. The result is reasonably good: http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/hiashatar.htm /Mats
Hiashatar. A Mongolian historical variant, featuring the very special Bodyguard piece (zrf available).[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I realized that I had messed up the graphics for the additional variants. I have corrected this. You might want to download again. /Mats
Burmese Traditional Chess. An article that discusses chess as it was played in Burma. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Ok, I have added an alternative traditional graphics to my program.
I also added eight standard positions.
http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/burmese.htm
/Mats
I also added eight standard positions.
http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/burmese.htm
/Mats
You're welcome! In fact, I added yet another alternative graphics (Western, however). Please download again. http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/burmese.htm
I realized I had introduced a bug. Please download again. http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/burmese.htm /Mats
Yes, and I have now increased the relative value of the Elephant and removed the small board since it was too small. The Elephant is still less valuable than the knight, but the difference is not that big. The Elephant (Silver General in Shogi) is surprisingly powerful, despite its slowness, as it is a strong defensive piece, but it is also powerful in mating attacks. To be certain that you have the latest version, please download again. /Mats
Xiangqi: Chinese Chess. Links and rules for Chinese Chess (Xiangqi). (9x10, Cells: 90) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]By the way, my implementation of Chinese Chess is an example of what tweaking can accomplish when programming Zillions. It is much superior to the standard Zillions version, and quite a strong opponent. It is also possible to use Zillions to build an opening database in a directory tree of Zillions games. The directories are named according to the variation ("Central Cannon (vs) Single Horse", etc.). To see that variation one simply double-clicks the game.
http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/chinesechess.htm
/Mats Sittuyin (Burmese Chess). Missing description (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I have now added a variant following the rules and board pattern according to the Burmese Chess Federation (but rules are still somewhat unclear). http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/burmese.htm ... Addendum 11:35:56 EDT : and now I have tweaked the pieces to achieve better play. /Mats
I have now improved play considerably in my Burmese Chess by tweaking the pieces. http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/burmese.htm However, it's not easy to acquire an exact description of the rules. There exist many versions, but not even the federations have published good documents. On this link, for instance, the rules are confusing. http://myachess.blogspot.se/2012/01/how-to-play-myanmar-traditional-chess-3.html According to c1 a pawn can promote upon reaching a promotion square. According to c3 it cannot promote but must wait. These are contradictory rules. I have implemented both in independent variants. "c.1 When a pawn reaches one of the promotion squares, the diagonal squares of the opponent side, it can be exchanged for a general of the same colour provided the general of the same colour no longer exists on the board. c.3 Even a pawn is qualified to be promoted, the promotion is not allowed at once just after reaching the promotion square. It can get the promotion on the next move or later of the same player." It would be great if somebody could find an exact rule description and publish it here on the Chess Variant Pages. /Mats
I-Ching Chess ("I-ching Xadrez", Mario Sanchez, 1978). This book is
mentioned in The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants. It is a divinatory chess
variant. The I Ching has 64 hexagram and the chess board has 64 squares.
However, I cannot find this book anywhere on the Internet, not even in
Abebooks. If somebody knows how this system worked, please write an article
here on Chess Variant Pages.
/MatsI get this "Confirm Form Resubmission" whenever I am working with a preset and I try to back up with the browser. It never happened before. If I make an illegal move I get a message. But when I want to go back to the position I get "Confirm Form Resubmission". After confirmation I must press yet another button. This isn't good. /Mats
Yes, now it works fine, thanks. But the Upload File function doesn't seem to work. I only get a blank page with "File Upload Results" when I try to upload a little gif-file. /Mats
This, I think, is a real challenge to Fide-chess, at least for rapid chess. Blocked flank pawns (knight- and rook pawns) have an additional jump move to empty square. Dynamic chess can optionally be played with queen relocation: http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/dynamicchess.htm /Mats
The header in Game Courier is gone (where you could click on 'Rules', etc. /Mats
I still can't find the "Rules" button for the preset, although it looks nice with this drop-down menu. The "Rules" button should take you back to the description of the preset. It is very useful. /Mats
I still have problems finding a link back to the preset description, that is the "Rules". /Mats
Maybe it is something wrong with my eyes, but don't the boards in Game
Courier appear oblong now? The squares aren't quadratic anymore, neither in
Chroome or in IE: Seirawan Chess.
/Mats
Courier appear oblong now? The squares aren't quadratic anymore, neither in
Chroome or in IE: Seirawan Chess.
/Mats
Chess boards generated with Table aren't quadratic anymore! They are oblong! /Mats
I provided a link in my earlier message:
Seirawan Chess.
But all Table generated presets are now oblong.
/Mats
But all Table generated presets are now oblong.
/Mats
Fergus, I use Win XP Pro, and latest version of Chrome, and IE 8.0. The boards are clearly oblong and the squares, too. However, now I tried an old version of Opera, version 7.5. In this browser the squares are still quadratic. /Mats
Fergus, here is a Chrome screenshot: http://home7.swipnet.se/~w-73784/scrensh.htm I have used this version of Chrome and this operating system a long time now. I haven't changed hardware. This problem didn't exist before. /Mats
Fergus, this is very strange. The following preset is clearly oblong on my
screen. I am the only one who has this problem?
Revised Chess
/Mats
screen. I am the only one who has this problem?
Revised Chess
/Mats
No, no settings have been changed. I created a simple html table and it is quadratic in Chrome, so something must have changed on the Chess Variant site. However, if nobody else can reproduce this problem, then nothing can be done about it. Here is the simple table board that looks quadratic in Chrome (but it doesn't show in IE on account of the empty cells) : http://home7.swipnet.se/~w-73784/chess/blueboard.htm /Mats
Thanks. Now the proportions are correct both in Chrome and IE. /Mats
You can also use Mobipocket Creator to convert the pdf to a Mobi book, readable in Mobipocket Reader (also for Windows) and Kindle. This means that one can insert comments, etc. Mobipocket is discontinued, but their site is still up, containing hundreds of free ebooks, also Lasker's book on chess strategy, etc. http://www.mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/default.asp?Language=EN /Mats
Valiant Chess. Knight pawns at the fifth rank have an additional jump move to empty square (with zrf).[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]This little invention, in the category "modest variants" could be my most important discovery: the introduction of the oblique knight-pawn move. This could greatly enhance and enliven chess at very little cost in terms of rule changes. /Mats
Thank you for this observation that the fifth rank is already special in that it is the 'en passant' rank. I hadn't thought of that. I'll consider the idea to allow all pawns to move like this. /Mats
I have now added variants to the Zillions program in which any pawn can make the oblique pawn jump. (In one variant it is necessary that the Valiant pawn is blocked by an enemy pawn.) http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/valiantchess.htm /Mats
Swedish Cannon Chess. Mats Winther's new piece and game on the Game Courier.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Yes, it can both capture and jump over other cannons. It is special in that it can only slide when it cannot jump. /Mats
http://www.chessvariants.org/ (main page) looks very strange in Windows 7 Internet Explorer 9. /Mats
I am running Zillions on Windows 7, 64 bit. The question is, will it work in Windows 8? Anybody knows? Probably it will. /Mats
Chess Genius is a very strong program for Android. http://www.chessgenius.com/android/index.html /Mats
No, you guys have to give up the idea that the perfect position is the
perfectly equal position. You sound like feminists. The FIDE position
is particularly good, better than any of the FRC positions, just because
it gives white a slight first move advantage.
In this way an energy gradient is created in which good defensive and
attacking play can take place. It is a challenge to try to utilize this little
tactical or strategical initiative and transform it into a winning position.
To black, it is an interesting challenge to defend the position, despite
white's advantage. If there were no first move advantage, then the theorists
would soon work out how to create equality for black. 90% of the
GM games would end in a draw, and people would loose interest in the
game. The first move advantage vouches for a popular game. The problem
is the obverse. It is becoming more and more difficult to procure
an advantage among GM:s, on account of theoretical developments. One
solution is to introduce higher complexity, like adding a new pawn
move (Valiant Chess), or changing the castle rules slightly (Castle Chess).
M. Winther
perfectly equal position. You sound like feminists. The FIDE position
is particularly good, better than any of the FRC positions, just because
it gives white a slight first move advantage.
In this way an energy gradient is created in which good defensive and
attacking play can take place. It is a challenge to try to utilize this little
tactical or strategical initiative and transform it into a winning position.
To black, it is an interesting challenge to defend the position, despite
white's advantage. If there were no first move advantage, then the theorists
would soon work out how to create equality for black. 90% of the
GM games would end in a draw, and people would loose interest in the
game. The first move advantage vouches for a popular game. The problem
is the obverse. It is becoming more and more difficult to procure
an advantage among GM:s, on account of theoretical developments. One
solution is to introduce higher complexity, like adding a new pawn
move (Valiant Chess), or changing the castle rules slightly (Castle Chess).
M. Winther
I hadn't seen this one before. Spassky, and his predecessor Petrosian, are two of the most creative players in the modern era. /Mats
You should not put the game in a self-extracting archive (exe) because people don't know what it is and won't download. Browsers warn against downloading files such as these. Put it in a zip file instead. /Mats
This is a remarkable slideshow of medieval chess images. I didn't know that
the motif of chess was so popular in medieval times.
medieval chess motives
/Mats
the motif of chess was so popular in medieval times.
medieval chess motives
/Mats
If you want to know whether your king is threatened, you'll have to search
out where it is, and then check this square with the "attacked?" command.
But if you only need to know whether a certain enemy piece is attacking your
king, you could perhaps use the same principle as I use in
Coordinator Chess, for instance. I have added a "king gaze" move to the king's
definition, at a lower priority than standard moves, so the king never
performs them. Other pieces can then check if the king "sees" an enemy piece on the
diagonal or the orthogonal, or the knight jump.
M. Winther
out where it is, and then check this square with the "attacked?" command.
But if you only need to know whether a certain enemy piece is attacking your
king, you could perhaps use the same principle as I use in
Coordinator Chess, for instance. I have added a "king gaze" move to the king's
definition, at a lower priority than standard moves, so the king never
performs them. Other pieces can then check if the king "sees" an enemy piece on the
diagonal or the orthogonal, or the knight jump.
M. Winther
In that case, provided that you have win-condition checkmate set, you don't need to check whether the king is checked, because Zillions does that automatically. Zillions forces you to make a move that protects the king, and you cannot make another move. So it is easy to enforce the rule that an enemy pawn must be captured. Simply add another "move-type" in every piece definition. This move type is exactly the same as the normal move-type except that (1) it is set to higher priority (2) you must verify before the move is executed that an enemy pawn is captured: "(verify enemy?)(verify (piece? Pawn))". This will enforce the capture of an enemy pawn provided that the king is not in check. It will still enforce the capture of a pawn if the king is protected thereby. However, this technique will increase the value of the pieces relative to the pawns. So you need perhaps to tweak the value of the pawns (and other pieces, too) by increasing the number of "adds". You could use my technique of "tweak-shift", which is simple. Zillions tries to evaluate the pieces, but this is highly complicated, and it is necessary to improve this evaluation by tweaking the value of pieces. This improves the playing strength very much. My version of Chinese Chess beats the Zillions standard version every time. It is much better only because I have given the pieces a more appropriate value. M. Winther
Sorry, I didn't know that it worked that way. It is generally recommended for newcomers to Zillions programming to begin with a simpler game. This is a very, very, complex game. I suppose, the simplest way to solve this is to introduce yet another move-type which has the highest priority of all. This move-type is exactly the same as the normal moves (where pawn capture is not enforced). The only difference is that you must verify that the king is threatened before execution of this move-type is allowed. So you must loop through the board squares until you find the friendly king, and verify that it is threatened. Thus, only if the king is attacked, this priority move will be executed, and the player can thus make a move that is the same as a normal move. Should there be no move that can save the king, then Zillions will signal mate, which is correct. However, for the king itself, it's not necessary to make this loop, because you can check (verify attacked?) where it is placed. /M. Winther
Matteo, with this solution you don't account for the case when the king is in check and the king can be protected by the capture of a pawn. I suppose you must enforce the pawn capture in this case, too. So "normal moves" might protect the king without capturing the pawn, although there is such a possibility.
So perhaps you should try the solution I suggested. Add yet another move-type, the highest of the three. To verify that the king is in check you could do like this, for instance (at least if it's white's move) :
a1
(while (on-board? r) ;correction: r
(if (and (piece? King) friend?) (verify attacked?))
r  ;r is the same as direction e except that h1 is connected with a2, etc.
)
/Mats
So perhaps you should try the solution I suggested. Add yet another move-type, the highest of the three. To verify that the king is in check you could do like this, for instance (at least if it's white's move) :
a1
(while (on-board? r) ;correction: r
(if (and (piece? King) friend?) (verify attacked?))
r  ;r is the same as direction e except that h1 is connected with a2, etc.
)
/Mats
Matteo, sorry for the belated reply. Of course, you must jump out of the loop as soon as you find the king, so you should write:
(while (and (on-board? next) (not-flag? found))...
The parse error is that you write (verify found?). It should be (verify (flag? found)).
/Mats
(while (and (on-board? next) (not-flag? found))...
The parse error is that you write (verify found?). It should be (verify (flag? found)).
/Mats
Matteo, it is the search tree which is the heavy operation. The problem is here that the king search is involved in the search tree, which has thousands of branches. You should consider changing the rules a bit to make it easier to program, until you know how to do it. Anyway, these 'create' and 'capture' commands do nothing if not followed by an 'add'. After the last 'create' there is no 'add', so it won't happen. You probably only need an 'add' in the last position, and that cascade seems superfluous(?). You don't need to 'capture' the king-check piece. It is superfluous. You could also use 'change-type' instead of 'create', to avoid a capture sound. /Mats
Seirawan Chess. invented by GM Yasser Seirawan, a conservative drop chess (zrf available).[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Fairy-Max: an AI for playing user-defined Chess variants. A chess engine configurable for playing a wide variety of chess variants.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]H.G., I noticed that it's you who have made the engine for HD Chinese Chess or Action Chinese Chess for Android. I like the program, but I hate the sound effects. They are really disturbing. I turned off the music, which is absolutely horrible, but the sound effects are still there, and they hurt my ears. Could you see to that they are altered? Moreover, I would much prefer another skin than the metallic. /Mats
Aha, I can always turn down the volume. What does it mean that "Chess for Android" can run your FairyMax engine? Are chess variants playable on Android? http://www.aartbik.com/MISC/eng.html /Mats
Maybe it is time to create variant software for Android, too, because it us used so widely, today. Soon Android will be in every TV set, too, and people will surf the web on the TV. Today, there are apps for chessbase online database (a remarkable tool) and Playchess.com, ICC, etc. It would be great if an Android version of game courier could be created, too. /Mats
Indeed, Game Courier runs on Android. It would be neat if one didn't have to scroll every time when making a new move, because the board doesn't fit in the window. I am curious how much money the Android app developers earn, when selling their programs on play.google.com and elsewhere. The apps are cheap, but sometimes there are half a million downloads, because Android is so widely used. Many of the apps have glitches that are very, very frustrating. It is not possible to download a decent painting program, for instance. If it's possible to earn some money, it could motivate that one learns Android programming. /Mats
Kramnik rates this as the best game ever, with Swedish GM Gösta Stoltz as white: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1152958 Gösta Stoltz on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6sta_Stoltz /Mats
The reason why the Capablanca big-board variants haven't caught on is because the board alters the relation between pieces. There are now ten pawn, a fact which affects the pawn value. The center of the board isn't sharply defined anymore. The knight is worth a pawn less than a bishop. The rook is now worth equally much as a bishop + knight. There is now plenty of space on the board, so one is unlikely to achieve spatial advantage. All this means that important strategical themes are lost, especially the important relation between knight and bishop, and it's hardly possible to sacrifice a rook for a knight anymore. However, the Gustavian board retains all the relations of Fide chess. There are only eight pawns, and the relation between knight and bishop is retained. Possibly, the knight value increases slightly because of the extra corner square, which makes it easier to maneuver with the knight. The queen is probably somewhat more valuable since it can now invade the enemy position via the extra corner square. I hold that the 68-squared Gustavian board is much superior to the 90-squared board, although it also depends on the rules of the game. However, if we simply add the chancellor and the archbishop to the Gustavian board, we get a much better game than Capablanca Chess or Gothic Chess. This is because all the fine nuances of Fide-chess are retained. http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/gustaviii.htm /M. Winther
The point is that the game is perfect. If black plays 26...Kg8 instead of 26...Qc8 he also loses:
26... Kg8 27. Nf6+ Kf7 28. Rxh7 Kg6 29. Rh6+ Kf5 30. Rg1 Ng6 31. Ng4 Nxf4 32. Ne3+ Ke4 33. Bxg7 +-
/Mats
26... Kg8 27. Nf6+ Kf7 28. Rxh7 Kg6 29. Rh6+ Kf5 30. Rg1 Ng6 31. Ng4 Nxf4 32. Ne3+ Ke4 33. Bxg7 +-
/Mats
Regardless of the exact values, it seems like many very fine strategical qualities are lost on the 9x10 board. The space factor, so important in Fide-chess, has taken on a completely different meaning. Suddenly there are large areas of space always available. Of course, there are new aspects of the game, such as the enormous tactical capacities of the super-knights. This is great fun, but many important factors are lost, too. However, with the Gustavian board they are retained, while new tactical qualities can be added. I don't repudiate the Capablanca variants; they are an interesting complement. But I don't think they will ever become popular. Seirawan Chess implements the super-knights on the 8x8 board, however, they are introduced in an erratic manner. To place them on the extra corner squares of the Gustavian board is much more to the taste of the modern player, I think. Gustav III's Chess, with Amazons on the extra squares, is actually a very good game. A preset is here: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MPgustaviiisches /M. Winther
Game Courier. PHP script for playing Chess variants online.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]The rules button is not visible anymore in Game Courier. This means that players cannot easily go back to review the rules of the game, which is bad, since all the rules aren't always easy to memorize when you are trying a new game. In the Game Courier presets one always inserts a link to the rules, so that the players easily can view the rules. But the button has disappeared, it seems. This is a high priority bug. /Mats
The rules button is not visible anymore in Game Courier. This means that players cannot easily go back to review the rules of the game, which is bad, since all the rules aren't always easy to memorize when you are trying a new game. In the Game Courier presets one always inserts a link to the rules, so that the players easily can view the rules. But the button has disappeared, it seems. This is a high priority bug. /Mats
George, after 25...Kg8 26.dxc6 black has sacrificed the knight at c6 and white is winning.
/Mats
/Mats
It seems like people get no response when they apply for membership on the Chess Variant pages. Why can't this be automatized instead, so that people can get a permanent password by themselves? http://www.chessvariants.org/index/displaycomment.php?commentid=29216 /Mats
Fergus, Game Courier no longer displays a "rules" link, which links back to the rules page of the game. It has disappeared. I think this link is quite useful. /Mats
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