Game Reviews by TonyQuintanilla

Well, I am going to break the mold here. I don't think its fair to the game to let a 'poor' rating dominate. There is justification for some of the comments, such as a lot of power for a small board; an odd-shaped board; a lot of board edge changes; and the possibility of 'stereotyped' play. However, the game should be played first before relegating it to the 'poor' bin. There are some good points: the use of Knight moves mitigates against the odd-shaped board; the higher power density provide more options on a small, restricted board. In fact, the odd-shaped board provides some of the interest, as the name implies. The game will probably be very tactical and very exchange driven. I think it would be fairly enjoyable. Give it a chance!

As far as playing, a quick look at Kriegspiel did not show any innovative ways to avoid the referee. The only other option, I think, would be the 'honor system', whereby players exchanging moves by e-mail would not only exchange visible moves, but also masked moves using three separate text files, one for each board. The masked moves files, though, would be 'off-limits' to the opponent (unless he cheats) until the end of the game. At that time, both players can verify that all the masked moves were executed correctly. The other option would be to record the masked moves without exchanging them, trusting that the players will not alter the files surrepticiously. Of course, if you can't trust your opponent, why play chess, right? That's the beauty of chess! FIDE not withstanding!

Jack, have you considered using a Dymaxion projection to project the geodesic sphere to 2D and make a Game Courier implementation possible? The geodesic sphere is a very appealing concept for a board.

Impressive and original. I can't claim to have absorbed all the rules and permutations, but it certainly sounds neat.

The special capture, drawing a piece into the hole, is very clever and innovative. It should add very interesting tactics to the game. Since this special move can be done in addition to normal captures by replacement it adds more effective power to the board. This is an effective approach to provide more options in a small game.

The 3-D aspect is a bit mind-bending. Actually, I have found some games that require very complex geometric calculations unappealing because its more calculation than play, leaving little room for intuition. But, I think K-M is well balanced. Yes, there is a complex geometry. But, the board design helps. And once the basics are learned, its not all that un-intuitive. <p>Also, what counter-balances the complexity is the fact that it is productive by providing new tactical and strategic avenues that are comprehensible. Some games have complex features, but they may be marginal, just something to watch-out for. In others, the odd geometry may be central but so unintuitive that its hard to ever trully envision a strategy, leading to short-range, clumsy tactics due to lack of vision. <p>Another thing I like is that none of the board space is wasted, particularly since the attack boards are very active. The simile between the game and Star Trek is good. I like the fact that the playing boards are not connected except through the attack boards. This is like local space being connected only through star fleets capable of moving by warp.

Very interesting comments. I have to admit that I have not easily adapted to cannons, but your observations will make me take a fresh look at them. Thanks, Chen.

Andreas, I have posted a PBM preset for Anti-King I and II. See the related links in 'See also'. <p>Peter, take a look at the Anti-King II setup diagram and description on your page; I think there are errors. Is my interpretation for the preset right?

An interesting aspect of this game is that game goals or strategies differ on each board. The checkmate goal is the same, of course, but each position has its own intermediary objectives. On one board, the objectives may be more like the opening, on the other they may be more middle game objectives. These objectives must remain flexible because the positions appear and dissapear like summer clouds or maybe dreams. What a great game!

The middle game develops very nicely. At first I thought that there would be a lot of drops. It turns out that the tempo lost in putting a piece in the pocket is very important, so this option cannot be wasted. The game develops very closely to FIDE Chess. The mutation aspect of the pocket actually adds more to the dynamics of the game than the drop itself, it seems. Promotions do not seem to be any more prevalent in the middle game than in FIDE.

Very nice game. I am intrigued by the use of the Earth and Sky boards. This has strong thematic sense to it, particularly with the overall context of the game. Other games, such as Alice Chess, use the double boards, also thematically. But Advanced Wizards Chess uses this theme very consistently, and, it appears, in a very playable manner. I particularly like the launching of the Dragon and Pegasus into the sky, the swooping of the Eagle, the flight of the Archer's arrow! The Earth-bound pieces also are thematically appropriate. The Wizard is Earth-bound, like a proper royal, but can teleport once per game. This has allusions to certain ancient variations of Shatranj where the King had a Knight's move. The game is complex in that there is a lot going on, but the rules are clear and intuitive. Nice game!

<p>Very nice game. The dynamics of the opening, middle game and end game are quite distinct, although very different from FIDE Chess.</p><p>The opening is characterized by piece creation in tandem with piece development.</p><p>During the early middle game, positional play starts to develop, with a balance between attempting to get a material advantage by capture or by piece creation.</p><p>As the middle game proceeds, positional play becomes more important. While piece creation is always an important element it must take a secondary position as positional tactics become more critical.</p><p>In the late middle game, the goal of capturing the 'arena' starts to influence tactics. Capture of semi-royal Wizards also becomes a tactical and strategic issue.</p><p>Overall, a very nice game and very innovative.

This is certainly an interesting game. The use of the short range pieces makes the best use of the available space. I like the use of the 'split' double royal pieces, split into Ferz and Wazir capabilities. This is in line with the promoted versions, which adds a Ferz or Wazir capability. The game has subtle tactics. The Mao-Hopper capability adds density to the tactical possibilities on a small board. The drops do not overwhelm game play. The board's diagonal divide adds to the thematic flavor of the Berolina Pawns. Nice game.

<p>Maxima is quite interesting and clear. Its subtle, has a lot of variety, and is quite innovative. I particularly like the long move of the Mage and the traditional move of the Guard. </p><p>The Mages' reach makes it a very active piece early in the game. </p><p>Although it has the single step move, the Guard proves to be surprisingly strong and important for attack. Its interesting that among relatively strong pieces, a traditional piece like the Guard should play such an important role. </p><p>The Coordinator comes into play very selectively but can be surprising and cannot be ignored. </p><p>The custodian capture powers of the Pawn make the dynamics of the opening much more positional than in games using FIDE-type Pawns. </p><p>I wonder what the theoretical piece strength density of Maxima is compared to FIDE?</p>

This game certainly looks interesting. The graphics, as always, are very nice. I like the use of the Rhino, a deserving but somewhat neglected piece.

Besides its historical interest, this is a very interesting variant. The different central Pawns and the central Knights are intriguing. The selective use of the 3rd or forward rank bears consideration in designing other games too.

I am on turn 12 of a very nice game by e-mail. I am a fan of ancient games and modern games with an ancient theme or quality. This is one of them. I really like the use of the Vizir and Firzan in such an active way. It adds a certain depth of the function of the Pawns in the opening. The opening has another dimension before the minor pieces get involved and the game goes into the middle game. The wide board also provides more room for deciding where to focus the attack, King-side or Champion-side! The Lion and the Eagle are nice additions too. The certainly fit the theme, but more importantly, they add another level to the opening and early middle game. Instead of the battle being just between Knights and Bishops, a player must decide whether to commit and risk these stronger pieces--similar to committing the Rook in Chess. I am enjoying the game. Very nice game.

Excellent idea. The strategic issues regarding where to commit one's pieces will be more significant. Regional battles will be more common. Mobility will be more important. I also like Mike Howe's suggestion about different army powers depending on the board--this harmonizes nicely with the double-board theme. The doublewide idea can be applied to many Chess variants. How about double-wide Rococo, for example! Triple-wide? could be interesting, but the game might devolve into a central battle with reserves on the wings.

I had the opportunity to play this game with the inventor. I must say that I really enjoyed it. I found that the selection of pieces and their capabilities was quite interesting and suited for the 3-player setting. A fun, interesting, 3-player game is special in-itself. The shifting alliances is a very good way of preventing a strategy of ganging-up. Something that should also be mentioned is the random element. While this is unusual in Chess, it is definitely an interesting, playable, and fun aspect of the game. Overall, this is an excellent game. The judges have to select their picks for finalists. Often specific choices are based on minor or even subjective preferences. The final choices do not reflect negatively on otherwise very good games.

Great idea. Its simple and elegant, yet add the mutability of pieces that many game designers have sought. The idea of simplifying the rules of Chess is also intriguing. It should be quite playable.

Excellent addition to the Spanish game pages. New Spanish pages don't appear in the English 'What's New', so check it out if you read Spanish!

Very interesting game. The movement and capture dynamics are unique. The win condition is goal oriented, also creating a different dynamic. The non-capturable pieces are an interesting element too, somewhat inverting the 'checkmate' rule. The Rotor is neat, juggling pieces instead of capturing them!

Glenn, I haven't played it, but PromoChess looks quite interesting. The piece selection is varied and interesting in its own right. I like the idea of promotion of all the pieces, while retaining the King.