Check out Symmetric Chess, our featured variant for March, 2024.


[ Help | Earliest Comments | Latest Comments ]
[ List All Subjects of Discussion | Create New Subject of Discussion ]
[ List Earliest Comments Only For Pages | Games | Rated Pages | Rated Games | Subjects of Discussion ]

Single Comment

Deployment. The initial setup of the pieces is open but hidden from the other player. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
George Duke wrote on Tue, Feb 24, 2004 06:59 PM UTC:
A method of randomizing the back row on the (no longer?) sacrosanct 64 squares easily relates to Slide-Shuffle, also posted this week as solution to the Opening Theory, Draw, and Computer problems confronting Orthodox Chess. Suppose this Deployment only specially requires Bishops on opposite colour, as Slide-Shuffle; then each side has the 2880 possible arrays of Sl.Sh.: Deployment's not requiring mirror image here means (2880x2880) 8294400 possible initial set-ups, and opening theory is done away with. Except for Chess-Unequal-Armies games, a break from mirror-image starting array ordinarily entails switch of just two pieces, usually King and Queen. Random Chess, even Fischer's, is not new idea, going back 200 yrs. now; all these are copycats of Aaron Alexandre, author of 'Encyclopedie des Echecs'. Today Chaos Chess goes even step further in allowing deployment anywhere on board, so long as no checks present.