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Abstract Chess Pieces. Icons of chess and chess variant pieces.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Greg Strong wrote on Sat, May 2, 2020 03:10 PM UTC:

Thanks Fergus.  These look nice, but unfortunately they do not match the existing pieces:

https://www.chessvariants.com/play/pbm/play.php?game%3DShatranj+Kamil+%2864%29%26settings%3Dabstract

They could be reduced, but I think they will still look out-of-place if the outsides aren't the same as the pawn and ferz.  So I took your anti-aliased crescent, reduced the size a little, and placed it inside the existing shell. So the crecents are anti-aliased but the outside isn't:

Does this work?


H. G. Muller wrote on Sat, May 2, 2020 06:35 AM UTC:

I meant the leftmost of these two, but never mind. The alchemy symbols are more in line with some other piece themes.


🕸📝Fergus Duniho wrote on Sat, May 2, 2020 01:59 AM UTC:

Here's what I made tonight.

Instead of hand drawing them like I did before, I found appropriate fonts, because Ultimate Paint, which I still use, does anti-aliasing for fonts but not for regular drawing. I used y from Webdings for the circle and cut out the bar in the middle. I used Z from Wingdings for the moon. Since it was very thin, I doubled it up with a slightly smaller moon. I also deleted the star, since it was a Muslim symbol, and made the moon a little less pointy at the top. For the dot in the Gold, I used l from Wingdings.


Greg Strong wrote on Fri, May 1, 2020 10:43 PM UTC:

I only really need a silver for now.  I don't like using the wizard since that already has a different meaning and isn't round to indicate it is a single space mover.

Do you think either of my silvers are ok for now?


🕸📝Fergus Duniho wrote on Fri, May 1, 2020 10:34 PM UTC:

You can use the Coin and the Wizard until I make specialty pieces. The Coin looks like the alchemical symbol for gold, and the Wizard uses a crescent moon, which is the alchemical symbol for silver. I have based Gold and Silver Generals in the Motif set on the same symbols. I may try to redo the coin with better anti-aliasing and make a silver piece with a more prominent crescent moon.


Greg Strong wrote on Fri, May 1, 2020 10:13 PM UTC:

Not sure this is what you meant but this is an alternative:


Greg Strong wrote on Fri, May 1, 2020 10:01 PM UTC:

We could certainly do that.  It would be more obvious and thus might be better.  I did this because it is an adaptation of the graphic for the ferz:

In the abstract set, triangles indicate diagonal moves. I squared the tip of the triangle to indicate the forward wazir move. A silver general could be thought of as a ferz with an additional move. That is how I think of it, but it could also just be thought of as a piece of its own. Your suggetion might be better, especially since Shatranj Kamil (64) has both a ferz and a silver general and the pieces look awful similar.

In that game, the Elephant also has a non-capturing dabbabah move, but the standard elephant graphic is used.


H. G. Muller wrote on Fri, May 1, 2020 09:53 PM UTC:

If you want a scribble too mark the piece as a Silver, why not use an X with an extra line connecting the tips of the upper two legs? That resembles the move pattern.


Greg Strong wrote on Fri, May 1, 2020 09:39 PM UTC:

I made a new rule-enforcing preset for Shatranj Kamil (64) and wanted to support the abstract graphics, but that required a silver general so I created one. I don't think it is great but it is decent. It will work unless we come up with something better:

I will make a gold general in a similar way at some point unless a better silver general is made.


🕸📝Fergus Duniho wrote on Sun, Jan 13, 2019 10:49 PM UTC:

As in Rocket J. Squirrel. But I do believe that Rocket is another name for the piece.


Greg Strong wrote on Sun, Jan 13, 2019 03:59 PM UTC:

Ah, so it is.  Thanks!


John Davis wrote on Sun, Jan 13, 2019 02:53 PM UTC:

The Rocket piece is supposed to replace the Squirrel. 


Greg Strong wrote on Sat, Jan 12, 2019 08:34 PM UTC:

Hi, Fergus.  I'm going to make presets for the newly listed Bear Chess (in which the Bear moves as a Squirrel.)  Do you think you could make a Squirrel piece?  I'm thinking modify the Lion maybe?

In the Bear Chess presets, I'll use Squirrels not only because that is what that piece is generally called, but also because "B" for Bear is already used for the Bishop but "S" is not used.


blackisablack wrote on Wed, Sep 7, 2011 09:19 AM UTC:BelowAverage ★★
Great !!! @~'@

Anonymous wrote on Mon, Feb 19, 2007 03:04 PM UTC:
My Set:
K=trapezoid(may with a cross on head) 
Q=circle
B=
   *
  / \
 /   \
*-----*
N=
*
| \
|   \
*-----*
R=square
P=semicircle
Chinese Chess Pieces:
General:(may with a cross on head)
    *
  /   \
*       *
  \   /
    *
Advisor:Reversed bishop
Elephant:advisor with '2s' in(s means slide)
Horse:knight with 's' in
Cannon:rook with mountain pattern in(It is said 'cannon captures beyond
mountain')
Soldier:
    *
  /   \
*       *
  *---*

🕸📝Fergus Duniho wrote on Fri, Jun 23, 2006 02:17 PM UTC:
Movement diagram pieces can be helpful for someone who isn't already familiar with the pieces. I'm sure movement diagram pieces would be a great help in a game like Chu Shogi, and they are indispensible to a game like Xorix Shogi. But in games where I already know most or all of the pieces, the value of movement diagrams is diminished, and what is most important to me is the ability to quickly recognize all the pieces at a glance. This is easiest when all the pieces have clear individuality. For example, I can look at a game with a Staunton set and recognize every piece in a flash. But if I play with a Renaissance set, I have some trouble telling Pawns and Bishops apart when their backs are to me. The Chess pieces in the Abstract set are all individual enough that I can quickly tell them apart. Three are basic shapes -- circle, square, and triangle -- and the other three are different combinations of different shapes. With Nalls' concrete pieces, I have to look closely at the pieces to tell them apart. My brain cannot work with them as fast, because their shapes do not cue in directly to specific pieces. For example, a cross and an X are the same shape, differing only in orientation. I cannot tell these apart as quickly as I can a square and a triangle.

Christine Bagley-Jones wrote on Fri, Jun 23, 2006 01:14 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
i like these, some very cool ones, love the grasshopper/locust, unique style well done

Derek Nalls wrote on Fri, Jun 23, 2006 03:46 AM UTC:Good ★★★★
I prefer to think of the linear piece symbols used for 2-D sliders within my games as concrete. Since they are directly intuitive with the directions of movement each piece is capable of evident within its icon, they do not require arbitrary, counter-intuitive memorization as some of your abstract chess pieces do. Hence, their meaning is unmistakably obvious even to an intelligent child.

🕸📝Fergus Duniho wrote on Fri, Jun 23, 2006 02:58 AM UTC:
I'm glad you like my pieces. In creating this set, I wanted a middle ground between abstraction and looking like real pieces. I did not want a purely abstract set like the one you describe. Derek Nalls has created such a set for his games, and I find that I strongly dislike his pieces.

James Spratt wrote on Thu, Jun 22, 2006 05:50 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
Very nice, very logical and easy to learn. Though I'm no expert, the
collection seems pretty comprehensive, too.  Just a thought--you could
take piece icons to further abstractions, using mere line combinations to
indicate moves, such as Pawn | Rook +  Queen * (needs 8 points) Bishop X,
etc. You could even call them the Bar, the Plus, the Asterisk, the Eks,
etc.

Abstract sets, in my thinking, are all that's needed for play, yet we
remain childlike and earth- and history-bound enough to still love our
little Kings and Queens and all their little helpers.

🕸📝Fergus Duniho wrote on Thu, Jun 22, 2006 02:44 PM UTC:
It is a modified version of the Chess_Fairy.zrf that comes with Zillions of Games, and it is included with the archive containing bitmaps of the pieces, which there is already a link to at the top of this page.

Jeremy Good wrote on Thu, Jun 22, 2006 11:01 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

Fergus, I want to commend you for creating these pieces. Brilliant job!

I particularly enjoy playing with the pieces you created especially for Mad Chess. I seem to be the only person who voted for Mad Chess on the poll for the next variants tournament.

Do you have plans to create more abstract pieces? I find it quite refreshing to play with pieces that reflect movement more than symbolism.

Above, you mention 'the Fairy Chess ZRF' - What do you mean by this? Can you create a link?


Tony Quintanilla wrote on Mon, Jun 28, 2004 10:12 PM UTC:
Steve, glad to hear it. Thanks.

Steve wrote on Mon, Jun 28, 2004 06:28 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★
I am employed at a prison (psychologist). Chess is a good metaphor for learning about life, planning and consequences. One idea that I have is for a group of inmates learning how to play chess. I went forth into the prison to test the waters, so to speak. I found a guy who came to my office to play 'Quick Chess' (Amerigames International). We played and talked. I presented some variations on the game that he hadn't considered, such as 'Combat Chess' or playing out (finishing) from the level of a pre-established problem. Then, I went to your page and printed out the chess variants. He was intrigued. You may have brightened the life of some guys in this close custody (maximum security) prison. Soon after I gave the guy the printed description of your variants, another guy approached me. So, it really is true - you helped people with little hope to find something to brighten their days for a while.

🕸📝Fergus Duniho wrote on Tue, Jun 22, 2004 11:30 PM UTC:
I use 50 pixel squares, and I have designed all pieces to fit comfortably on squares of this size. But 45 pixel squares might do for most pieces, including all the standard Chess pieces. The minimum square size that you use should be at least slightly larger than the largest piece image that you use.

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