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STANLEY RANDOM CHESS INTRODUCED & EXPLAINED FOR BEGINNERS
by GM Gregory Topov

Description

Despite having a long and illustrious history, Stanley Random Chess
(commonly designated SR Chess), is relatively unknown in the modern era
due to the fact that it flourished in exclusive clubs and under the cover
of secret societies. Not to be confused with Fischer Random Chess (FR
Chess), SR Chess has only recently emerged into the modern public arena,
where it is presented as a chess variant. Recent historical studies
published by Dr. Bill Goldman have now offered conclusive proof that in
fact the more commonly played 'traditional' chess is merely an inferior
and simplified variant of SR Chess. For this reason common chess is
usually designated in SR Chess circles as Simplified Stanley Random
Chess,
or Simplified SR Chess. While superficially similar to Simplified SR
(Common) Chess, SR Chess is a far more advanced and complex game that
requires greater skill and imagination. Unlike the more popular and
simplified form of the game, it relies more on pattern recognition and
sequenced moves, offering a complexity and creativity that is initially
perplexing for new players, but far more rewarding. It relies less on
memorization and opening theory, and leads to more exciting and creative
play, with draws being relatively infrequent. 

Objective

Like Simplified SR (Common) Chess, the objective of SR Chess is to win
the
game by checkmate. Draws can occur under the same conditions as in
Simplified SR (Common) Chess, but due to the imaginative and more complex
play of an SR Chess game, draws are typically far less frequent, which is
one of the reasons SR Chess is so appealing to players disillusioned with
the number of unsatisfactory draws common in Simplified SR (Common)
Chess.
An SR Chess game can also be won by a Forced I.M.R. (Inferior Material
Resignation) after move 30 - see further details under 'Rules'.

Playing Supplies

Play is conducted in the same manner as Simplified SR (Common) Chess,
using the same chess board and pieces, and with both players moving in
turn. Some variations require the use of two dice, eight territorial
square markers, and a scoresheet, but these are not specialty items.
Special Deluxe SR Chess sets have been known to be marketed separately,
but novices should be forewarned that these merely consist of regular
chess playing supplies along with a set of rules of SR Chess. The rules
that accompany Deluxe or Gift SR Chess sets are typically incomplete,
limited to one local variation, and are not sanctioned by the I.S.R.C.A.
(International Stanley Random Chess Association), and cannot be
recommended. During play in tournaments, the rules are supervised by an
official adjudicator or local SRCA representative. In informal settings
without an adjudicator, is not uncommon for there to be lengthy
discussions about rules and strategy. It is rare for a game to be played
in less than an hour, primarily because of the complexity and creativity
the game requires. 

Rules

Relation to Simplified SR (Common) Chess

The basic rules of SR Chess are identical to those of Simplified SR
(Common) Chess, so I will not risk redundancy by repeating them in full.
Learning Simplified SR (Common) Chess has proven helpful for some
players,
since a knowledge of its legal moves and some basic strategy is essential
for good SR Chess play. However, the simplifications of Simplified SR
(Common) Chess do improverish the traditional game of much beauty and
creativity, and can hinder the development of sound strategy. The
difference lies in the fact that Simplified SR (Common) Chess has
eliminated the original rigid code and rules that govern required move
sequences and permissible board patterns of SR Chess. These are quite
complex, and attempting to summarizing them will only confuse the novice,
but new students of the game should familiarize themselves with the
important principles enumerated below. 

Random Moves

Newcomers may find the 'random' part of Stanley Random Chess rather
confusing. The truth is that the name is an unfortunate misnomer, because
SR Chess is certainly not random. The original name of the game was
Stanley Chess, but the perceived randomness by the numerous fans of
Simplified SR (Common) Chess led to the unfortunate designation Stanley
Random Chess. Players familiar with Simplified SR (Common) Chess
typically
observe apparent 'randomness' in two respects: 
1. Sudden/strange game moves
2. Sudden/strange game termination
What might be perceived as apparent random moves to the newcomer, is in
fact the result of careful and precise play, in conjuction with an
elaborate set of rules that strictly govern legal sequences and patterns.
Any notion of randomness will be eliminated by a correct understanding
of:

1. Legal patterns and sequences
2. Winning patterns and sequences.

1. Legal Patterns and Sequences

Legal Moves 

Unlike Simplified SR (Common) Chess, the sequence and patterns of
possible
moves are strictly regulated by a carefully articulated body of laws, so
that SR Chess has a lesser number of legal moves (approximately half).
Maxwell's 'Bipolar Law of Corresponding Necessities' might benefit the
novice: 
First Thereom of Permissible Play: 'A legal move in Simplified SR
(Common) Chess is nt by necessity legal in SR Chess, but a legal move in
SR Chess is by necessity legal in Simplified SR (Common) Chess.' 
First Reversed Theorem of Permissible Play: 'An illegal move in
Simplified SR (Common) Chess is by necessity illegal in SR Chess, but an
illegal move in SR Chess is not by necessity illegal in Simplified SR
(Common) Chess.'
The awesome scope of the regulations that govern permissible patterns and
sequences adds an element of complexity and creativity to SR Chess that
is
not found in Simplified SR (Common) Chess, and also accounts for the
apparent sudden/strange (random) moves sometimes perceived by novices.

Illegal Moves (Freezing)

Newcomers will notice that simplified captures and retreats are sometimes
deemed illegal in SR Chess. When a move that is legal in Simplified SR
(Common) Chess, but illegal in SR Chess, the piece in question is said to
be 'frozen'. In some traditions, 'frozen' pieces are termed
'stone-walled'. 'Freezing' of pieces typically occurs when moves are
not sequenced according to the Nubular Rule, or when a Pattern of
Unbalance is created. Unfreezing a piece is possible, but is dependent on
the proportion of occupied white squares relative to occupied dark
squares, and subject to the Rule of Double Diagonals.

2. Winning Patterns and Sequences

Forced I.M.R.

Unlike Simplified SR (Common) Chess, SR Chess has the added dimension
that
after the 30th move, the 'VollenHauser Sudden Death Principle' comes
into
play, enabling players to win the game by a Forced I.M.R. (Inferior
Material Resignation), with the winner being the player with the most
material. If the game has not been concluded at this point, one of the
players is usually quick to create a position that requires a Forced IMR,
and so it is unusual for a game to extend beyond 40 moves. Typically the
number of legal moves increases in the end game, leading to faster and
exciting play, greater attacking possibilities, daring sacrifices, and
sudden victories. This also accounts for the apparent sudden/strange
(random) termination of the game sometimes perceived by novices.

V.H. Conditions

The precise conditions in which a Forced IMR is allowed are too numerous
and complex to enumerate here, and it can take time for novices to
develop
strategies to create the right pattern in which such a conclusion is
allowed. A good understanding of the VollenHauser Sudden Death Principle
(usually designated as 'VH Conditions') is critical. The classic work
by
Leopold Strauss, A Reexamination of Forced Inferior Material
Resignations:
A Guide to Winning Play under VollenHauser Conditions (Belgrade Press,
1934), is the standard reference text on this subject. In tournaments,
adjudictors will normally announce to both players at the conclusion of
move 29, 'The game is now under VH Conditions', which means that the
VollenHauser Sudden Death Principle is now in effect. Note that before VH
Conditions come into effect, all sequences and patterns that would lead
to
a Forced IMR win under VH Conditions are illegal, to prevent players from
establishing an unfair advantage earlier in the game. The possibility of
a
sudden win by a Forced IMR while the game is under VH Conditions leads to
very exciting and novel play, particularly after the 30th move.

Other Rules

The precise rules are far too numerous to list here, and the above rules
merely introduce some of the unique aspects of SR Chess. A good grasp of
the more comprehensive laws that govern legal and winning patterns and
sequences is essential for expert play, but these are amply documented
and
explained in Samuel Worthington's fourth edition of the Stanley Random
Chess: The Official Player's Guide - Vol.1 'The Rules' (Vol. 2 'The
Players' and Vol. 3 'Developing Winning Strategy' are also
worthwhile).
The close observation of expert play is one of the best ways to acquire a
good understanding of the rules.

Variations

To reduce the inevitable perplexity that inevitably confronts the novice
player, it is usual before the game to adopt the house rules of a popular
local variation, such as the International Stanley Random Grand Prix
Rules, or the Modern British Imperial Stanley Random Rules. Over 535 such
variations have been documented by the ISRCA, and the appendix of their
2004 Official Stanley Random Chess Handbook summarizes the 32 more
popular
international variations. Due to the development of this wide spectrum of
local variations, novices should not be alarmed to discover that
experienced players typically engage in lengthy and lively debates about
the rules and their variations in the course of a game. Note that the
1983
Genevan Revision has made it mandatory to obtain an unmoded quadrant
(requiring unweighting of the light squares) for openings in tournament
play for all variations. For novices and informal play it is usually
replaced by the simpler 'Gallican Primary Ranking Order' which allows
weighted pawn play within the first ten moves. 

Openings

New players will find that openings common to Simplified SR (Common)
Chess
may be entirely inadequate, and at times illegal, in SR Chess, and
conversely that many openings which have been refuted in Simplified SR
(Common) Chess may serve well in SR Chess. Consequently novices will do
well to discard most opening theory they have learned from Simplified SR
(Common) Chess. One of the advantages of SR Chess is that opening theory
is less critical, because the creativity and complexity implicit in the
multiple move patterns and sequence formations allows for a greater
variety of openings, and less dependence on pure memorization. While
Simplified SR (Common) Chess has been criticized for being a matter of
memorizing openings, SR Chess relies more on skill, strategy and
creativity than memorization, and once a good grasp of the rules has been
obtained, imaginative young players are able to play at a very high level
against grandmasters. Novice players should be able to grasp the
essentials of common openings (especially the Genevan Gambler Attack, and
the Left Wing Butterfly Defence) in short order by observing other
players. It is not uncommon for a relatively unknown player to emerge
from
obscurity and inflict a surprising loss on a well-known grandmaster, as
is
the case when the relatively unknown GM Otto Boshnaut first won the 32nd
German Championship in 1885. 

Strategy

Although advanced strategy is usually beyond most novice players, Sir
Humphry Footscray has done beginning SR Chess players a wonderful service
by summarizing some helpful principles that serve as an excellent
introductory strategy for beginners: 
* Obtaining a material advantage prior to the enforcement of VH
Conditions
will increase the likelihood of successfully winning the game by a Forced
IMR. 
* Pieces exposed early in the game are vulnerable to attack due to the
risk of 'freezing', but they also increase the possibility of early
material gains when attacking patterns are used to take advantage of the
opponents similar vulnerabilities and freezing. (Experienced players
usually apply the Law of Reversed Colours to calculate whether the risk
factor is greater than the piece quotient.) 
* A light square imbalance must be avoided to enable the successful
launch
of a column attack, in preparation for a win by Forced IMR. 
* When the 'Rule of Sixes' is adopted (as is common in the modern era,
requiring players to play the first six moves without unmoding the black
squares), bishop moves on white should be avoided due to the risk of
semi-penetration. 
* Long diagonals increase the point value of pawns, and are very powerful
when combined with closed pair knight formations. 
It is widely agreed that the second of these principles is essential to
master for a good grip of the game. Note that while the Alphabetic Green
Order is a sequence typically used by professional players, it is not
recommended for novices. 

History

The name 'Stanley Random Chess' is commonly supposed to originate from
the name of a primate featuring prominently in contemporary software, but
this erroneous conclusion is the result of the mistaken belief that SR
Chess is a recent phenomenon and merely a variant of Simplified SR
(Common) Chess. The post-graduate research of Dr. Bill Goldman (doctoral
work supervised by the the late Dr. Simon Morgenstern) has uncovered
ground-breaking evidence that confirms the antiquity and primacy of SR
Chess, from which Simplified SR (Common) Chess later descended, although
the latter has enjoyed greater popularity, and therefore earned the
designation 'Common' Chess. The name 'Stanley' apparently originates
from Sir Thomas Stanley (d. 1459), a descendant of William the Conqueror
who excelled in SR Chess from an early age, and was also the name of the
pet monkey that accompanied William during his Norman Conquest. 

The name Stanley was first bestowed on the family by King William as an
honorary title in memory of his beloved pet. The first mention of the
game
is found in historical accounts of the Ferrers family in 1137. The
Stanley
family apparently learned the game when they assumed the Earl of Derby
title from the Ferrers in 1485. From this time, they actively promoted SR
Chess, hosting annual tournaments for the Stanley Cup. In 1892, the
Stanley Cup was sadly donated by the rebel Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley,
from which time it was used as a trophy for amateur hockey in Canada.
Frederick T. Stanley, who in 1843 founded The Stanley Works, at that time
a bolt and door hardware manufacturing company located in New Britain,
was
responsible for popularizing SR Chess in America. Directors of his
company
(now renowned for making fine hand tools and industrial tools) are still
known to play SR Chess in board meetings today. It is entirely
coincidental that Stanley is also the first name of one of the actors
that
made up the legendary Laurel and Hardy, although it is conceiveable that
his parents named him in honor of SR Chess. 

Popularity

In recent years SR Chess has not enjoyed the recognition it deserves, for
several reasons. Firstly, the complex regulations governing the move
patterns and sequences have been a well-kept secret limited to the circle
of active players, and have largely been communicated by oral tradition.
Secondly, SR Chess literature is highly specialized, and not easily
available to the general public. Thirdly, the game can seem perplexing to
novices, and the general ignorance about the well-established regulations
that define play has led to its strategy being incorrectly perceived by
the uninformed as 'random'. Fourthly, the Simplified SR (Common) Chess
community has long resisted the notion that SR Chess is a predecessor
that
predates the more common and corrupted form of the game. Fifthly, SR
Chess
enjoyed its hey-day in private clubs and societies (like the Masons) that
did not encourage public disclosure and advertising of their recreational
activities. Sixthly, the members of the High Board of the ISRCA have
stubbornly maintained traditions which discouraged the active promotion
of
the game. 

Thankfully, recent times have seen a softening of attitudes among the
High
Board, and there is every reason to expect the continued growth and
popularity of SR Chess. It has a growing presence on the internet, and
over 950 local clubs are registered with the ISRCA, primarily in Asian
countries, and parts of Eastern Europe. Both the Asian, American, African
and European quadrants of the ISRCA host annual week-long conventions in
conjunction with their SR Chess Quadrant Championship Knock-Out, with the
winners travelling to Poland for a round robin competition for the title
of SR Chess World Champion. Poland also hosts the International SC Chess
Olympiad every four years. The International SR Chess Monthly continues
to
provide a forum for the analysis of games by grandmasters, and several
other periods devoted to SR Chess are published by local clubs,
particularly in Asia and Eastern Europe. 

Hall of Fame

One of the greatest SR Chess players in history is GM Lord Edward
Humberton-Snapf (1874-1916), whose wife Ivy Rose was a descendent of the
original Stanleys. Humberton-Snapf is regarded as one of the greatest
players of the Victorian era, and his writings on SR Chess are still
highly respected. He was preceded by GM Antonio Pancris of Baden-Baden,
who first entered the global spotlight with a superb performance in the
1822 European Championship, in which he defeated an Albanian GM with a
local offside trap using the penny formation with both his knights.
Lesser
known is Russian GM Victor Seignovich (1909-1931), winner of the national
Russian Championship in 1929. Seignovich was renowned for his blindfolded
simultaneous exhibitions, and was probably the most brilliant player that
the SR Chess world has ever seen, but sadly succumbed to a mental illness
while at the peak of his career. Asian players dominated the game in
middle of the twentieth century. GM Gregory Topov has been the world
number #1 ranked player since the early 1980s, but his recent retirement
has seen the emergence of some excellent young British players since the
turn of the 21st century. 

Etiquette

Ever since the Stanley family promoted the game among the English upper
class, SR Chess has traditionally been a gentleman's game. Play is open
to people of every race, religion, culture and gender, provided they
agree
to maintain the International Code of Conduct that must be strictly
observed. SR Chess tournaments are generally characterized by the utmost
spirit of courtesy, decorum, and respect. At the discretion of the senior
adjudicator, anything deemed contrary to the spirit of decency and
politeness results in immediate player expulsion, or the forfeit of VH
conditions for all subsequent tournament games. Gambling on the outcome
of
games is strictly forbidden. In some local clubs, the International Code
of
Conduct has been amended to include local requirements for prescribed
dress
standards and acceptable language. In some countries, players are
required
to dress in colours that reflect their current international ranking and
a
coloured belt that corresponds to their present pattern sequence status. 

Literature

Regrettably, reliable SR Chess literature is not readily available, and
the ISRCA has traditionally frowned on mass publications. Most books
published on the subject had a very limited print run, and were
distributed only in SR Chess circles, leading to a very high demand for
many titles. The best introductory work is by Ronald Herbert &
Christopher
Morley, 'Stanley Random Chess Revisited: A Singular Course in Elementary
and Standard Play, with Critical Observations and Annotations', first
published in 1889. This excellent work was recently reprinted in America,
and is available directly from Gavin Brend, president of the New York SR
Chess Club. For the advanced player, the fifth edition of Kenneth
Abrams'
'The Modern Expert's Companion to Stanley Random Chess' (Tokyo, 1979)
is
essential, although Nikolai Dementiev's 'Stanley Random Chess:
Exercises
for Experts Illustrated by Grandmasters' also deserves mention, but is
available in only in Russian and inaccessible to most players. Although
it
has been out of print for some time (despite going into sixteen
editions),
'The Life and Games of Antonio Pancris: An Annotated Exhibition in
Playing SR Chess with Force and Farce' by Pancris himself is still
widely
regarded as the best collection of annotated games. Since most literature
on SR Chess is so specialized, new players are best advised to visit a
local club and try to obtain published materials directly from the ISRCA.


Software

To my knowledge there is no computer program that can play SR Chess
competently, even at the novice level. While the limited number of moves
in Simplified SR (Common) Chess has enabled the rapid advancement of
highly developed chess-playing software, the same cannot be said for SR
Chess. Although SR chess has less legal moves, the countless rules
governing multi-level sequences, patterns and variations give much more
room for creative thinking and imaginative play, and result in a
virtually
infinite flexibility that is beyond the scope of current computer
technology. Software developers have experienced a similar problem with
the classic strategy game of Go, although much effort has resulted in Go
software that can play competently at the average level. But the
difficulties in creating satisfactory SR Chess software are presently
insurmountable, because merely determining whether a move is legal can
require the consideration of previous sequences and move patterns (up to
eight moves), potential board patterns, and comparing them with the Legal
SR Chess Code adopted in Venice 1893. Discovering the best move is more
elusive yet, and although good moves can be produced by human intuition
and imagination, they are outside the scope of pure calculation.
Furthermore, given the huge body of tradition and regulations for local
variations, computer software that is not interfaced directly with the
ISRCA database will always prove inadequate. As part of the 'IBM Stanley
Software Solution Quest', IBM is offering a US$35,000 reward for the
first software program that can post a winning score in a four game
series
against a current grandmaster. But computer technology is not expected to
advance rapidly enough in the next two decades to make SR Chess software
a
realistic possibility. Although it is regrettable that no satisfactory
software for SR Chess exists, it underlines the uniqueness and beauty of
SR Chess. SR Chess will remain a game of creativity and imagination that
is played exclusively by humans. 

Playing Online

As the result of innovative technology, SR Chess has witnessed an
exciting
development following its appearance on the excellent chess server at
www.schemingmind.com. This development was possible only because the
I.S.R.C.A. came to a contractual agreement with the webmaster that made
provisions for a XML SRC rule parser to control the games. Without this
facility, an array of several hundred servers would be required to host
games on the site. The schemingmind.com server is also equipped with an
automated database filter which can identify the patterns in which a
Forced IMR is allowed once VH conditions come into effect following move
30. The server is also interfaced directly to the database at the ISRCA
to
ensure that only legal moves are entered. The processing time required
for
this calculation can take significant time, and this is one of the
reasons
SR Chess is played on an email chess server, since real time SR Chess is
not possible with present computer technology. 

As an added feature, a special algorithm works with the ISRCA host
database to automatically replace any illegal moves with the nearest
equivalent legal move. This innovative technology is known as the
'Stanley Transposed Automated Replacement' or STAR move. It is the
equivalent to the adjustment that adjudicators can make in official
tournament play when an illegal move is played. Such adjustments or STAR
moves are traditionally annotated with the * symbol, and are also
sometime
described as 'Stanley' moves. Novice players of SR Chess thus should be
prepared to see unexpected transpositions made to their moves after
submission. While this apparent randomness may be initially perplexing to
the beginner, this is an excellent way to make SR Chess accessible to
novices, and enable them to learn the game. Without requiring a complete
grasp on SR Chess rules, novices can begin assimilating some beginning
strategy, and develop some sense of the game. Several expert SR Chess
players frequent the chess server on a regular basis, and are usually
more
than willing to explain why attempted moves were illegal, and offer
helpful
analysis on play. As a result of this exciting development, the ISRCA is
optimistic that SR Chess is poised to gain further recognition and
increased popularity. 

Learning the Game

Since Simplified SR (Common) Chess is in fact a simplified version of SR
Chess, it can be a springboard for progressing to the more advanced game,
and being familiar with its rudiments will certainly enable most players
to make a successful transition to SR Chess, as long as they realize that
clinging to traditional strategy will not be successful. Although a great
deal of good SR Chess relies on intuition and imagination, it is possible
to learn some strategic principles by reading. Unfortunately most good
literature is not readily available, and is usually inaccessible to those
who have not yet attained the master level. The complexities of SR Chess
are best learned in one of two ways: 

1. Playing the game

The advance of innovative computer technology has enabled SR Chess to
become accessible for complete beginners to play on an internet chess
server. Since newcomers to SR Chess cannot possibly be expected to be
familiar with all the rules, whenever a player attempts an illegal move,
the chess server schemingmind.com automatically replaces illegal moves
with the closest legal move. This is known as a 'Stanley Transposed
Automated Replacement' (or a STAR move), and is made possible by
interfacing with the ISRCA database and using its automated correction
algorithm. The STAR move technology enables games of SR Chess to be
played
between complete novices who are already familiar with the rules of
Simplified SR (Common) Chess. Since the number of legal moves in SR Chess
is statistically about half that of Simplified SR (Common) Chess, novices
should expect about 50% of STAR moves while trying to master the basics
the game.

2. Observing expert players

One of the best ways to learn the rules of SR Chess is to study annotated
games, or to watch a regular advanced game played by experienced players
and asking them to explain their moves. Regrettably, there is an ancient
tradition that discouraged advanced players from disclosing the nuances
behind expert play, but in modern times it is generally acknowledged that
this tradition needs to be abandoned in the interests of promoting the
game. But novices should be prepared to encounter expert players who will
be reluctant to explain their strategy, or whose complex answers are
comprehensible only to fellow-experts.

Recently the software developer UbiSoft released a version of their
popular Chessmaster software that included a Stanley Random personality.
However, due to an apparent bug in the software and the limitations of
current computer technology, the traditional SR Chess rules are not
enforced for the human player when playing Stanley, making it possible to
defeat Stanley quite rapidly by ignoring the SR Chess conventions and
playing Simplified SR (Common) Chess. This is effectively a form of
cheating, by allowing moves that are illegal in SR Chess. Grandmasters
who
have the knowledge and the self-discipline to restrict themselves to
moves
that are legal in SR Chess have found that the computer AI can barely
play
at a novice-level rating anyway. Playing against the Stanley personality
on
Chessmaster is not thus not recommended to introduce novices to SR Chess,
because it promotes the development of strategies that will prove
ineffective against humans, and new players will only be frustrated to
find their moves being declared illegal and replaced with STAR moves when
playing against fellow human players at schemingmind.com. Playing online,
and the observation and study of expert level games remain the best
methods to learn SR Chess.

Annotated Games

Studies have proven that the close study of expert level games is one of
the best ways to develop sound SR Chess strategy. Although annotations
from advanced players are usually available only to master level players,
but with the loosening of the restrictions governing the publication of
annotated games, a rare annotated exhibition game is currently in
progress
at SchemingMind.com: 
http://www.schemingmind.com/game.aspx?game_id=5786

SR Chess GM Gregory Topov 

Gregory Topov is one of the most famous Grandmasters in Stanley Random
Chess in the modern era. A life-long devotee of the sport, he dominated
the game for the last two decades of the twentieth century. Topov has won
a total of 13 world championships, including an unprecedented eight
consecutive victories from 1982-1989. After narrowly missing out on a
closely-contested title early in 2004, he has retired from active
competition, but continues to make an important contribution to the world
of Stanley Random Chess by his writings, sharing insightful analysis and
observations. GM Topov was recently inducted as lifelong member of the
I.F.S.R.C. (International Fraternity for Stanley Random Chess) Hall of
Fame. Believing that Stanley Random Chess is much misunderstood and
underappreciated, he is actively committed to promoting greater awareness
about Stanley Random Chess. This article first appeared in Stanley Random
Chess Monthly in June 2004, as part of a series of articles geared
towards
explaining the sport for newcomers. We are proud to reproduce it here
online, with permission from the publishers. 

Source: http://www.geocities.com/verdrahciretop/src.html

Hmmmm... I'm not sure what to make of any of this, but my first reaction
is to dis-believe every word of it.  You claim it's older than the modern
(corrupted) form of 'common' chess, as you call it.  Funny how
Pritchard's Encyclopedia of Chess Variants (the CV bible) doesn't even
mention it.  Even if the rules are super-secret, as you claim, surely the
existance of such a game would be known to Pritchard.  But, rather, you
claim that orthodox Chess is actually decended from some super-secret game
pioneered by the English monarchy, when it's pretty clear that Chess
derived from Chaturanga from India.  You say that one of the reasons why
Stanley Random Chess has not gained any recognition is because (and I
quote):

the Simplified SR (Common) Chess community has long resisted the notion
that SR Chess is a predecessor that predates the more common and corrupted
form of the game.

Yup.  No disagreement there; I dispute the notion.

Very very funny series of articles.  I found its length to be humorous in
itself.  Its convolutions made me laugh.

What would be even more fun would be to add to these with even more
intricately related subjects and materials, such as puzzle positions.  New
stuff can be discovered any time since the game has basically been kept a
secret.  Of course, it should all be presented to the original author for
approval.

Thus elevating this idea of Stanley Random Chess, making it a form of
initiation for the new Chess Variant player. ;-)

Whether or not any of the historical stuff is real or not, it seems that
this is not intended to be a joke.  I recieved an e-mail from SR Chess GM
Gregory Topov, saying I should seriously consider the historical
authenticity of SR Chess, and directing me to the same links Peter Aronsen
described as 'a humorous series of articles.'  It may or may not be
funny, but it seems it's not intended to be.