Recognized Chess Variant: Flip Chess
In 1997/1998, the first chess variant design contest was held on the Chess Variant Pages website: design a chess variant on a board with 38 squares. My personal favorite in this contest was not the winning game, but the game that obtained the second place: Flip Chess, by John William Brown. I played a game by email, and several games with my children on improvised board and pieces, made from paper. The game is still among the most favorite of the chess variants I know.This game has nice tactical possibilities. While the board is small, the flipping of pieces gives sufficiently many possibilities for play. While the author regards the variant Flip Shogi (where taken pieces become reinforcements for the player that took them) as an improvement, I think that the basic game is nicer. It is a good variant to play with children, too.
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Flip Chess and Flip Shogi
WWW page made by Hans Bodlaender.
WWW page created: March 6, 2000.