What was new from June - August 1999?

• Week of August 29 - September 4, 1999:
  • Pictures of Eight-Stone chess array.
  • NARF! (Link) A Windows application that allows you to define and play your own board games. Shareware by Gabriel Mendosa.
  • Letterbox of August 1999: August 1999: Fischer Random Chess; Origins of Chess; Concerning bughouse or tandem.
• Week of August 22 - August 28, 1999:
  • Participate in the Kriegspiel Problem competition! Solve one or more Kriegspiel problems, win a prize, and join us celebrating the 100th anniversary of this Chess Variant. Kriegspiel is a chess variant where players do not see their opponents pieces but hear announcements of a referee, invented in 1899. Competition jointly organized with The Chess Composition Microweb.
  • Files for Zillions of Games. With these files and the ZoG-program, you can play the following games:
    • Alice (and variants.) Classic game on two boards where a piece switches boards after having moved. Game of V. R. Parton. ZRF-file by Pierre Tourigny.
    • N-Relay Chess (or Knight Relay Chess). Sometimes pieces can also move as knight. ZRF-file by Pierre Tourigny.
  • 4 Players Chess. Commercial chess variant for four players. (Link.)
  • Home page of Chess to the Third Power. Three dimensional chess variant. (Link.)
  • Vlasov's Atomic-Chess Homepage. (Link.)
  • Narrow Chess. Variant on 2 by 20 board. By Peter Aronson.
  • Toto40. Staircase board with fighting line in the middle, inspired by Totolospi game of Hopi Indians. By Peter Aronson.
  • Smegi. Arrows on squares show where pieces can go - crossover between Smess® and Shogi. By Fergus Duniho. Submission to the contest to design a chess variant on 40 squares. Also with Zrf-file to play this game with the Zillions of Games program.
  • Black Holes. On 5 by 8 board with holes as pieces which also can be used for transport. By Juraj Lorinc. Submission to the contest to design a chess variant on 40 squares.
  • Small Chess Several small chess variants programs by Jari Huikari, including Diana, Los Alamos Chess and Half Chess. (Link).
  • Net Blitz. Program for Windows 95/98/NT what can play Bughouse chess variant using Internet connection. By Sebastien Lachance. (Link.)
  • Chess Variant Applets. A large collection of applets, playing different chess variants. By Ed Friedlander. (Link.)
  • Haynie's Oblong Chess 128. Variant on double size chess board. By Billy Haynie.
• Week of August 15 - August 21, 1999:
  • Welcome to the new editors Ben Good and Bryan Lambert. Ben is editor for the Piececlopedia.
  • Amphora. Chess variant inspired by game of Stone Warriors on wine bottle shaped board with 40 squares. By Peter Aronson. Submission to the contest to design a chess variant on 40 squares.
  • Skock. 64 pieces on an 8 x 8 board. Dice determine how far pieces can be moved. By Ulf Göransson.
  • Follow the King! Pieces must make the same move as their King. Invented by Ed Pegg Jr.
  • Scans from a book on Raumschach. Two scanned pictures from a book of dr. Maack on Raumschach, a 3d chess variant, beginning 20th century.
  • Bishops tournament. News item.
  • Stealth Chess A cross between Stratego and Chess. Article written by Mark Thompson. Game sold by Dice Corporation.
  • Hexmate A two-player variant on a hex board made up of 127, 3-color hexagons. By Michael A. Rouse.
  • Byelorussian Cheskers. Crossover between chess and Russian draughts. Game of N. N. Grushevsky and P. A. Shkludov. Description of Hans Bodlaender. (Corrected setup.)
  • Arktur. Two kings and other normal pieces with random setup on 8 by 8 board. By Peter Riesen. (Link.)
  • Megachess. Played on 6 boards arranged in a 2 by 3 grid. Line up the boards with the same orientation for their coordinates and so that the squares all mesh together into one giant board of 384 squares. By Fred Lange.
  • Files for Zillions of games: (With these files and the Zillions-of-games program, you can play these games):
    • Ninnychess. A Zillions of Games implementation of Ninny Chess (a clone of Smess). Zillions implementation written by Fergus Duniho.
    • Mobile Pawn Chess (.zrf) This game is the same as orthodox chess, except pawns may move backwards or to the side. ZRF file implementation by Tony Quintanilla.
• Week of August 8 - August 14, 1999:
  • David Howe is now also Editor in Chief of this website.
  • New feature: the Letterbox: selected emails from readers.
    Letterbox of July 1999: July 1999: Cambodian chess; Korean Chess variant; Rithmomachia.
  • Haynie's Test Games. Four ideas for games with different pieces/setups. (Experimental chess variants.)
  • Oblique. Variant with board with 40 squares turned 45 degrees. By Tony Quintanilla. Submission to the contest to design a chess variant on 40 squares.
  • Philosophers Chess. Chess variant on two small boards with usual and `philosophical' pieces. By Darren Izzard. Submission to the contest to design a chess variant on 40 squares.
  • Poison Chess. Harpies can poison pieces which can be healed by doctors. On 8 by 8 board. By Bryan Lambert.
  • New files for Zillions- of-games. (With these files and the Zillions of Games program, you can play these games with the computer.)
    • Vyrémorn Chess. Large variant on two overlapping square boards. Game by Nathan McDonald. ZRF-file by Jens Markmann.
    • King's Court. Variant on 8 by 12 board with Chancellors and Jesters. By Sidney LeVasseur. ZRF-file by Jens Markmann.
    • Updated file: Typhoon. Large variant on 12 by 12 board by Adrian King.
  • 1999 ICC/World Progressive Chess Championship is underway. (News item.)
  • Sideways Hourglass chess. Small variant on 6 by 7 board with two squares punched out. By Bryan Lambert.
  • Courtyard. Variant on 5 by 8 board. By Bryan Lambert. Submission to the contest to design a chess variant on 40 squares.
  • Extended Half-chess. Variant on 4 by 10 board. By Bryan Lambert. Submission to the contest to design a chess variant on 40 squares.
  • Pachessi. Race and chess game on board formed by removing 3 by 3 square from center of 7 by 7 square. By Peter Aronson. Submission to the contest to design a chess variant on 40 squares.
  • Rollerball. Chess race fight on board formed by removing 3 by 3 square from center of 7 by 7 square. By Jean-Louis Cazaux. Submission to the contest to design a chess variant on 40 squares. Word-document in French. This is a pre-publication: a html-file in English is in preparation and will be published later. This game was about simultaneously submitted with Pachessi: it is interesting to see how these two games compare and differ! (HB)
  • Test Minichess. Chess on a 6x6 board. By Darren Izzard.
  • Dart Chess. Chess on a 6x6 board with a new piece: the Dart. By Darren Izzard.
  • In the Bin Chess. Chess on a 9x9 board. Players select pieces from a bin. By Darren Izzard.
  • Kick the King Chess. What happens if we remove check and stalemate rules and win by taking the king? Also: Can you create a position with a mutual stalemate? By Michael de Bondt.
  • Sample games of Double Chess. Send by David Short.
• Week of August 1 - August 7, 1999:
  • War of the Worlds. Chess army from planet Earth against the Martian forces of Jetan. By Jean-Louis Cazaux. Also with ZRF-file, to play this game if you have the Zillions-Of-Games program.
  • Holywar. Variant with 6 by 6 board with four additional corner squares. By Fergus Duniho. Submission to the contest to design a chess variant on 40 squares.
  • Do-or-die Chess. Chess on 5 by 8 board: three rows removed. By David Moeser.
  • ZRF-file for Ploy. Game of 1974 by Frank Thibault. Zrf- file by Jean-Louis Cazaux. With this file and the Zillions-of-games program you can play this game with your computer.
• Week of July 11 - July 17, 1999:
  • Do-or-die Chazz. Pawns that can move backward and kings only on 5 by 8 board. By David Moeser. Submission to the contest to design a chess variant on a board with 40 squares.
  • Exotic Chess Applet. Applet that allows to play many chess variants. (Link.)
• Week of July 4 - July 10, 1999, 2nd update:
  • A contest to design a chess variant on 40 squares. It starts now!
  • Haynie's Primary Chess. On 6 by 6 board without knights. By Billy Haynie.
  • Haynie's Game of Leapers. On 8 by 8 board with several pieces that can jump. By Billy Haynie.
• Week of July 4 - July 10, 1999:
  • Memories of Hexagonal Chess. David Anderson's story about Glinski and Hexagonal chess.
  • InterGrid Chess. Pieces on corners and on centers of squares of 8 by 8 board. By David Howe.
  • File for Zillions of Games. With the zillions program, you now can play the following chess variant:
    • InterGrid Chess. Pieces on corners and on centers of squares of 8 by 8 board. Game and zrf-file by David Howe.
• Week of June 27 - July 3, 1999, 2nd update:
  • The winners of the contest to design a chess variant on 39 squares are known. Congratulations to Seth McGuinness for the first place of Robber Baron, to Andy Kurnia for the second place of Thirty Nine Square Chess, and to Rob Nierse for the third place of Heaven.
  • Haynie's high power fairy chess 64. With orthodox chess set but different stronger movements for most pieces. By Billy Haynie.
  • Pawn-Only Chess. Training chess variant. Only pawns, first promotion wins.
  • Omega Chess Program. Freeware program playing Omega Chess. (In Java. Link.)
  • Start thinking about a chess variant on 40 squares. The next contest will start soon!
• Week of June 27 - July 3, 1999:
  • Roman Chess. Commercial chess variant on 10 by 10 board with new pieces moving like non-royal kings. (Link.)
  • Chesk. Crossover between commercial game Risk and chess. (Link.)
  • Anti Magnetic Chess Games. By Joao Neto.
  • Save Game: Omega Chess Sherzer- Polgar. Saved-game file for Zillions - with the Zillions-of-Games program you can easy play through the moves of the Omega chess game played by GM's Sherzer and Polgar.
  • Several variants played in the Shakki-77 chess club.
  • File for Zillions of Games. With the zillions program, you now can play the following chess variant:
    • Typhoon. Game and zrf=file by Adrian King.
  • Bishops. Commercial multi-player chess variant. Now also a non-competing entry in the large variant design contest.
• Week of June 20 - June 26, 1999, 2nd update:
  • International Omega Chess tournament in Budapest. (News item.)
  • Omega Chess game. Moves of an Omega Chess game between chess grandmasters Alex Sherzer and Judith Polgar.
  • J-Chess. Variant on 10 by 8 board with jesters.
• Week of June 20 - June 26, 1999:
  • Hexodus. Version III of freeware program playing Glinski's hexagonal chess. (Link.)
  • Gess applet. Applet that allows to play Gess against another person at the same screen. (Link.)
  • N3D-CH (3D-Chess playing program). Freeware program playing Raumschach (3d chess). (Link.)
• Week of June 13 - June 19, 1999:
  • Files for Zillions of Games. With the zillions program, you now can play the following chess variants:
    • Big outer chess. Game by Peter Blanchard. Zrf-file by David Howe.
    • Bomberman. Game by Bryan Lambert. Zrf-file by Jens Markman.
  • Piececlopedia: Taxonomy. Categorizing several types of chess pieces. By David Howe.
  • Byelorussion Chesskers. Crossover between chess and Russian draughts/checkers.
  • Little Cheops. Now with a file on this website.
  • Pièces féériques. Description of many fairy chess pieces. (In French. Link.)
• Week of June 6 - June 12, 1999:
  • Perfect 12. 36 pieces per player on 12 by 12 board. By Jean-Louis Cazaux.
  • Brett Rules. Different mobility of queens, rooks, and bishops and a different winning condition. Written by Juraj Pivovarov.
  • New piece for the Piececlopedia:
    • Mimics. Several pieces that can imitate the movement of other pieces.
  • Files for Zillions of Games. With the zillions program, you now can play the following chess variant:
    • Perfect 12. 36 pieces per player on 12 by 12 board. Game and zrf-file by Jean-Louis Cazaux.
  • The 3rd Mind Sports Olympiad. Announcement. (News item.)
  • Jupiter. Huge chess variant on 16 by 16 board. By Adrian King. (Link to secondary site.)
  • Little Cheops. By B. Gregory Johnson. (Link to other site.) Submission to the contest to design a chess variant.
  • Cheops. Large 3d chess variant inspired by Dune novels. By B. Gregory Johnson. (Link.)
  • Rettah. Different setup and powerfull king. Taking obligatory when in check.
  • Double Chess. On 16 by 8 board. By David Short.
  • Dutch Chess. Different objective and piece movements with orthodox chess set.
• Week of May 30 - June 5, 1999, 2nd update:
  • Rose chess. Hexagonal chess variant, with additional variants, from St Albans, UK.
  • The growth of Hexagonal Chess. Text from 1982, describing events from the history of Hexagonal Chess (Glinski's variant.)
  • IHCF. Leadership of the International Hexagonal Chess Federation.
  • Main events in Hexagonal Chess, 1983 - 1998.
  • Files for Zillions of Games. With the zillions program, you now can play the following chess variant:
    • Mammoth Chess.
  • Technical guidelines for the html-code of webpages on this site. By Hans Bodlaender.
  • Additional picture on the webpage of Grande Acedrex. Large historic chess variant.
  • More photo's on Chessapeak Challenge. Commercial four-player chess variant.
  • Added scanned picture of board of Lotus-39 to the webpage on this variant. Board made by game inventor David Moeser.
  • News release: New "Lotus" Chess Book Now available.
  • Wikingerschach. Some information on old commercial German chess variant.
  • Joker. New piece for the Piececlopedia. Moves like the last piece that was moved.
• Week of May 30 - June 5, 1999:
  • Hans Bodlaender's home email does not work currently. Sorry if you don't get a response to your mail...
  • How to play chess on the Internet.
  • VSCCP - Very Simple Chinese Chess Program. Freeware Xiangqi program. (Link.)
  • Brutalis. A program that helps to solve helpmates, with options for composing. Zip-file. By Jens Baek Nielsen.
  • New pieces for the Piececlopedia:
    • Bison. Makes (1-3)-jump or (2-3)-jump.
    • Gnus. Makes (1-2)-jump or (1-3)-jump.
    • Squirrel. Jumps two orthogonally, two vertically, or like a knight.
  • A Nightrider game, played by the chess (variant) program Dabbaba. By Jens Baek Nielsen.
  • Skill Chess. Pieces have skills like characters in a role playing game. Experimental idea. By Joao Pedro Neto.
  • Evo. Game with chess-variant elements. (Link.)
  • Tokar's Arcana. Chess-variant like game with different armies. Commercial game. (Link.)
  • Gunjin Shogi. Japanese game where the rank (unknown to the opponent) of pieces decides which piece can take what other piece. (Link.)
  • Additional information on the Wazir, a piece from the Piececlopedia.
  • Link to website describing a three player variant of Xiangqi, in Chinese. (Link.)
  • Assideum. Commercial variant. (Link.)

• Index to older `whatsnew' files.