What was new? April - June 2000

• Week of June 25 - July 1, 2000:
  • Thai Chess programs. Updated links to various Thai Chess freeware programs. Thanks to Steve Evans for the updates.
  • Trihex. Three-player hexagonal variant with extra pieces. By Marek 14.
  • marek14-pt2.zip (100k). Download the Zillions-of-Games implementation of Trihex, by Marek 14.
• Week of June 18 - June 24, 2000:
  • Bughouse Tournament!The European Bughouse Gathering 2000, Geneva, Switzerland, July 8-10.
  • Wau Chess. Chess with special movable board sections. By Ethan Hunt.
  • Rebellion chess. Besides normal moves, you can move a piece of the opponent. By Ralph Betza.
  • Anti-Prechess. The opponent must place your piece on the board. By Ralph Betza.
• Week of June 11 - June 17, 2000:
  • Quadlevel 3D Chess. 3d variant invented in 1970 by Robert Koernke Sr.
  • Corner Chess 10x10. Pieces arrayed in the corners on a 10x10 board. By Derek Nalls.
  • More Zillions of Games implementations. Fianchetto Chess, Fish Chess, Flying Chess, Free Placement, French Revolution (plus one variant), Gadsden's Toroidal Chess, Guschess, Halfchess, Hammer chess, Hans 38 Chess and Hans 40 Gift Chess. By Marek14.
• Week of June 4 - June 10, 2000:
  • Abstract Games Magazine. Magazine on abstract board games. Description and link.
  • Update to: Chess puzzle task: shortest game with only two kings in final diagram.
  • Chess books for Beginners Shop.
  • Marek14's collection of ZRFS has been increased. Several 'modest' variants, several other variants, and Fantasy Grand chess have been added. Yes, that's two FG Chess implementations within one week!
  • FORCHESS. This is a four-player, partner chess variant that uses a normal chess board! (Link.)
  • Corner Chess 8x8. Players start with 4 bishops, 6 rooks, 2 queens, and 1 king. By Derek Nalls.
  • Fantasy Grand Chess ZRF. Grand Chess rules with various fantasy armies. Implemented by Krister Kjellin.
• Week of May 28 - June 3, 2000:
  • Hexagonal Chess by I G Shafran. Zillions of Games rules file. See web page for description. Includes Chinese and Korean hexagonal variants. Implementation by Ivan A Derzhanski.
  • Advanced Chess Tournament 2000 in the city of León! Starts June 1! Anand, Polgar, Shirov and Illescas. Thanks to Francis Monkman for the link! (Link no longer functional.)
  • ShatraDev 2.2. A Windows program (95/98/NT) that plays Shatra. Program written by Francis Monkman. Updated rules.
  • Shatra ZRF-file. Version 1.6. By Francis Monkman.
  • Give & Take Chess. After setting up pieces, players must capture each turn. By J. Mark Thompson. Entry in the 32-Turn Challenge.
  • co_art. Uses a 7x7 grid to allow users to express themselves through colors. By Ulli Purwin.
• Week of May 21 - May 27, 2000:
  • Comparison of two Shogi variant programs. By Jeff Zeitlin.
  • Quex. Revised and updated.
  • New pieces for the Piececlopedia.
    • Equihopper. Jumps across a piece in any direction with the same distance before and after the hurdle. Cannot jump additional pieces on straight lines.
    • Non-stop Equihopper. Jumps across a piece in any direction with the same distance before and after the hurdle.
    • Leo. Moves on queen lines, but must jump once when taking.
  • Mage. Added to the growing list of "Modest" variants. By Oliver Xymoron.
  • Russian 3-Chess Chess variant for 3 players on board with triangle cells. By Dmitriy N. Ermolaev (Link.)
• Week of May 14 - May 20, 2000:
  • Hitchhiker's Guide to Chess. Several chess variants in the context of a Socratic dialog. By Claude Chaunier and João Pedro Neto.
  • Bughouse page by Georg v. Zimmermann. (Link.)
  • New piece for the Piececlopedia:
    • Lion (2). Moves on queen-lines but must jump exactly one piece. Appears in fairy chess problems.
  • The Retrograde Analysis Corner has been re-established!
  • Joao Neto's web page has been updated with more discussions regarding retrochess, and also some new variants. (Link.)
  • Zeitgeist. A simultaneous movement variant by John Cooper. (Link.)
  • Monochrome Chess. All pieces are the same color. By Andrew Looney. (Link.)
• Week of May 7 - May 13, 2000:
  • Chess variants article on the Mind Sports site.
  • Recognized chess variant this week:
    • Four-handed chess. Chess for four players on a cross-shaped board. Description, history, and links. Review.
  • Itsyourturn features three new chess variants: Anti-chess (Giveaway chess), Dark Chess, and Horde Chess (Dunsany's chess). (Link.)
  • Feint Chess. Every second piece is unable to capture - it just threatens. By Jens Niemann.
  • Modest Chess Variants. Several more modest variants have been added by Tony Paletta. The list now has more than 80 entries!
  • The Chess Variant Pages has joined the Palamede group.
  • Four handed chess. History, rules and variants of chess for four players on a cross-shaped board. Renewed description.
  • The April Letterbox is here.
• Week of April 30 - May 6, 2000:
  • Article about different ways to make cylinder chess board. Written by A. Iglitzky.
  • Knight Court. Mate the knight with three pieces per player on a three by three board. By Jason D. Wittman.
• Week of April 23 - April 29, 2000:
  • Rolling Kings. Kings must move along a predetermined path. By Peter Aronson. Entry in the 32-Turn Challenge.
  • Review of: Winning Chess Piece by Piece, by Ted Nottingham, Al Lawrence, and Bob Wade. Book for improving chess for children.
  • Progressive forwards chess. Progressive chess variant where pieces only move forwards. By Hans Bodlaender. Entry in the 32-Turn Challenge.
  • ZRF-file for Pachessi. Race and chess game on board formed by removing 3 by 3 square from center of 7 by 7 square. File to play this game with Zillions of Games. By Peter Aronson.
  • Double Eighteen-Stone Chess. Combines Eight-Stone Chess with Double Chess. By David Short.
• Week of April 16 - April 22, 2000:
  • French Revolution chess. Advanced pawns threaten the noble pieces. By Hans Bodlaender. Entry in the 32-Turn Challenge.
  • Variations on Chess and Checkers. Includes 25 variants of Chess and 102 variants of Checkers. (Link.)
  • War Chest. A customizable fantasy boardgame. (Link)
  • Endgame analysis for hexagonal chess, with 2 pieces and kings, by Dave McCooey.
• Week of April 9 - April 15, 2000:
  • Review of Jean-Louis Cazaux's Guide des échecs exotiques & insolites, by K.B.A. Bodlaender.
  • Wanted: Chess Variant Expert.
  • Ed's Chess Variant Applets. Ed Friedlander MD has created a huge list of chess variant applets that you can interact with online. (Link)
  • Ed's Omega Chess applet. Ed Friedlander's applet that plays Omega Chess. (Link)
  • Shortest game with only two kings in final position. Task to arrive as quickly as possible to a specific position.
  • More Modest variants. Variants using the orthodox chess equipment that can be described in a few words. Idea by Tony Paletta.
  • Recognized chess variant this week:
    • Mc Cooey's Hexagonal chess. Description. Review, by Tim O'Lena.
• Week of April 2 - April 8, 2000:
  • Graphic added to Ralph Betza's Chess For Any Number of Players. Graphic by Claude Chaunier.
  • Ladder Chess. Chess variant on a `skewed' board with 40 squares. By Sergey Sirotkin.
  • Attrition Chess. Played on an 11x10 board, each player starts with 33 pieces. By Nathan James. Entry in the 32-Turn Challenge.
  • Sudden Death Chess. A piece must be sacrificed after each non-capturing move. By Doug Chatham. Entry in the 32-Turn Challenge.
  • Twelve Mutation Chess. Variant that uses 12 mutators that may be activated or deactivated during the game. By David Howe.
  • Relativistic chess. Squares attacked by the opponent are considered not to exist. Game of Kevin Whyte and Lee Corbin, from a book of Cliff Pickover.
  • Files for Zillions of Games:
    • Black Hole Chess. Variant on board with 100 squares with hole in middle of board, combination pieces and hiding squares for kings. ZRF-file by Fergus Duniho.
    • The Knightliest Black Hole. Knighted pieces on a constantly diminishing board. By Joao Pedro Neto.
  • Modest variants Variants using the orthodox chess equipment that can be described in a few words. Idea by Tony Paletta.
  • Recognized chess variant this week:
    • Omega Chess. Commercial chess variant on board with 104 squares and two new pieces.

• Index to older `whatsnew' files.