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Comments by CharlesGilman
Redistribution 3d Chess. Relatively small 3d variant with short-range pieces including Pasha family. (4x(4x6), Cells: 96) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Regarding images for piecs, on the whole I think that the component-based images as currently shown on their starting spaces work best. For example, stick with the elephant marked witha crescent for Elephant+Eunuch and no need for the antlered Pawn image. Short-range as the pieces are, none of them are really Pawn-like. A Rocky & Bullwinkle theme to the images doesn't grab me, as my comment on the Squirrel piece demonstrates my lack of familiarity with that series. If you tell me which six pieces you're struggling with I'll have a look and see if any image strikes me as especially suiting it.
Cylindrical Chess. Sides of the board are supposed to be connected. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Yes, a Cannon in Cylindrical XQ can indeed capture a piece by hopping the same piece first and wrapping round, as long as there is no third piece on the rank. Likewise a Cannon in Billiards XQ can capture a piece by hopping the same piece and bouncing off the edge of the board. Another feature of Cylindrical XQ is the unbinding of Elephants.
Hero and Superhero Chess. The King's Pawn is replaced by a Hero (moves like any other piece on your side on the board) or a Superhero (improved Hero). (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Would the piece moving as any enemy piece be called an Antihero? On a more serious point, would 'forward' in the case on imitating an enemy Pawn be rotated for its own army?
Cylindrical Chess. Sides of the board are supposed to be connected. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Ah, now there I would disagree. As far as I am aware, a variant combining Cylindrical or Billiards properties with self-capture doesn't allow an actual piece to capture itself as once it moves it is no longer wbere it started and so cannot be captured there. Likewise the Cannon is no longer where it started and so cannot be hopped there.
Ladies and Generals. Missing description (6x(6x9), Cells: 324) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Sorry about the confusion. I've actually posted the variant to which the test text applied (4 Faces), so I've removed it from here now. Now that you've just got the introduction, does that make it clear?
Redistribution 3d Chess. Relatively small 3d variant with short-range pieces including Pasha family. (4x(4x6), Cells: 96) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]To Joe Joyce: it looks to me as if the pieces are shown as follows: ba/bd - Wazbaba Prince Fazbaba bb/bc Pasha Fearful Alibaba Waffle ca/cd - Dybbuk Wazbaba Vicbaba cb/cc Khan Duke Vinnock Wazzock da/dd - Baron Fearful Wilful db/dc Imam Elk Vinnock Fezzock Is this correct? If so, these images work for me. To George Duke: I judge by who takes up my variants for implementation. It looks like Redistribution 3d Chess is a success by that measure.
Recently I have been considering a second renaming for Gnu compounds. This arose from my decision to relate forward-only versions of the Antelope/Ultimatum/Zoetrope/Gyroscope to those of the Knight/Ninja/Zebra/Giraffe of which they were oblique squares. Most of my suggestions relating to this discovery I have now implemented, but I was unhappy with my suggestions for names starting with Ac- (by analogy to Ace and Acme) to replace names starting with H- (from Helm+Hump=Handyman) for Gnu compounds. There are two reasons for the wish to change. Firstly H would no klonger extrapolate to compounds of the Anu, whose FO version now also uses H (Haste+Hardness=Headman), or of the Uluru, whose FO version now uses the same D (Daste+Dardness=Deadman) as that of the Nintu (Disguise+Dump=Dandyman). Secondly there was no possible extension to compounds of pairs of semi-duals - what one letter would you associate with Cloak+Oration=Conman or Foil+Hctolb=Fisherman? The weakest idea was Unicorn+Gnu=Acuity, as I didn't feel that the name of a quality fitted the rest of them - a stronghold for the Rook compound to reflect the Rook's usual representation, and persons of appropriate sex for the rest. An actor plays many parts, and surnames such as Bishop (and King and Prince and Duke) originate from actors playing such men. An accoster may well try to sell you food in keeping with other Dicorn compounds such as Caterer and Carouser. Well after looking at Unicorn compounds with simple oblique pieces were of little help I looked at Unicorn compounds weit short-range radial pieces - Besieger, Heretic, Usurper. These are kinds of direct activist, and Activist itself begins with the right letters. So how about Rook+Gnu=Acropolis, Bishop+Gnu=Actor, Queen+Gnu=Actress, Unicorn+Gnu=Activist, Dicorn+Gnu=Accoster?
Redistribution 3d Chess. Relatively small 3d variant with short-range pieces including Pasha family. (4x(4x6), Cells: 96) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]On the plus side the cells are now arranged the way that I anticipated, and the White pieces are correct. As I wrote it, however, all Black pieces should match the White one on the same rank, not just the Alibabas and Princes. A rotationally symmetric version might be interesting as well, but the Black pieces aren't set up for that either. There are four possible symmetries, which I could outline when I've had time offline to write them all up. Finally, the off-board list of possible pieces should include non-array as well as array pieces.
Here are the four symmetries. Note that kv and KV are the Emperors. 1: The way I wrote the rules page was with mirror symmetry: fv de wv ae | da ve kv wf | wf wd fa da | ae wv de fv -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- FV DE WV AE | DA VE KV WF | WF WD FA DA | AE WV DE FV 2: Here is vertical-axis rotational symmetry: ae wv de fv | wf kv ve da | da fa wd wf | fv de wv ae -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- FV DE WV AE | DA VE KV WF | WF WD FA DA | AE WV DE FV 3: Here is horizontal-axis rotational symmetry: ae wv de fv | wf wd fa da | da ve kv wf | fv de wv ae -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- FV DE WV AE | DA VE KV WF | WF WD FA DA | AE WV DE FV 4: Here is rotated mirror symmetry: fv de wv ae | da fa wd wf | wf kv ve da | ae wv de fv -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- FV DE WV AE | DA VE KV WF | WF WD FA DA | AE WV DE FV
Honeycomb Chess. This variant uses a board of hex-prism cells and two sets of FIDE pieces. (Cells: 120) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Are the gaps between files showing up properly? Each gap represents a change of level, so there's a 1-file level, then 2-file, et cetera. Each file is above the border between two files on the next level. Thus each of the 8 ranks is effectively a 15-cell hex board. Anyone posting my update to this?
Redistribution 3d Chess. Relatively small 3d variant with short-range pieces including Pasha family. (4x(4x6), Cells: 96) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]The array looks correct now. The place I was talking about non-array pieces being missing was beneath 'Available Pieces - This table shows you what pieces belong to the piece set you are using.' I wasn't suggesting showing them on any kind of artificial extension to the board - although during play they would of course appear on the board itself through fusion and fisson. I hope that this clarifies things further.
Since stating that no cubic piece has a SOLL of either 7 or its multiple by 9, 63, I have noticed something further: no cubic piece has a SOLL one short of a multiple of 8 full stop. Geometries with a hex component have a monopoly over the Sennight and Foal (7), Mountie (15), Germinator and Hybridiser (23), Newlywed and Vampire (31, perhaps the oddest juxtaposition of same-SOLL piece names), Barnowl (39), Tesselator (47), Drudge (55), and Mede (79). As orthogonal leapers' SOLLs always divide by 8 with remainder 0, 1, or 4 it follows that square-cell leapers' SOLLs generally always divide by 8 whose remainder is a sum of two of those modulo 8: 0, 1, 2, 4, or 5 - and likewise cubic ones a sum of three of them modulo 8: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.
Jedi Chess. Maharajah and the Sepoys modified with a Star Wars theme. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I overlooked this variant when it was first posted, but now that I look at it in detail, I find it off that the Padawan (the lowest rank of Jedi if I remember rightly) is represented by something as strong as the Rook. It would make more sense to represent it as the piece weaker than the Knight, the Pawn - the letters of which even occur in Padawan in the correct order! Does anyone know if the etymology (real-life rather than storyline) of Padawan is connected with Pawn? There have certainly been stranger derivations of Star Wars names than that!
' Roid Rage Chess. Missing description (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Any explanation of the name? Presumably it's a pun on 'road rage', but what is ''roid' short for? Regarding Daniil Frolov's comments, a double step without En Passant is actually the past of Chess - En Passant was introduced to counteract the strength of a Pawn bypassing capture.
Xiang-qi moving palace and river. Missing description (9x10, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'General may not share rank or file with other general.' But that's how they start off! I think you mean without an intervening piece.
Mitred Framing 3: 6x6 to 8x8. Adding a rim of forward-only pieces around a 6x6 board. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I notice that, like Ko Shogi, Okisaki Shogi is not on this site. Do you have a link to a page elsewhere? As the last comment referring to Ko Shogi was some time ago it could be worth repeating the link to that. Have you thought of posting link pages? These are used where someone knows of a variant explained on a page of another site, and does not want to duplicate the text on this aite. Here is an example.
At first sight the transliteration Choma appeared to mean 'Boar Horse', but the Cho character on the wiki page seems to be a different one from that used in Honcho (free boar - a Goldfilerider in my terminology). So does anyone know the translation?
This is now complete and I am looking at reusing the H- names for a brand new family of compounds.
Shogchess. Missing description (9x11, Cells: 99) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]The Knight is stronger than the Camel because the Knight can reach the entire board and the Camel only squares of one colour. Think 'Camel is to Knight as Bishop is to Rook'. Nor is the Camel's colourbound nature balanced, as the Bishop's is relative to the Knight, by the Knight's colourswitching nature (always moves to a square of the other colour), as the Camel is rankswitching (always moves from an odd to and even rank or vice versa). The Silver is also rankswitching, making it weaker than the Gold as the latter can triangulate (return to its square in three moves).
King's Reincarnation. Captured Kings return to the board, but at a price. 2 versions of play. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I agree with idea of playing with En Passant capture. By the way, a quick search reveals no mention in the pages or existing comments to promotion. Presumably once a Pawn has been promoted the King can replace the promotee, but it would be best to make that explicit.
I'm now looking at renaming the Knight/Camel plus Antelope/Namel compounds (clarification - though not the Gnu, which is fixed, or the Anu, with which I am happy) with a view to extrapolating to other compounds involving an integer leaper, its root leaper, and their duals. It's one way of losing Stampede, at any rate, although I'll be disappointed to drop Goum so soon.
Isle of Lewis Chess Men. Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Here's a heads-up for those living in Britain or otherswise able to access B.B.C. Radio 4. Sorry for the short notice but it was announced only last night. On Monday 28th June at 9:45, and repeated at 19:45, the Lewis Chessmen are the 'object' in that day's edition of A History of the World in 100 Objects. More detail here.
My latest thoughts on the pattern is to transfer the current names from Antelope compounds to Epoletna ones. The names that I am now looking at are: Knight+Antelope=HOVERCRAFT - a fast marine vessel starting with H. Camel+Antelope=HAJJ - the pilgrimage not the pilgrim, to give a distinct ending. Helm+Haste=HOTSPUR - the idea of a horseman in armour spurring his horse on. Hump+Haste=HARDSHIP - a property of many a pilgrimage. Knight+Namel=COHAJJ, Camel+Namel=COHOVERCRAFT, Helm+Hardness=COHARDSHIP, Hump+Hardness=COHOTSPUR - derived names. Knight+Epoletna=SLEIPNIR, Camel+Epoletna=GOUM, Helm+Etsah=STAMPEDE, Hump+Etsah=WAVE - reused names, specific to 3d boards. Knight+Pentagram=COGOUM, Camel+Pentagram=COSLEIPNIR, Helm+Shilling=COWAVE, Hump+Shilling=COSTAMPEDE - derived names, specific to hex 3d boards. For compounds of 3 or more oblique leapers I never established either distinct endings or forward-only names, so for Knight+Camel+Antelope+Namel (alias Gnu+Anu, Hovercraft+Cohovercraft, Hajj+Cohajj) I go one up (literally up!) from Hovercraft with HELICOPTER.
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