Comments by ChessShogi

This page would benefit from some piece images and setup/move diagrams. Otherwise, it looks pretty decent.

I have a question about the limit on the number of Tsarevna. How will you know when the limit is reached? It seems to me that there is no clear way to tell, based on what information would be available as you play the game over-the-board. Also, is this limit to three Frog promotions per game applied to each player separately, or is it shared between both players?

Also, do all the rules of standard Chess apply except where contradicted?

Otherwise, the page looks good, save for a few errors in your English (probably owing to you speaking Russion).

I think this is a good start, but I think there are ways to make it better.

• Having one Dragon King and Dragon Horse instead of two
• Adding a pair of Kirins in place of the second Dragon King and Dragon Horse
• Giving the Dragon a different, but still powerful, move, such as Bishop+Nightrider (BN0) (The current one can easily force mate by itself, which is usually too powerful for a chess game)

Otherwise, I think this page is good enough to be approved.

That explains a lot...

I assume the orthodox pieces move as in standard Chess? If so, it would be beneficial to say that in the Pieces section.

I assume the orthodox pieces move as in standard Chess? If so, it would be beneficial to say that in the Pieces section.

I assume the orthodox pieces move as in standard Chess? If so, it would be beneficial to say that in the Pieces section. Same with Champagne Chess and Parity Chess.

I assume the orthodox pieces move as in standard Chess? If so, it would be beneficial to say that in the Pieces section. Same with SOHO Chess, Champagne Chess and Parity Chess.

I'm not sure how a change to the Pawn move will make the game less drawish. Regardless, the page is good enough to be approved.

I have tried the game online, and it is really fun, especially on the normal version.

I don't think you need the word retainer in the sentence "Try to complete the King’s tour with the fewest retainer casualties as possible!".

Also, you should clarify that Pawns move upward, not downward, and that they can swap directly forward as well as diagonally forward.

Otherwise, this looks good enough to be approved.

It is not super clear which pieces promote to what in this pages current form. I'd recommend making the promoted pieces have a + in front of their unpromoted form's name, as in Shogi, as follows:

• NightRider -> +H
• Rook -> +L
• Dragon Horse -> +U
• Flying Stag - > +G

Otherwise, this page looks good enough to be approved.

The Pawns and Soldiers in the Diagram promote to King. Did you mean to have them promote to Begum instead?

Otherwise, this page looks good enough to be approved.

I'm not sure why some of the sentences are broken up into fragments. This is unneccessary.

It is unclear what the rules for the number of pieces are, both when a Black Swan turns into another Black Swan and in terms of Pawn promotion (What types are brought out, rules for deciding number of pieces, etc.). Also, does the term "nearby empty square(s)" mean anything? If not, it can be omitted and/or replaced with "square(s) on own half of board" each time it appears.

If a Black Swan moves and turns into another Black Swan and ends up on a starting square of another Black Swan, is it still unable to be captured?

This is actually supposed to be playable with a basic set, so the Kirin addition wouldn't work.

Just flip one of the Rooks to represent the Dragon King or Dragon Horse. Ultima does the same thing.

The BNN/BN0 move comes from one of my older games, Ryugi.

Hidden Items have started showing up on the What's New page, which shouldn't be happening. I assume these still need to be converted to the new format in the database.

Usually, the Pieces section is where the pieces are listed, but I suppose the Rules section works too.

This is updated with some of my latest icon additions, so unless I've missed something, all that's left is to figure out how to make promoted pieces demote upon being captured (if that's even necessary). Then I can move the Diagram into the main article, and it'll be ready to go.

Setting holdingsType=-1 in the Diagram definition takes care of these types of demotions automatically.

Also, you say promotion is mandatory upon reaching the last row. Does this promotion rule apply to all pieces or only to Pawns? If the former, does it also apply upon leaving the last row after a drop?

It is definitely an improvement. However, I think this page would really benefit from some images showing what you mean. If you want an easy way to generate such images, the Musketeer Chess Board Painter is an excellent option.

Also, as it is now, the last variant appears to be the same as the base game.

Earlier, the week ending 13 Jan., I had seen someone's submissions approved where the statement was not added, and I'd thought it was not really required anymore on CVP site, if it ever was.

I guess the statement isn't truly necessary. since the majority of this site's members know how to play Chess, but it helps if you want to avoid ambiguity, especially for people who have never seen Chess or one of its variants before.

I have approved the four variants mentioned in my previous comment.

Usually, in Shogi games, people just use +<unpromoted form> for the promoted form of a piece, but this works, as long as there is a clear link between the promoted and unpromoted forms of a piece.

The Pawns on the second row could become a problem if you need to keep track of which Pawn starts where.

Perhaps add an orthogonal equivalent to the Elephant, or maybe even the equivalent of an Alibaba to solve this? Or simply say that if a Pawn ends up on the starting square of another Pawn it can make another double/triple step?

Also, the White Boyscout's image is missing.

The Intro, Setup and most of the Pieces sections are fine. Overall, the concept looks promising. However, the Rules section still leaves out many crucial details, such as the following:

• Does the Black Swan Event refer specifically to a group of pieces resulting from turning into Black Swans or Pawn promotions?
  • If not, you can call any group of one, two, or three non-King pieces a Black Swan Event.
• Does "it cannot be placed on the board on the Black Swans' starting position, in order to avoid capturing" mean that Black Swans can only be placed on the third or fourth ranks?
  • This should be in the Rules section.
• Can Black Swans make a double step on their first move?
  • If so, if a Black Swan from the first rank turns into a Black Swan after moving to the second rank, does the new Black Swan:
    • have the ability to make a double step?
      • If not, then a problem arises from having to keep track of which Black Swans started where.
    • have immunity from capture?
  • Same questions apply to Black Swans being dropped on the board due to Black Swan Events, if they can be dropped on the first or second ranks.
• How am I supposed to determine the number of pieces that results from a Black Swan Event, such as:
  • a Black Swan turning into another Black Swan?
    • do the probabilities from Pawn promotions apply here as well?
  • promoting a Pawn?
• Are pieces that are dropped on the board always Black Swans, or can the player choose which piece appears?
• Does "nearby empty squares" mean anything in particular? If not, this phrase should be omitted or replaced with "square(s) on own half of board".
• What happens if all pieces are on the board, or all available drop spaces for extra pieces are filled up?