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Comments by DerekNalls
Capablanca Random Chess. Randomized setup for Capablanca chess. (10x8, Cells: 80) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating] Shatranj. The widely played Arabian predecessor of modern chess. (8x8, Cells: 64) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating] Grand Chess. Christian Freeling's popular large chess variant on 10 by 10 board. Rules and links. (10x10, Cells: 100) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Omega Chess. Commercial chess variant on board with 104 squares.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating] Wildebeest Chess. Variant on an 10 by 11 board with extra jumping pieces. (11x10, Cells: 110) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating] Capablanca Random Chess. Randomized setup for Capablanca chess. (10x8, Cells: 80) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Thank you for publishing my results. Doing so implies that you have some trust in my calculation method even as it differs from your own and the English-German language barrier creates apprehension. We are all trying to reach the same destination (accurate relative piece values). We just have different reasons for taking different roads in pursuit of it. Unfortunately, the subject is just too complicated to be approached exclusively from math and geometry as applied to games. Where value judgments are necessarily required (for instance, in determining the details of a formula and what 'looks right' based only upon estimated material values of pieces in well-established games that seem to work well), philosophy becomes involved. Thereafter, the dangerous line between 'the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics' and 'the unreasonable ineffectiveness of philosophy' (to quote Dr. Steven Weinberg) is approached. For what it is worth, your set of material values for pieces in CRC fall into the safe, flat scale between the relatively compressed scale of Trice and the relatively expanded scale of Nalls. So, if there is anything at all reliable within the work of any of the 3 of us, then your calculations for pieces in CRC are either the most accurate or the 2nd most accurate.
optimized chess 8H x 10W http://www.symmetryperfect.com/shots/opti/
Index page of The Chess Variant Pages. Our main index page.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]A link to SMIRF, developed by Reinhard Scharnagl, should be included under 'computer resources: programs that play chess variants'. SMIRF (English description) http://www.chessbox.de/Compu/schachsmirf_e.html
SMIRF
. Program that plays various 8x10 chess variants.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]This is a request for future versions of SMIRF. It relates to the aforementioned topic (under CRC) of the advantage of white. Originally, pawns did not have the option to make a first move consisting of 2-spaces forward (as well as 1-space forward). Of course, there are historic chess variants upon rectangular boards which require original pawns to be used instead of modern pawns. So, for this single reason, some of these games cannot presently be played using SMIRF. In the chess computer age, it has been proven that the 2-space forward move of pawns amplifies the first-move-of-the-game advantage (for white) in chess and many related games. Therefore, those modern inventors (of games similar to chess) who actually care about their games being fair and stable would be wise to use original pawns, instead. I predict some will. Accordingly, it would be desirable for the SMIRF program to accommodate these 2 sub-types of pawns within the piece sets available for use in games played upon 8H x 8W or 8H x 10W boards.
Capablanca Random Chess. Randomized setup for Capablanca chess. (10x8, Cells: 80) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Out of the 3 options offerred for castling in SMIRF, I chose 'symmetric' castling for Optimized Chess 8H x 10W. This destroyed my plan to compare the strengths of SMIRF and Gothic Vortex III at this game by letting them fight it out at 3 minutes per move since the latter program exclusively supports traditional or 'normal' castling as exists in Gothic Chess. It is particularly gracious of Scharnagl to support symmetric castling within SMIRF, esp. since he has stated clearly that he personally prefers normal castling. To date, I suspect that a good reason to prefer symmetric castling has not been explained. Any unique game is singular in nature, regardless of whether it exhibits an east-west symmetry or asymmetry. However, unlike E-W symmetrical games which always exist as 1 unified, opening setup, E-W asymmetrical games are split so they always exist irreducibly as 2 mirror-image opening setups which can be transposed into one another. Obviously, neither one is any more or less proper than the other. Of course, most inventors only offer 1 of these 2 mirror-image, opening setups as the asymmetrical game and most players, on the rare occasion that a choice between 2 is offerred, will always prefer to learn using just 1 of them. Ideally, the king would be perfectly centered by E-W measure so that castling would naturally be the same between the 'Mirror I' and 'Mirror II' variants of Opti Chess. Unfortunately, this is obviously impossible as the '10W' in the game title gives a strong clue. An odd, NOT even, number of files must exist for it to be possible to perfectly center any single piece E-W. The opening setups in Mirror I and Mirror II have the 2 rooks balanced perfectly, equidistantly, symmetrically E-W from the center of the board. The opening setups in Mirror I and Mirror II have the king as close to the exact E-W center of the board as possible which is unfortunately, the line dividing the 5th and 6th files. Consequently, the king rests on the 6th file square in Mirror I and the 5th file square in Mirror II. With normal castling, the king and rook will end-up on destination squares that are asymmetrical from the exact E-W center of the board within both variants AND on destination squares that are different when comparing both variants. With symmetric castling, the king and rook will end-up on destination squares that are symmetrical and identical within and between both variants. Essentially, a simple average of the results of normal castling for Mirror I & II is taken which yields whole numbers. By contrast, one can wonder (with dark humor) how the person(s) who established the standard for normal castling kept from going crazy when you realize ... In deciding exactly where to drop the pieces kingside and queenside, in turn, they had to decide whether it was more proper to round-off exactly 1/2 square's distance to zero square's distance or 1 square's distance. Even Dr. Mark Thompson could not answer that one!
SMIRF. Program that plays various 8x10 chess variants.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]This is request for future versions of SMIRF. I notice that there are some games played upon the 10H x 10W board that are related to Capablanca Chess (as evident by the fact that they are played using all or most of the same pieces). If I am correct in presuming that CRC is one of your favorite games, then you may find the inclusion of this 3rd board size desirable. You can be sure that players who use your program would find it desirable.
SMIRF http://www.chessbox.de/Compu/schachsmirf_e.html This is currently the strongest program available that is free and fully-functional for playing ALL Capablanca chess variants. It loads Embassy Chess (MBC) and several other games automatically at the push of a button. Gothic Chess, having a US patent, requires payment. Allegedly, the best opening setup is found in this game: Optimized Chess 8H x 10W http://www.symmetryperfect.com/shots/opti/ Of course, there are many ways to approach 'big-board CV's'.
Optimized Chess - 8H x 10W. Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]You make a very good point I had failed to consider. I apologize for my mistake. I intended no harm. The SMIRF download at my Opti Chess web page has been removed while the invitation to visit your SMIRF web page remains. I trust this arrangement is now to your liking.
'Can't get SMIRF to work because there is a dll missing.' ____________________________________________________ Please notify the developer of SMIRF, Reinhard Scharnagl. He really cares about correcting flaws. Meanwhile ... 1. Try to run the program again. [Note- It will not run.] 2. Write down the name of the missing file when the error message pops-up. 3. Download the missing file for free from any of several web sites that provide this service. 4. Repeat process until all missing files are retrieved and the program runs. Dependencies are required, supporting files. This is a list of dependencies for 'SmirfGUI.exe'- activeds.dll adsldpc.dll advapi32.dll apphelp.dll borlndmm.dll cabinet.dll cc3270mt.dll comctl32.dll comdlg32.dll crypt32.dll dbghelp.dll dbrtl100.bpl dnsapi.dll gdi32.dll imagehlp.dll kernel32.dll lz32.dll mlang.dll mpr.dll msasn1.dll msi.dll msimg32.dll msvcrt.dll netapi32.dll netrap.dll ntdll.dll ntdsapi.dll ole32.dll oleacc.dll oleaut32.dll oledlg.dll rpcrt4.dll rtl100.bpl samlib.dll secur32.dll setupapi.dll sfc.dll sfcfiles.dll shell32.dll shlwapi.dll user32.dll userenv.dll vcl100.bpl vcldb100.bpl version.dll w32topl.dll winmm.dll winspool.drv wintrust.dll wldap32.dll ws2_32.dll ws2help.dll wsock32.dll The list of dependencies for 'SmirfEngine.dll' is unneeded since all of those files are already included in the first list.
SMIRF. Program that plays various 8x10 chess variants.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]This is a request for future versions of SMIRF. A 4th castling option would be useful occasionally: no castling. Corner Chess 8 x 8, my first (and worst) chess variant ever invented is a game where only standard chess pieces are used in which castling is totally unnecessary. [The king is very well protected at the opening setup.] Corner Chess 8 x 8 /play/erf/CornerCh.html
I never even saw those black dots in any game that index the pieces involved in castling because I chose a black border (for my board). Besides, SMIRF cannot enable castling with the strange opening setup used in Corner Chess 8 x 8 even as the symbol for a castling option must exist within the X-FEN string. Nevermind! All is well.
Janus Chess. Variant on 10 by 8 board. (10x8, Cells: 80) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]It is almost unbelievable to me that anyone knowledgeable, especially GM Adorjan, can be arrogant and insulting enough to think virtually all of the rest of us (whom I regard as knowledgeable ... to varying degrees) are believing a 'delusion' and suffering from 'mass psychosis'.
The first-move-of-the-game advantage for white in Chess with a white-black turn order is well-established statistically over a vast number of games at the highest levels of tournament competition. Furthermore, you had better believe that all of the players, whether assigned white or black, were trying their hardest to win. They would never have reached tournament levels in Chess in the first place with the defeatist attitude, 'Damn! I'm playing black. I might as well give-up or only try for a draw at most'.
By the way, the high complexity of the game and the great impact a mere 50 ELO points can make in your chances for victory are totally seperate issues from white's advantage. Most of us do not need to write 2 books if our goal is only to say something ridiculously stupid that defies proven facts. It is wise not to uncritically believe everything you read.
'Statistical results do not disprove that such an effect is not at work ... the subconcious is powerful.' ______________________________ Yes, you make a worthy point but ... The first-move-of-the-game advantage for white is real- NOT merely an imaginary, psychosomatic condition suffered by black. Everyone (except a certain GM) can see and feel it when they play. White controls the tempo the first and most important time in the game. Moreover, there is no assurance that black will get to control the tempo an equal number of times. Does anyone contend that the tempo is trivial? White chooses and dictates the opening that black must defend against and so, shapes the entire game. White acts and black reacts as it must ... repeatedly. If black does not defend soundly, the advantage of white increases further which will give white opportunities to increase it even further and will probably, eventually lead to black's loss of the game. Although chess is intractable, some trivial games similar to chess with fewer pieces and small boards have been demonstrated to have greater (if not absolute) first-move-of-the-game advantages for white than chess via powerful computers. So, the applicability of this concept to chess variants with the white-black turn order has been tentatively established- zugzwang-for-white, badly designed games being the important exception.
Pre-Grandchess. Eric Greenwood realized that Christian Freeling's Great Chess could have arisen with this more normal looking position.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Yes, thanks to Jeremy Good once again. [You are too nice and too hard working.]
Abstract Chess Pieces. Icons of chess and chess variant pieces.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I prefer to think of the linear piece symbols used for 2-D sliders within my games as concrete. Since they are directly intuitive with the directions of movement each piece is capable of evident within its icon, they do not require arbitrary, counter-intuitive memorization as some of your abstract chess pieces do. Hence, their meaning is unmistakably obvious even to an intelligent child.
ChessV. Program for playing numerous Chess variants against your PC.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I notice that your documentation accompanying the ChessV 0.9 program is a Microsoft Word file (*.doc). If you, as an author, prefer an Adobe Acrobat file (*.pdf) which preserves the exact graphic representation of the document as you saw it and wrote it (without any possible font substitutions), then I would be glad to send you my Adobe Acrobat 4.0 (Standard) Full on 1 CD which I have recently replaced with Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Standard Full. Most readers (myself included) prefer *.pdf files because they open faster and are very flexible upon display. I think it is probably compatible with whatever version of Microsoft Windows NT you are using. If you issue a mailing address for you to me privately via my E-mail address, then I can send it to you immediately USPS. Rest assured, it is authentic software, still in perfect condition.
Calculation of Piece Values 
. Link to an essay on attack values, material values, relative piece values.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Although the method can be adapted to hexagonal-spaced boards, doing so is a significant extra effort that I do not consider justified. Generally, hexagon and triangle spaced games are unstable and/or inferior compared to square spaced games. Even if this is not the case with Glinski's in particular, games based upon hexagonal spaces still have no special interest to me personally.
Feel free to apply the method to all games that interest you and publish the results to the benefit of other likeminded individuals. That is what I most want people to do. To learn it and use it. That is why I published it. No need to publish it if I just do it myself every time someone asks.
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