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Comments by Ralf Hansmann
Witch's Chess 
. Two or three player hexagonal variant.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Well, I just stated my true, subjective opinion, without any exaggerations. But anyway, <b>the game</b> should be evaluated by the ratings, and <b>not</b> its inventor.
I must admit that the naming of the figures is not as creative, as it might appear on first sight. It is simply a word play. Hexe is the german word for witch, and therefore, as the board is hexagonal, we have named the figures like the figures surrounding a Hexe. Word plays of course loose their charm when being translated to a foreign language, but the renaming of the pieces was not simply to something cutesy. I can see a lot of creativity here.
That's a lot of questions, Charles. However, I am very pleased to answer them, as I gladly learned from you - to my own surprise - that the pun of the hexagon leading to a witch's game does somehow work in the English language, too.
Well, the original German 'Hexenschach' names of the figures are Rabe, Hexe, Besen, Fledermaus, Turm and Kröte. You can find these names together with the German names of the conventional chess figures on the game's original webpage <a href='http://www.hexenspiel.de/'>www.hexenspiel.de</a>.
Concerning the two besoms I want to refer you to the FIDE chess rules, which explicitly state (see Article 2.2: 'At the beginning of the game ...') that each party has two bishops.
We wanted to make as few changes as possible to the FIDE rules, which do not raise the issue of whether the bishops cover the fields of all colours. Moreover, we did not want to have too many figures because early experiments with really large boards and many figures led to everlasting games. For reasons of symmetrie, we left the centre field uncovered.
However, to tell you the truth, that's not all. I mean, the proof of the Pudding is in the eating. Thus, I have just added on the <a href='http://www.hexenspiel.de/engl/witch/'>Chess Witch's Homepage</a> further information as to what happened to the third broom.
Synchronous Chess. Chess played with written simultaneous moves.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Hi Charles, I am happy to receive your questions, as they are easy to answer and helpful to clarify the rules.
Considering question 1. the rules given on <a href='http://www.hexenspiel.de/engl/synchronous-chess/'>http://www.hexenspiel.de/engl/synchronous-chess/</a> tell that, when as a result of the two synchronous moves:
'... both moving figures move to one and the same field, then these figures have both been hit and as a result are removed from the board.'
This means for example:
1. e2-e4 e7-e6
2. e4-e5 e6-e5 -> here, in one and the same moment, both pawns move to one and the same field, and hence both have to be eliminated.
To which field the pawns are allowed to move is of course only dependend on the situation before the move. Only the moves which are possible in the conventional chess (i.e. -assuming the other player does not move any of his figures simultaneously-) are allowed.
Concerning your second question, the rules given on the website clearly say that when as a result of the two synchronous moves: 'b) ... a figure moves on a field, which was before the synchronous moves occupied by a figure of the opposite color, that, however, has been synchronously moved from this field on another field, then both figures safely reach their new position. Neither of the two figures is removed from the board. Thus, in some cases the synchronous moves can result in a mutual exchange of the positions of the two figures that have been moved (This is possible, even if the ways of their moves overlap with each other).' This means that a pawn that moves diagonally trying to capture a figure which is standing on the corresponding field (!and only in this case such a move is allowed!), simply misses that figure if it moves away in the same moment. Thus: if 1. e2-e4 d7-d5 2. e4-d5 d5-d4 -> both pawns remain on the board as the strike e4-d5 misses its target, as the black pawn moves forward. It would even be possible that: 1. e2-e4 d7-d5 2. e4-d5 d5-e4 -> here both pawns miss their target, and as a result their positions are exchanged. In my opinion it is absolutely essential for a synchronous chess, that it is possible beforehand of the two synchronous moves to decide which moves are possible, and which moves are forbidden!!! Therefore according to the rules given on the website: A Pawn's (or any figure's) move is legal, if it is possible according to the conventional chess rules,- i.e. assuming that the other would not move his figures simultenously. - It is not possible that a move is legal before the two synchronous moves, and proves illegal afterwards.
Witch's Chess . Two or three player hexagonal variant.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Hi there,
thanks for your comments.
I have now just looked at the (my/our) rules for castling as formulated at http://www.hexenspiel.de/engl/lauf.html
Actually, I also find that these need improvement...
What also surprised me, is that they are not consistent with the castling (Rochade) rules we formulated in German language on http://www.hexenspiel.de/lauf.html
These are formulated in closest possible analogy to the real chess, which means that castling is only possible if tower and raven (king) have not been moved previously; no field between them is threatened by the other party (respectively the two other parties in the three player version), and if no field inbetween is occupied by any figure ("Es besteht für den Raben die Möglichkeit zur Rochade, d.h. zum Stellungstausch mit dem Turm innerhalb eines Zuges -- analog zum herkömmlichen Schach. Wie dort ist diese hier nur möglich, wenn der Rabe im Moment des Zuges nicht bedroht ist, wenn weder der beteiligte Turm noch der Rabe selbst sich zuvor während des Spiels bewegt haben und wenn das Feld zwischen Turm und Rabe weder bedroht noch besetzt ist.")
I think it is best and I will adapt the english rules to a correct translation of my German website version of the rules and hence, to closest anology to the real chess.
It is some years ago now that the rules were put online in english, and I was not alone in developing the game. So this inconsistency between the english and german formulation of rules may be due to a discussion on whether to allow castling in the three version game also in case of a threatended field inbetween tower and king to give some flights possibilities. However, I now think that the rules should be formulated in closest possible analogy to the conventional chess rules in both the two and three player version.
Ok, I have now changed the description of the castling rules on: http://www.hexenspiel.de/engl/lauf.html to:
"Analogously to the conventional chess, there exists for the raven (king) the possibility of castling, i.e. to exchange the position with one of the towers through one single move. Like in the conventional chess castling is only possible, if both figures (tower and raven) have not previously been moved, and the field inbetween them is not threatened by the other party (respectively the two other parties in the three player version), and the field inbetween is not occupied by any figure."
Is this formulated well?
(I am not a native english writer)
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