Comments by GM Gregory Topov

Please add future comments about <i>Stanley Random Chess</i> to the official chessvariants.org page for the game:<br> <b><a href='http://www.chessvariants.org/link2.dir/srchess.html'>http://www.chessvariants.org/link2.dir/srchess.html</a></b>

As a grandmaster in <a href='http://www.chessvariants.org/link2.dir/srchess.html'>Stanley Random Chess</a>, I'm greatly indebted to schemingmind.com, because it is the only internet correspondence chess server in the world that enables the play of the classic game: Stanley Random Chess (an alternative form of chess that predates regular chess, and offers greater complexity and creativity.) Additionally it offers many other variants, including of course traditional or Common Chess, with a very pleasing interface and friendly atmosphere. Of the lesser known correspondence chess sites, schemingmind.com is easily one of the most outstanding. Members can play up to 10 games concurrently for free (which is ample for most players), but paid membership naturally gives extra privileges. Using images from Alice in Wonderland, the site has a definite Lewis Carroll feel, which only enhances its attractive qualities.

Stanley Taikyoku Shogessilockrothima is certainly not a precursor of Stanley Random, as has been alleged, but is merely a localized variant of the game, popular among the Chinese and Japanese immigrant communities in modern Greece. It appears to have incorporated influences from Shogi (Japanese Chess), which accounts for the fact that this variant has even more rules than pure Stanley Random Chess.