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Is that your site?  If so, could you get Near Chess up and running on it?
http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MSnearchess

All you need to do is remove some chess rules (see page) and also add one for piece recycling for promotion.

I like your site. I'm interested in chess variants. Thank you for it!
And... Can you write about this variant (i inveted it in childhood),
please?
It's name is 'Catch a soldier'. I played it long time ago and don't
remember rules exactly, but i remember it's main idea, and it's more
important.
This game is played on 8X8 board (like classic chess), each pllayer have 7
normal solduers and 1 main soldier (i used tin soldiers as white and men
from contructon set as black, but actually where can be used 7 pawns and
king per side). White begins on 1st row (main soldier on A1), black begins
on 8th row (main soldier on H8).I don't remember, how to move them,
probably one square ortogonally or one square in any direction (like king
in classic chess). Main soldiers moves in same way as normal soldiers. They
captures as in chess - by replacement, but only normal soldiers, you can't
capture the main soldier in this way. Before begin playing, each player
must decide, how his opponent must capture the main soldier (where are many
different ways: chekmate him, bring your own main soldier to beggining
squre of another main soldier, make straight vertical line of three normal
soldiers, - it's depend only on player's fantasy). You must not tell it
to your opponent. When try to capture all opponent's normal soldier, when
opponent must tell you, how to catch his main soldier. When try to capture
him. If opponent will catch all your normal soldiers, when main soldiers
have to catch each over. If it will be impossible to catch one of main
soldiers beckause of not enough number of normal soldiers, it's draw. And
another very important thing: if conditions of catching the main soldiers
will be fulfiled even before catching normal soldiers, it must be declared,
and game will be over.
One new rule, i added them only several days ago: you can't invent way ti
capture your main soldier, wich will require more than 3 normal soldiers.
Can you try to play this game? Did you like it?

Vitya Makov, ïðèâåò! À êàê òû äîãàäàëñÿ? Âèäåë ìîé êîììåíòàðèé ê ñòàòüå ïðî
ôåðçÿ (êîòîðûé õîäèò íà îäíó êëåòêó ïî äèàãîíàëè)? Èëè êàê?

Another game, i invented it yesterday, it's more serious (i don't know,
if there are similar game, but, i hope, you will like it anyway). I called
it 'Win the batle - lose the war'.
Starting setup is same as in FIDE chess. But starting board is only
'map', not batlefield, and pieces are not single units, but groups. If
group will occupy field with enemy group, enemy will not be taken from
boaed, when will began batlle on another board. Each batlefield is 4X6
board. Attacker's pawns begins on 2nd row, attacker's pieces on 1st,
defender's pawns on 5th and his pieces on 6th. On battlefield each player
have 4 pawns, 1 rook, 1 knight, 1 bishop and 1 leader. Leader is always
piece what was moving on MAP. On batlefield leader is royal piece, he must
be checkmated, so opponent will win batle. Attacker always begin batlr,
it's not depended on colour. If attackers will win batle, defender's
piece is removed from board and attacker will occupy defender squre. If
defender will win battle, attacker's leader is removed from board, but
defender don't move. Minor pieces, what was lost in batle, don't return
to next batle, but they will immeditaly return if leader will return to his
colour's first row on MAP. Pawns, promoted in batle, don't become pawns
again in next batle, but they starts from 2nd and 5th row anyway. If leader
pawn is promoted on batlefield, he don,t become the same piece on map, but
if promoted on MAP, he becomes the same piece on batlefields, not depending
on what piece he promoted before. Pawns batlefield hasn't initial duble
step, but they have it on MAP. En-passant and castling (ONLY on map) is as
in classic chess. Goal is to win batle with enemy's king. There is no
check, checkmate and stalemate on MAP. If there are draw in BATLEFIELD,
both leaders are removed from map (if one of leaders is king, it mean,  he
loses, but if they both are kings, it's draw of entire game). Starting
position of pieces on BATLEFIELD is chosen by pieces owner. Ah, i forget
the main detail: changing beetwen batle and war! There are to tipes of
them: 1st: batle must be finished, onnly when it's possible to continue
war, but it will be long game. 2nd (faster and more realistic): in 1 turn
player can move pieces in map and in all betles (there are possible several
batles at same time). Player can refuse of moving piece as in war, as in
any batle, but he MUST move piece at least in war or at least in 1 batle.
Have you questions?

I read rules of shantraj, there was writen what elephant moves two squares
diagonal and jumps over pieces of either colour... But before i read in
Wikipedia what in shantraj it also capture enemy pieces on square, wich is
jumped (thus, it can capture 2 pieces in 1 turn). What is true? Or it are
different variants of shantraj?
Andanother question: on another site of chess variants i read about ancient
chinese game 'Semedo', ancestor of Xian-qi.  There was writen what this
game was described in medieval book on latin, very indefinitely (for
example, 'King don't attack' - does it mean what it don't move at all
or what?). Can it really be true what exact rules of this game are
currently unknown?

Yes, it's not writen in english Wikipedia, but in russian Wikipedia...
By the way, if alfil don't capture pieces on leaped square, so only
difference between Shantraj and Chaturanga for 2 players is what rook can
move unlimited number of squares and there is no rule of four alfils in
center of board?

http://homepages.ed.ac.uk/rjhare/shogi/chu-shogi/intro.htm
This page is not found.

I inventend this variant when read about american chess: there are very
interesting piece - missle! And it's sad  what it's not used in any game,
expect american chess self...
Each player starts with same pieces on board as in FIDE chess (but not in
same position) and with 2 missles in reserve. I made another positions to
make all pawns protected by  pieces ELSE THAN KING. If not change position
of king and queen, there are 4 possible positions. Here are description of
first two:
king and queen are sorrounded by bishop and knight. There are another
bishop adjecent to first and rook adjesent to knight. Second knight
adjecent to rook and rook adjecent to second bishop. In this diagram white
chosen one position, and black chosen another position:

RBBQKNRN
PPPPPPPP
--------
--------
--------
--------
pppppppp
nrnqkbbr

In other two positions knights stays in same cells as first two, and there
is still rook between them. Another rook is ajecent to queen or king. Here
is diagram of that two:

BBRQKNRN
PPPPPPPP
--------
--------
--------
--------
pppppppp
nrnqkrbb

All positions have advantages and disvantages.
Now, about missle:
instead of turn, you can put it in any free square of your first rank (like
in most of other chess variants with reserve).
Missle can move and capture ABSOLUTELY to any square, expect for
opponent's first rank. It's strongest possible piece, wich captures only
by replacement and occupy one square.
I just played this game, it's pretty intersting.
And also ihave idea for unusal shape for board (i did'nt invent game for
this board, but i hope, that someone experienced chess variant inventor
will take my idea and will make playable game: let's make chess, played on
Rubik's cube!

Sorry, i forgot rule about castling for chess with missles.
Castling to bishops' side if rook is in corner is same as in FIDE chess.
In other positions and sides, king still moves two squares, even it is
occupies by rook, and rook moves to square, where it would be after
castling in FIDE chess.

I invented this game rather to show history of chess than making something
playable:
Files A, B, C and D are 'west', and E, F, J and H are 'east'. In
beggining both players have pieces from chaturanga: chariot instead rook
(moves 1 or 2 squares orthogonally), elephant instead bishop (leaps exactly
2 squares diagonally), ferz instead queen (1 square diagonally). King and
knight are same. Pawns also same, but can't make duble step. When pieces
crossing center of board (between 4th and 5th ranks), the promotes: If they
entered 'west', they promotes to thier relatieves of modern european
chess (elephant promotes to bishops, chariots to rooks, ferz to queen,
other pieces don't change farther); if they entered 'east' after
crossing center, they promotes to thier shogi relatives (elephant to silver
generals, chariots to lances, ferz to gold general, pawns to shogi pawns
(captures also orthogonally forward), and knights loses thier power: now
they can move only forward, like shogi knight; king don't promote). All
shogi pieces (expect for king an gold general) can promote to gold general.
Promotion zone is on 2 last ranks (actually, in first variant of shogi 8X8
promotion zone already was 3 last ranks, but here 2 will be better).
Promotion rules are same as in shogi. Western pawns promotes on last rank,
only to queen, rook, bishop or knight.
Goal is to checkmate king. What will be after stalemate, it's chosen by
players before game.
As it is clear what western pieces are much stronger than shogi pieces, you
can can chose one or two of that advantages of shogi pieces:

1. When pieces are captured by shogi, They can be dropped (like in shogi).
There two variants (chose one before playing): first - captured chaturanga
and chess pieces becomes thier relatives from shogi (elephants and bishops
becomes silver general, etc.); second - they don't become shogi (if pawns
wich crossed center on west dropped to 2nd rank, they can make duble step
and can be captured en passant). Promoted western pawns becomes pawns again
in both variants. Dropping rules are same as in shogi.
2. It can be combined with 1. When at least four pieces are promoted in
east, player will get in reserve shogi pieces wich are called 'bishop'
and 'rook' by chess players. They both can be dropped on player's 2nd
rank in one turn. This turn must'nt check, checkmate or stalemate enemy
king. They can be promoted to dragon king and dragon horse as other shogi
pieces in this game.
3. It can be combined with 1, but can't with 2. Pieces don't become chess
or shogi forever. When they are in 'west' (after crossing center), they
are chess pieces, and when in 'east', they are shogi pieces. They can't
become chaturanga again. Promoted pieces becomes relatives of thier
PROMOTED forms (queens always becomes gold generals, etc.).

Did you like this game? Have you questions?
I also have variant of this game, where are chinese and mongolian zone.
I'll write about it later.

Roger Hare's shogi pages are here now:
http://www.shogi.net/rjhare/chu-shogi/chu-intro.html

It's a pity... OK, but, i think, it will not be bad if i however describe
here variant of my previous game (because i said before 'i will describe
it later', and i'll not be writing about other variants here later).
8X8 boaed, but with special cells in corners (like in Omega Chess), there
are special units in them.
Files A and B are 'european zone', C and D - 'mongolian zone', E and F
- 'chinese zone', and J and H - 'japanese zone'. In european and
japanese zones pieces promotes as in previous variant. In mongolian zone
they promotes to Shatar pieces, and in chinese zone, as you can guess, to
Xian-qi pieces. There is no river and palace, so no pieces are restricted.
Shogi dropping is mandatory, but rules of 'becoming/not becoming shogi
pieces after drop' and 'promote to certain piece forever/not forever'
are still optional. There is no rule of dropping Shogi rook and bishop
after promoting 4 pieces to Shogi, but they exists in game, see below.
When knight and elephat promotes in ch. zone they loses power - they will
not be able to leap. Ferz don't change it's movement. Chariot promotes to
Xian-qi chariot - it moves like FIDE rook. After promotion here, king can
move only 1 square orthogonally, but also can check opponent's king like
rook (if both kings promoted in ch. zone, they can't stay in same file or
rank if there is no piece between them). Pawn now must move and capture
orthogonally forward, left and right (when dropped, it can't move left and
right, until it's again on opponent's half of board). This pawn don't
promote farther.
In mongolian zone all pieces, expect for pawn and ferz, promotes to FIDE
pieces. Ferz promotes to bers - moves like rook plus one square diagonally
(like dragon king). Pawns are same as FIDE, but promotes only to bers and,
wnen dropped, can't make duble step, also can't capture FIDE pawns en
passant.
Now about special units. There left and right special units. In beggining
they both are camels from Tamerlan's chess (3:1 leap). They promotes not
to thier relatives, but pieces, wich was invented separately. In ja. zone
left promotes to Shogi rook and Bishop (and farther to dragon king and
dragon horse). In ch. zone they both promotes to cannons. In mo. zone they
promotes to bodyguards from Hiashatar (moves 1-2 squares like queen, don't
capture, have 'influence zone' in 8 squares around them, other pieces
can't cross this zone, inside it can move only 1 squre (decide yourself,
what with pieces wich can't move only 1 square, like knght), they can be
captured only in thier 'influence zone'). special units don't promote in
eu. zone (as there is not any special pieces in FIDE ches), but they don't
lose ability of promotion: they can promote as they enter any other zone.
They don't become camels again when you playing with rule of 'not promote
to certain piece forever', for exemple, if one of them moved from F5 to
A5, it is still cannon. However, if both players are agreed, they can
promote:
1. Left archbishop, right to chanselor (from Capablanca chess).
2. Left to champion, right to wizard (from Omega chess).
3. Both to grasshopers.
4. One to grasshoper, another to knightrider.

It also be fun to play on 10X8 or 10X10 board, where special units
sorrounding king and ferz, and there is spanish (Grand Acedrix) OR german
(Courier chess) zone.

A) My last game will be more balanced if left special unit promotes to
chanselor and right to archbishop (because white can quick promote left
unit to chanselor, and black to shogi rook, two very strong pieces, if they
promotes by other rules, blakc will have big advantage); Or another
solution: there are no left and right special units, there are east and
west special units (and beter if east promotes to shogi bishop);

B) My question about Semedo is not answered! What is Semedo? Are it's
rules really unknown?
Let me explain it:
here is starting position:

nsksn
gpppg
p---p
-----
-----
P---P
GPPPG
NSKSN

K-king,
N-knight,
P-pawn,
S-scientist,
G-pot with gunpowder.

I read what this game was described in mediaval book on latin language. In
this book was writen what 'Pot with gunpowder moves like rook, but in
crowd moves like cannonbal'. It reminds cannon from modern Xian-qi, but
possible what it's not same thing.
Also there was writen what 'King don't attack'. What does that mean?
What king don't move at all or what?
Also in article of this game, wich i read, was writen what scientists are
probably ancestors of bodyguards from modern Xian-qi.
In this article was not described, how this mediaval book describes moves
of scientists, knights and pawns.

Maybe, someone knows more information about this game? Or it's exact rules
currently unknown at all?!