Game Reviews (and other rated comments on Game pages)

This game kind of reminds me of the even more non-violent principle that inspired Fergus Duniho's Clockwork Orange Chess.

A cool idea for a variant. It takes some time to discover various strategies that can be employed by the players with the stated rules.

[edit: My tentative estimates for the piece values are as follows: Capturing pieces: P=2; B=3; N=3.5; R=4 and Q=6 (same values as I gave for in Crazyhouse); Non-capturing pieces: P=1.25; B=1.5; N=1.75; R=2 and Q=3 (computed using x0.5 penalty for non-capturing movements - note a pawn is thus slightly less affected in its value decrease).]

A fresh idea for a variant that at first made me wonder if the game was truly playable. The answer is a resounding yes!

Several interesting piece types in this game. Can well-played games of it be reasonably short on average? Time will tell, but I suspect most such games won't go past 100 full moves, good for such a large board.

This looks like a really interesting game. The movement rules certainly speed up play on a large board.

A poorish game by modern standards, especially due to the alfil pieces, but modern chess is indebted to this historic early version of it.

A poorish game by modern standards, especially due to the alfil pieces, but modern chess is indebted to this historic early version of it.

Here's a 10x10 Shatranj-style variant with 4 Kings per side:

4 Kings Quasi-Shatranj

You've just got to love a variant that's really big, even if you don't want to play it much. Now that there's a rules-enforcing preset courtesy of Nick, the chance of playing game(s) of it went up for me.

You've just got to love a variant that's really big, even if you don't want to play it much. Now that there's a rules-enforcing preset courtesy of Nick, the chance of playing game(s) of it went up for me.

Though this variant may never be as popular as its close cousin (and better known variant) Crazyhouse, it is equally excellent on its own merits.

A big board game where the inventor doubles-down on the 6 chess piece types, but the fast pawns rule adds an interesting twist to speed things up a bit.

A great historic variant. Games may last a large number of moves, but the slow pace may prove heavenly for some players.

In interesting variant that has a board geometry somewhat like that of Circular Chess.

An interesting concept to extend Alice Chess' idea. I'm inclined to think (but lack the mathematical skill to prove) that the connection between the three boards is a 4D one in disguise - bishops, if they were present, can travel paths one board at a time back onto their original starting board, arriving there on square(s) (e.g. their exact start point) that they wouldn't be able to reach if the variant was truly 3D (like Raumschach is).

An interesting concept for a variant! On a Canadian chess message board a long time ago, someone asked if there could possibly be a variant with quite a number of impassable squares here and there in the middle of the board, and I assumed the idea infeasible, not imagining that a player might be able to move said obstacles around!

A fine variation on the idea of Grand Chess.

Shatranj meets a 10x10 board in style!

Here's a 10x10 Shatranj-style variant with 4 Kings per side:

4 Kings Quasi-Shatranj

Another nice Shatranj variant from Joe, this time on 10x8.

I'd tentatively estimate the piece values as P=1; N=3.38(=3.5 approx.); E=Y=2.695(=2.75 approx.); Guard(approx.=K's fighting value)=3.2; HP=MI=7.075(=7 approx.); R=5.5.

This game plays especially well with its 3-mover variant rules.

This variant is clearly one of the more original chess variants, and which has been around for quite a while.

A historic and very playable variant. What's not to love?

This game is really sweet for a quite large (12x12) variant, and as advertised it has a small learning curve. Lots of fun!

This variant is almost guaranteed to produce a hard struggle. Those bodyguard pieces are tough to work around!

There's a reason this regional game has lasted for so long. Perhaps it's even a Classic by CVP standards.

I like that the pieces, including the Januses, can hope to usually develop smoothly in this variant, nice for a 10x8 board.