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Chess480. Fischer Random Chess with orthodox castling rules. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Gene Milener wrote on Sat, Feb 18, 2006 10:41 PM UTC:

[1]
Chess players interested in ches480 or chess960 (a.k.a. Fischer Random
Chess, FRC) may be interested to hear that a major new chess960 book has
been published (Jan 2006).  Title is:

'Play Stronger Chess by Examining Chess960:
Usable Strategies of Fischer Random Chess Discovered'

(ISBN 0-9774521-0-7)

Searching in Amazon.com or Google.com will find the book.

Or visit http://CastleLong.com/


[2]
I suspect that chess480, with its castling rule having the King move two
squares instead of to the traditional squares c1 or g1, would lead to
LESS
OPPOSITE WING castling games than would chess960/FRC.
Thus I suspect the draw rate would be higher in chess480 than in
chess960.
Generally a higher draw rate is bad.

In my chess960 book I describe a tweak of the chess960 castling rule,
designed to increase the rate of opposite wing castling.  Statistics show
that the draw rate is lower when the two players castle to opposite
wings.
 Opposite wing castling is almost rare in traditional 'chess1', which
may
be considered a flaw in the engineering of the rules (choices made when
chess1 was invented in the 1400's).  Basically, my rule would give the
second player to castle more freedom to choose the destination square of
his castling king, if but only if he castles to the opposite wing.


Thank you.
Gene Milener