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Baseline chess with Fischer rules. Start with dropping major pieces on baseline, a variant that uses rules from Fischer Random Chess but is not random. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

GeneM wrote on Sat, Jan 19, 2008 03:50 AM UTC:Good ★★★★

Ken,

In the introduction to your Baseline Fischer Chess, I do not see any
description of the theoretical justification of this variant. In other
words, what problem is this nuanced variation of FRC trying to solve? Or
what additional benefit is it trying to gain?

RANDOM OR DELIBERATE?
The rule description is too vague: Is each player allowed to determine his
own setup on his back rank? I hope not. If not, then this is FRC-chess960
except two setups are randomly selected instead of just one. Could be very
unfair in many individual games.

ASYMMETRIC IS LESS DRAW-ISH; LESS FAIR?
I will admit that one possible justification of asymmetric setups is that
by itself, FRC-chess960 cannot reduce the high overall draw rate in
grandmaster chess by more than a modest fraction. Asymmetric setups
*might* have a bigger reduction in the draw rate.
However, even if asymmetric is less draw-ish, it might often be because
one player started the game with a better setup before the first move is
made.

CORNER BISHOPS ARE BAD
I have come to think that Bobby made a mistake by allowing bishops to
start on corner squares. There is only one way to develop a corner bishop
(Kramnik's point); and no other piece has that problem to that degree.
FRC-chess960 has at least 40% of its games start with a corner bishop.
Sometimes interesting, more often not.

Thanks.
Gene Milener

http://www.CastleLong.com/ , FRC-chess960

Dvoretsky's take:
http://www.chesscafe.com/text/dvoretsky88.pdf