[ List Earliest Comments Only For Pages | Games | Rated Pages | Rated Games | Subjects of Discussion ]
Single Comment
There are 6 or 10 definitions of Falcon move around, all describing the same three-step three-way darter. (That's one incomplete definition right there.) Falcon is mathematical complement to Rook, Knight and Bishop, of which there can be only one. The particular definition in this article at the start of section ''Scorpion'' reads: ''Falcon slides three squares to reach squares leaped to by Zebra and Camel. Falcon follows any of six patterns OOD, ODO, DOO, DDO, DOD, and ODD, where 'O' is orthogonal (one square rook-like or straight, rectilinear) and 'D' is diagonal (one square bishop-like or oblique, slant). Falcon does not jump like Camel or Zebra and so must have a clear path.'' A good definition is offered 27.June.2008 Comment at ''Falcon Chess'' year 1999 essay, also never revised: that the Falcon moves to squares at opposite corners of (2,4) and (3,4) along ''any of the three shortest paths to its destination consisting or orthogonal and diagonal steps, which can be blocked on any square it has to pass over to reach its destination.'' The term ''shortest path,'' or as minimal pathway, is used before and always benefits from fuller explanation. For example, related Scorpion, four-step versus Falcon three-step, reaches squares at opposite corner of (2,5), (3,5) and (4,5). Among Scorpion's pathways are odod and dodo, entailing two changes of direction. They are ''short-path'' routes just as ddoo and oodd, all travelling same distances. It just helps to spell out all fourteen of the patterns within the Scorpion's definition.