Single Comment

Joe Joyce writes:

As always in a large group of people, we have have positions that can be seen as polar opposites, and enough people of either persuasion to keep some interesting conversations going. As an aside, is there a third way that can accommodate both of these positions and deal with their issues?

On a site devoted to variety, you're likely to find a variety of opinions. My position is in the middle and so may be the third way you're asking about. I believe quantity and variety of Chess variants is good up until it starts to compromise quality. When someone is sacrificing quality for the sake of quantity, he needs to slow down and pay more time and attention to developing the game before releasing it to the public, to playtesting the game before asking others to play it, to writing a clear and detailed description of the game that is good enough for a programmer to use to program the rules of the game, and, as far as he's able, to designing graphics and writing software for the game. One thing I want to stress is the importance of moving beyond the idea stage to working out your idea, playtesting it, modifying it as needed, and presenting it to others only when you're satisfied that it is good and ready. When you buy a recipe book, you expect that the recipes have previously been tried and tested and that they are not just a bunch of ideas people have for what might taste good. It's important to pay the Chess variant audience the same consideration that the recipe audience expects from cookbooks.

I would not echo Sam's recommendation that people focus on only a single variant -- unless that is what they want to do by their own choice. I certainly don't focus on a single variant myself, and I'm not liable to in the future.

I would not worry too much about presenting the game to GMs or other people of stature in the Chess world. They are not the target demographic of most Chess variants. But I would recommend the following. (1) Write a clear and detailed description that covers all the contingencies in your game. If you're not able to program your game yourself, gaining the interest of a programmer is an important step toward increasing interest in your game in general. (2) Make effective use of graphics. Include a graphic image of the setup, graphic images of individual pieces with your piece descriptions, and, as needed, movement diagrams and any other diagrams that might be needed to help describe how your game works. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Even if it is possible for a person to understand your game from a text description alone, graphics can speed up comprehension and elicit interest in your game sooner than text alone could. Also, some people are just more visually minded than others. By combining a good text description with good use of graphics, you will more effectively reach a wider audience.