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Crooked Board Chess. Variant on a board of standard size but odd shape. (8x12, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

George Duke wrote on Thu, Aug 27, 2015 03:52 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

I just deliberately overrated a Good CV as excellent.  Charles, this C. B. should be kept on board so to speak since it's quite different from Zig Zag, and will look at some others you mention.  What does "super-square" mean? I knew in my first comment here, and have to recheck it to answer the question.  There has been already some detailed editing, for example no longer prohibiting d6xe7.  Why does it say 4 Pawns when there appear to be 8 Pawns?  "One foot in the grave" is actually good description I did not appreciate the first time through the Rules.  There are interesting features: 75% of the Pawns, that is 3 of 4, starting in back of their own file can promote in 3 moves. Things like that, and the lesson that Crooked Bishop itself really needs a strict four-sided board, or that pieces are both inhibited and enhanced by inside corners d4-style.  Also, is there then a chance by one Pawn to promote in 2 moves?

 In Orthodox circles there were two books about Morley's new shape mid-20th C., http://www.chessvariants.org/shape.dir/morley.html, and unusual boards are probably the underutilized sector of 21st C. CVs.  Gilman has many unusual shapes but the smaller the better such as 64-square C.B.


Finally, "not for want of terminology from playing"? That addition to (one of) the rewrite(s)  poses the following question(s). Did you play it and how does it play?