Malcolm Webb wrote on Sun, Jun 11, 2017 02:38 PM UTC:
I have posted a Zillions implementation of Piers Anthony's "Pole Chess". I noticed that the Pole does have a few offensive uses, even though Piers Anthony envisioned it as a defensive piece. One of its offensive uses is to block the escape of an enemy King, and thus contribute indirectly to the King being checkmated. I would therefore suspect that the "Pole-capturing" rule should make the game MORE "drawish".
My Zillions-rules file has one default version and nine different variants.
The default version does not allow the Pole to ever be captured. Each of the nine variants has its own "Pole-capturing" rule:
VARIANT ONE: The King may take the enemy Pole if it is in check and it has no other move.
VARIANT TWO: You may take the enemy Pole if you are in check.
VARIANT THREE: Your King may take the enemy Pole.
VARIANT FOUR: You may take the enemy Pole with any piece if it is next to your King.
VARIANT FIVE: A Pole may suicide-capture the enemy Pole with a King-move.
VARIANT SIX: A Pole may take the enemy Pole with a King-move, but can be captured normally from then on.
VARIANT SEVEN: If a Pole gives discovered check, it may be captured normally from then on.
VARIANT EIGHT: A Pole can capture and be captured if your King is in check and has no other move.
VARIANT NINE: Your Pole may suicide-capture the enemy Pole if by so doing you will "bare" your king.
Only my rule in Variant Two is identical to the rules proposed by A. Black: it is identical to his rules X and XI (these two rules are identical if you think about them).
I have posted a Zillions implementation of Piers Anthony's "Pole Chess". I noticed that the Pole does have a few offensive uses, even though Piers Anthony envisioned it as a defensive piece. One of its offensive uses is to block the escape of an enemy King, and thus contribute indirectly to the King being checkmated. I would therefore suspect that the "Pole-capturing" rule should make the game MORE "drawish".
My Zillions-rules file has one default version and nine different variants.
The default version does not allow the Pole to ever be captured. Each of the nine variants has its own "Pole-capturing" rule:
VARIANT ONE: The King may take the enemy Pole if it is in check and it has no other move.
VARIANT TWO: You may take the enemy Pole if you are in check.
VARIANT THREE: Your King may take the enemy Pole.
VARIANT FOUR: You may take the enemy Pole with any piece if it is next to your King.
VARIANT FIVE: A Pole may suicide-capture the enemy Pole with a King-move.
VARIANT SIX: A Pole may take the enemy Pole with a King-move, but can be captured normally from then on.
VARIANT SEVEN: If a Pole gives discovered check, it may be captured normally from then on.
VARIANT EIGHT: A Pole can capture and be captured if your King is in check and has no other move.
VARIANT NINE: Your Pole may suicide-capture the enemy Pole if by so doing you will "bare" your king.
Only my rule in Variant Two is identical to the rules proposed by A. Black: it is identical to his rules X and XI (these two rules are identical if you think about them).