Bob Greenwade wrote on Tue, Jan 16, 2024 05:21 PM UTC:
182. Free Bear. For my game Hundred Acre Chess, inspired by Winnie the Pooh, I had a bit of a puzzle about what to do about Pooh-Bear himself; the Bear, as an alternate form of the Squirrel, didn't seem quite right for a piece that was to take the place of the Queen (next to King Christopher Robin), and represent the stories' main character. This historical piece from Shogi variants saved the day.
The Free Bear slides diagonally like a Bishop, or sideways like a Rook; or may leap two spaces diagonally forward (BsRfA).
Having played a few games of HAC against the Interactive Diagram's AI, I can say that this handles its role nicely.
As happy as I am with this piece for use with HAC, I acknowledge that a less whimsical version is needed. I also need a good Bear piece for use as a Squirrel alternate. I have an old one of the latter that still uses the head of an imported bear figure; I haven't quite figured out how to make my own Bear head yet.
182. Free Bear. For my game Hundred Acre Chess, inspired by Winnie the Pooh, I had a bit of a puzzle about what to do about Pooh-Bear himself; the Bear, as an alternate form of the Squirrel, didn't seem quite right for a piece that was to take the place of the Queen (next to King Christopher Robin), and represent the stories' main character. This historical piece from Shogi variants saved the day.
The Free Bear slides diagonally like a Bishop, or sideways like a Rook; or may leap two spaces diagonally forward (BsRfA).
Having played a few games of HAC against the Interactive Diagram's AI, I can say that this handles its role nicely.
As happy as I am with this piece for use with HAC, I acknowledge that a less whimsical version is needed. I also need a good Bear piece for use as a Squirrel alternate. I have an old one of the latter that still uses the head of an imported bear figure; I haven't quite figured out how to make my own Bear head yet.