Bob Greenwade wrote on Sat, Mar 30, 2024 02:38 PM UTC:
256. Cloverleaf and 257. Bypass. When I posted the Left and Right Rotor a couple of weekends ago, Bn Em commented that sliding equivalents of those two Nightrider/Rose variants would also be possible, and I started to think about actually doing them. So, here they are.
The Clovereleaf -- so named because its diagram vaguely resembles a freeway cloverleaf -- slides orthogonally like a Rook; or it can move one space diagonally, then move in a circle with alternating orthogonal and diagonal steps. (RqF)
(On this illustration as well as the one below, the blue arrows show the piece's path when moving clockwise, while the green arrows show the path when moving counterclockwise.)
The Bypass (the best name I could think of to contrast with Cloverleaf) slides diagonally like a Bishop; or it steps one space orthogonally, and then may move in a circle using alternating diagonal and orthogonal steps. (BqW)
Both pieces are clearly a step up from the Dragon King and Dragon Horse, and from the Chancellor and Archbishop, at least as much as those two pairs are from the Rook and Bishop. The Cloverleaf and Bypass could even represent steps in a system of evolutionary promotions (which could also include the Unicorn and Raven).
As for the models, I think that the Cloverleaf came out quite well, though the necessity of truncating the corners of the Bypass makes it look rather vulnerable.
256. Cloverleaf and 257. Bypass. When I posted the Left and Right Rotor a couple of weekends ago, Bn Em commented that sliding equivalents of those two Nightrider/Rose variants would also be possible, and I started to think about actually doing them. So, here they are.
The Clovereleaf -- so named because its diagram vaguely resembles a freeway cloverleaf -- slides orthogonally like a Rook; or it can move one space diagonally, then move in a circle with alternating orthogonal and diagonal steps. (RqF)
(On this illustration as well as the one below, the blue arrows show the piece's path when moving clockwise, while the green arrows show the path when moving counterclockwise.)
The Bypass (the best name I could think of to contrast with Cloverleaf) slides diagonally like a Bishop; or it steps one space orthogonally, and then may move in a circle using alternating diagonal and orthogonal steps. (BqW)
Both pieces are clearly a step up from the Dragon King and Dragon Horse, and from the Chancellor and Archbishop, at least as much as those two pairs are from the Rook and Bishop. The Cloverleaf and Bypass could even represent steps in a system of evolutionary promotions (which could also include the Unicorn and Raven).
As for the models, I think that the Cloverleaf came out quite well, though the necessity of truncating the corners of the Bypass makes it look rather vulnerable.