Game Courier Chess Variant Problems

This page shows Chess variant problems created with Game Courier, a versatile web-based play-by-mail system that currently supports over 700 Chess variants.

Since this script crawls through the file system, it is disabled until it can be replaced by a script using the database.

How to Compose Chess Variant Problems

You can compose problems for any of the Chess variants you can play on Game Courier, and the problems you compose will be listed on this page. To start, find a game and click the Compose button. You can do this from the main preset for a game or from a position in a game you are viewing a log of. This will bring you to the problem composer. Here, you can change the board position, set the stipulation for the problem, describe it, select whose turn it is, and enter a solution. You can change the board position by entering new FEN code or by moving pieces manually. You can move pieces with the mouse or enter commands for moving pieces. Once you have the position you want, have entered the stipulation and who should move, you should enter the solution. Click on the Move button when no fields have been changed. This will bring you to where you can enter the solution by moving pieces. Once you have finished the solution, click the Compose button to go back to the problem composer, and from there enter your userid and password if need be and click the Publish button. This will store your problem on the website, and it will be accessible from this page.

About Wildcards

The Log and Game filters use Unix style wildcard pattern matching. The Log filter does this on the Log name, and this includes the directory it is in, which looks something like this example: storm_the_ivory_tower/fergus-cvgameroom-2003-249-204.php. The Game filter does this on the game's name. Here are the symbols you can use for wildcard matching.

Filtering by Userid

If you enter a userid, it will list only those games in which that id identifies one of the players. Under the Next Move for column, for each game in which it is that user's turn to move, it will include a link for him to go to the PBM and make his next move. If a given user is playing any games that are not open to public view, he will need to enter his password to view these games on this page. If all your games are publicly viewable, then you don't need to include your password on this page.