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Comments by GaryK.Gifford
Catapults of Troy. Large variant with a river, catapults, archers, and trojan horses! (8x11, Cells: 88) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Ed is correct about the Mate-in-2. The King could simply move onto the Catapult. I can't believe I missed that. Ed, thanks for pointing out the King's escape. Sincerely, Gary (inventor of Catapults of Troy)
In regard to the previous two 'C of Troy' comments. White's C2 Catapult should really be a 'Catapult/Pawn' combo piece. Then the King has no escape as the Catapult is already occupied... the intended mate holds true when the piece correction is made. Again, a special thanks to Ed for pointing out the mistake. I will make a new diagram in the near future to replace the incorrect one. gkg
Contest: the 9 Queens Problem. Put 9 queens and 1 or 2 pawns such that queens do not see each other. Send your solution before Feb 29, and win a book![All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I am disappointed to see that a solution was posted as it ruins the challenge for problem solvers that have not yet solved it or were still trying for 1 pawn solutions. I sent in a solution several days ago with 9 Queens and 1 pawn and was looking forward to winning a book. Now I see these answers here... they should have waited until after the contest ended before posting them.
Roberto: Thank you for explaining your mathematical excitement over the very interesting problem. I solved the problem in a matter of a minute or two. But I did not use math (at least not a a concious level). I had a strong hunch that a central pawn would be best to isolate 2 pawns on the rank, and then 2 on the file... I believed that the 'knight move' pattern optimized Queen placements for this problem... the Knight pattern is certainly abundant in the solution and I think that a mathematical solution should somehow incorporate the 'knight move' aspect of Queen placement. Best regards, Gary
Time Travel Chess. Pieces can travel into the Future. Kings can also return to the Past! (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I was just wondering if the Larry Smith time-warp chess variant has been submitted to the editors. And if not, why not... Best regards to all...gkg
I suppose we've all had our share of poor sports. Recently I was playing 2 games at ChessVariants (both against the same opponent, at his invitation). After several moves (which were made quickly on both our parts) I was down a pawn in one game. Later, after I went up a piece, I noticed that both games disappeared. I sent an e-mail to my opponent to see if he knew what happened. Yes, indeed. It seemed that it was too hard to enter moves into the Courier so he deleted both games. Funny that while he was a pawn up the entering of moves was not a problem. Anyway, it just makes me feel a little better to vent this.
Shanghai Palace Chess. A blend of Chinese, Japanese, and Western Chess. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]After reading over additional Shanghai Palace comments I realized something interesting in reference to the introduction of the game. For those who do not know, there is a brief story about students arguing over what was better, Chess, Shogi, or Xianqi. A wise man combined all three, asked the students to play it and then asked them to answer as to which they thought was best. And perhaps that wise man's action was indeed wise. For if the students' responses were 'that to merge the 3 games is to lose the beauty of each' then indeed they have learned a lesson, perhaps the lesson that the wise man already knew. However, that is not a lesson that I conciously intended. In fact, if you play this game you will realize that Cannons are more powerful than they are in Chinese Chess. And that a Western Pawn can support a Chinese Pawn. That the Queen can sometimes exchange herself for a Shogi Pawn to very good effect. One very respectable player/inventor who I admire referred to Shanghai Palace Chess as a 'Frankenstein Monster.' I am hoping it is, perhaps, more of an ugly duckling (although I happen to see beauty in it). I do hope, however, that players will give this game a try. Then, if they hate it, they have at least experienced it... felt the gravity of it. Perhaps I should finish the short story about Shanghai Palace Chess... I am now very curious as to how it ends.
In regard to a Zillions version of Shanghai Palace Chess, a programmer friend of mine is [was] working on script. However, he just got swamped by tons of work-related programming and it may be a while before he can complete the ZRF. I think a ZRF is desperately needed for this game, as first impressions (with no actual game-playing basis) certainly seem to run on the negative side of the scale. Perhaps some would be willing to play via Game Preset? I will let ChessVariants know the moment the ZRF is ready.
I dedicate this comment respectfully to Dr. Suess, for reasons which will soon become clear. I started to write this as an e-mail response to a player/inventor who suggested that I make changes to S.P.C. But I feel it will do more good here, as a comment for all interested to see. Because of the story associated with Shanghai Palace Chess, i.e., that of a wise man teaching three students a lesson so that they will better respect Chess, Shogi, and Xianqi, I feel that I must really leave it as it is. If it is not liked, then that perhaps is its purpose, to put more focus on the other three games. To change the Western, Chinese, or Shogi elements further would destroy the entire concept... would make the wise man's lesson meaningless. I know that the game is quite playable. And for the game tester and me it was quite fun. Enough so that we put Shogi and Xianqi aside for 2 months and played Shanghai Palace Chess face-to-face (on a real board) for 2 months before I submitted the game. To glance at it and think about it for a few minutes and then refer to it as a monster or a chaotic mess [in contrast to playing 20 or so games of it]well there is certainly a big difference regarding the basis of perception... sort of like reading a movie review and commenting, as opposed to actually going out to see the movie. I think Doctor Suess would see the negative comments regarding S.P.C. as the 'Green Eggs and Ham' syndrome. Would you play it on a train? Would you play it in the rain? I would not play it on a train. I would not play it in the rain. I do not like Shanghai Chess. I do not like it, I must confess. ,,,, Anyway, I think that about sums it up.
In reply to Mark Thompson's recent and welcomed comment. Mark, yes, other setups were experimented with. The first was as you suggested. But since western pieces could advantageously exchange themselves for Shogi pieces the game was much more volatile. Thus the shift to the cultures starting off facing each other. A second variation had a Gold General on D2 and F2 and a Silver General on E2 (this was mirrored for Blue). Western pieces were also arranged different. In that setup, blue had a hard time if red played a certain opening. In fact, it seemed that red could almost win by force. The posted setup neutralizes red's big opening advantage. I think there will be a pre-set for Shanghai Palace Chess in the near future. Also, Larry Smith has expressed interest in helping with a ZRF for Zillions. I think that players who give this game a try will find it strategically and tactically challenging. There are opening patterns, traps, combinations... In response to an earlier comment comparing the making of Shanghai Palace Chess to being somewhat like trying to make a beautiful woman by 'combining all the best qualities of a beautiful blonde, a beautiful brunette, and a beautiful redhead into one woman' [and this was stated in a negative tone] But give me the jpegs of those women and I can use a photo/paint progam to... well, anyway I bet I could get one heck of a darn nice image.
Gee Whiz Fergus... how can I refuse a challenge like that? As the one lady [composed of three] concept is related to Shanghai Palace Chess by way of your analogy, I have made a composite and sent it to you. Best regards, Gary
Review: 303 Tactical Chess Puzzles. Book of Fred Wilson and Bruce Alberston to train chess combination skills.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]This is in regard to '303 Tactical Chess Puzzles' by Fred Wilson & Bruce Alberston. Luckily I won this book... I say 'luckily' because based on the very negative EricL review who could possibly want the book? However, I am pleasantly pleased with the book and I gave it 4 stars (out of 5) on Amazon.com. How could this be if the other review is accurate? Simple, I find the problems in the book to be stimulating. The diagrams are large and clear, easy on my aging eyes. As for the errors... they aren't much to write home about. In fact: In reference to the 203-11-26 EricL review, Puzzle # 8: A basic double threat problem. The answer in the book is a simple typo... it is no big deal to me. I solved the problem and the typo didn't upset me. #10. I agree with the authors and white wins, even if black replies other than indicated. In the EricL suggestion Black gets a Rook at the cost of a Queen and a Pawn... might as well resign. #12. The authors were teaching about'Removing the Guard', amazingly, after having done a few other 'remove the guards' I saw a 'mate-in-two' for this position in a fraction of a second. In a chess tournament I'd have played that in a heart beat, it was so clear and it wins the game. True, the mate-in-one is best... but would it make much difference in a tournament? No. It is still a good brain excercise. You still learn to calculate and force a win via a nice combo. If you find a nicer combo, great. In a review elsewhere I saw that someone complained that playing for black, black pieces were still starting at the top of the diagram and that wasn't realistic if playing a game. How silly. 'White at bottom' is a standard. If that bugs somebody they should set up a board and then sit down at the black side. Anyway... the book has 100 diagrams for 'Advanced Beginners', 100 for Intermediate, and 100 for 'Tournament Players'. At the end there are a few pages dedicated to Defense, a few on Computer Chess, and a small section about a Philidor game. Overall, I find 303 Tactical Chess Puzzles to be a very enjoyable book. If I have enough chess students this summer, there will be a chess class for the city... and this book will certainly help.
Shanghai Palace Chess. A blend of Chinese, Japanese, and Western Chess. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]This is in regard to the Fergus analogy pertaining to Shanghai Palace Chess, and about the associated challenge (better known as the composite lady image challenge). I find the image interesting and I may have my artist friend enhance it. There is also a new image (of a face) which is part of another Fergus challenge. But this 'composite imagery stuff' is not really related to Shanghai Palace Chess... at least not directly. It is merely an analogy run amok. The image has no place in the chess variants pages. But for those of you intrigued by the concept of the image you may like chapter 4 of my book, The Bermuda Pie-Angle. Chapter 4 is called, 'Ladies, Earthly and Otherwise.'
Rules of Chess FAQ. Frequently asked chess questions.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]A 2317 rating... impressive, but I am very skeptical. In a recent comment Ryan Goebel stated 'I have benn [sic] wondering how good other people are please tell me your rating mine is 2317 and i am 10 years old.' That is very impressive, approaching a youthful Bobby Fischer status (perhaps already there). But when I searched the official rating lists I found no Ryan Goebel listed. There was another Goebel in the age 6 to 12 group. But he was rated 534 (far below the norm). The highest Goebel I found was rated 1530 (which is about the average rating of USCF tournament players). Ryan, if you want, please send your USCF ID number so I can verify your youthful Fischer-like strength... if it is a real thing, I want to know about it. But for now I must remain skeptical. As for me, my rating is only about 1830. That is a Class 'A' player... the next level up (2000) is Expert (the Brits call it 'Candidate Master' which is a nicer title. At 2200 we have Master. At 2400 we have Grand Master. Ryan, if you are 2317 at age 10, I want to read about you in the Chess Life magazine. I hope you can shatter my skepticism. We could use another Bobby Fischer (chess talent wise, not personality wise).
Ryan, you should still be listed on the official USCF ratings list. And to reach a 2317 rating you would not be able to 'keep low.' Thus your Bobbby Fischer like level of play is most baffling to me... and I still remain skeptical. Your USCF ID number could validate what you say... do you even have a USCF ID number? If you are indeed close to the highest rated 10 year old on the planet... then I really want Chess Life to do a story on it, and they'd love to. I would like to be shown to be wrong, but I think this 2317 rating story is no more than National Enquirer material. Please provide the ID number by e-mail to me so I can proove myself wrong. Thanks. Sincerely, Gary [really hoping that I am wrong]
Ryan: Your last comment said a lot. Without an ID number you can not play in Official Tournaments, and cannot have an official chess rating. I am dissapointed... but as I thought, the 2317 rating only seems to exist in your own mind.
Comments on Grand Chess. Notes on Grand Chess and a variant. (10x10, Cells: 100) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I agree with both Michael Howe and Roberto Lavieri. To me, Grand Chess is such a great variant that it deserves to stand as it is, unchanged, right up along side Chess, Xianqi, and Shogi.
Hole Chess. Variant on a board of 44 squares with two holes that pieces can be dragged into. (7x10, Cells: 44) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I just caught Chuck's comment about the Hole Chess sample game. Chuck wrote, and I quote, 'In the sample game, I'm not so sure Yellow has a forced win after 8... Kc9. It looks to me as if Red is OK after 9. Qd6/@d8+ Qd8/@d6.' I just looked over the position. Chuck is 100% correct. His suggested reply certainly saves the game.
Shanghai Palace Chess 
. Download these files to play this blend of Chinese, Japanese and Western Chess with Zillions of Games.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]First, a special thanks to L. Lynn Smith for creating the ZRF for S.P.C. Note that Mr. Smith added a second setup option to the ZRF (but you can read about that on the updated S.P.C. page). The primary weakness of the ZRF seems to be its failure to understand Cannons. It seems that it will exchange these in a heartbeat. Not a good idea. In S.P.C. Cannons are very powerful. They can threaten mate, threaten to win a Shogi piece for a deadly drop, etc. I am hoping that a way will be found to improve the Cannon situation. On the bright side: (1) the ZRF seems to abide by all the rules (2) the ZRF shows that the blend of Western, Chinese, and Japanese chess into one unified game does work, and works quite well (3) the ZRF enables players to gain understanding of the game (4) when and if there is a world S.P.C. champion, he or she is likely to be human, not computer.
Catapults of Troy. Large variant with a river, catapults, archers, and trojan horses! (8x11, Cells: 88) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I have made a note to add Michael Schmahl's concise statement to the rules, i.e., A catapult can launch a piece occupying it to an empty square on the same rank or file. It cannnot launch diagonally. Note that the rules do have examples of legal Catapult moves and launches. On a different note, a reminder that the first checkmate problem has an error... the Catapult on E2 should have a Pawn on it.
To answer Carlos: 1. Yes, a bridge builder can move onto a bridge, and from there add/remove adjacent bridges. 2. Yes, a bridge builder can cross a bridge, and from there add/remove bridges to the river on the 3 squares'behind' him [adjacent to him]. But he can only do 'one' add or delete at a time. Also note that a bridge builder can remove a bridge that an opponent's piece is standing on. That piece effectively 'falls into the river' and is removed.
I intend to elaborate upon the Catapults of Troy rules in the very near future. This will include more detail regarding Catapult-related activity and Bridge Builder Activity. I would also like to add an 'arrow' Troy Horse image to the piece set. The arrow Troy Horse would be used at the start of the game to remind players that an Archer is inside. After the Archer is dispensed, the 'non-arrow' Horse Image will replace the arrow-image Troy Horse, thus showing that the Troy Horse is empty.
Shanghai Palace Chess. A blend of Chinese, Japanese, and Western Chess. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]A note for anyone who is about to play Shanghai Palace Chess from the 'blue side': Currently the Game Courier will show the pieces upside down when blue is at the bottom. Although I just completed a game this way with no problem, it was quite awkward seeing the Shogi piece vectors oriented 180 degrees out of phase. So, you will need to be extra careful when making moves. When you play blue from bottom using the Zillions ZRF you will need to select the second piece set to have the pieces orient properly. Also, if you play this game it is very important to remember that the King is a Chinese King. He can easily be mated by a single Cannon since he cannot move diagonally.
Game Courier. PHP script for playing Chess variants online.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]This was suppose to address Shanghai Palace Chess- somehow it went to the wrong subject heading.... Anyway, in Regard to Shanghai Palace Chess's game courier, I don't think that the courier change buys us much. Now, for example, if the player with Red looks at Blue's Shogi pieces he will still have to mentally flip the vectors. The Silver is the most likely to be confused since it looks like it can go back one space instead of forward one. I imagaine the Blue player will have the same problem. L. Lynn Smith might have a solution as he handled this problem in his ZRF. Meanwhile, I am checking on having a Shanghai Palace Chess tournament. I have a nice trophy picked out. Should the event be approved I will post more information regarding it and the intended prize. It is probably best that the courier 'flip situation' get resolved before any tournament would get started. Best regards to all...
Shanghai Palace Chess. A blend of Chinese, Japanese, and Western Chess. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]For anyone looking at move couriers for Shanghai Palace Chess, please note that the board with the new 'Fergus' piece set is not set up correcectly at this time. For those interested, the new Fergus pieces include Chinese simulated wood international graphics pieces, western pieces, and the familiar modern Shogi pieces. This makes for a nice alternative set. On a different note: A special thanks to Fergus, Tony Q., and I believe L. Lynn Smith for resolving the 'Piece Flip Problem' and another thanks to Fergus for putting together the alternative piece set.
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