Game Reviews by Joshua Morris

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Chigorin Chess. White has knights instead of bishops and a chancellor for his queen; black has bishops instead of knights. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Joshua Morris wrote on Tue, Jul 12, 2005 10:14 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

I have played this game many times; it remains one of my favorite Chess variants.

Drawless Chess. Simple rules are added to make draws impossible. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Joshua Morris wrote on Fri, Jul 22, 2005 01:22 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

I love it. Draws are far too common in OrthoChess. A hard-fought battle to the draw can be satisfying, but most - stalemates, draws where one side has two knights while the other is left with a bare king - are unsatisfying.

Do-or-die Chess. Chess on an 8-by-5 board. Three ranks have been removed. (8x5, Cells: 40) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Joshua Morris wrote on Wed, Oct 5, 2005 10:24 PM UTC:Good ★★★★

I've played this game a few times now.  It's fun!

Does white have an advantage?  White won most of the games we played.

Stanley Random Chess A game information page

. Missing description[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Joshua Morris wrote on Wed, Oct 5, 2005 11:13 PM UTC:Good ★★★★

I find SRC amusing. The site contains pages of Chess history, fiction, and poetry - what's wrong with Chess humor? I don't think humor ought to be excluded just because some Chess players are humorless. :)

Hyperchess. A chess variant on a board representing 4-D space that closely parallels traditional Chess. (4x(), Cells: 256) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Joshua Morris wrote on Fri, Apr 13, 2007 06:06 AM UTC:Good ★★★★

Damn!  I recently had a very similar idea for a 5x5 set of 5x5 boards.  Thought I was the first.

I guess my game will have to be a Hyperchess variant. :)

Easterhouse. Captured pieces switch between Xiang Qi and Shogi boards. (9x19, Cells: 171) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Joshua Morris wrote on Wed, Apr 18, 2007 05:17 AM UTC:Good ★★★★

Imaginative!  I (and many others, I'm sure) have often thought of playing Bughouse using Grand Chess or Capablanca Chess or something in place of OrthoChess, but I've never considered playing Bughouse with two different games.  It's a fascinating idea.

Personally, I think it would be even more interesting to allow captured pieces to retain their character on the new board rather than morphing to fit the game being played.  I'd love to see Orthodox Chess played side-by-side with Shogi; imagine the horror on a Shogi player's face when his opponent drops a queen on the board.

Cataclysm. Large board game with short-range pieces designed to be dramatic without being overly complicated or dragging on too long. (12x16, Cells: 192) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Joshua Morris wrote on Wed, Apr 18, 2007 05:26 AM UTC:Good ★★★★

Damn.  I've been working on a ShortRange variant with pieces very similar to your Elephant, Tiger, and Duke - identical, in fact, save for one less square of range (WB3, FR3, and Q2).  Great minds... *smirk*

I'll still throw it out there if playtesting proves it to be any good - it's just that now I'll look like a copycat.

'It's not a ripoff...it's an homage!' :)

As for Cataclysm, I like it.  I like the big board.  I like all the pieces save the Great Rook, and that's only because I have a personal dislike of hoppers.  All in all, it looks like fun.

Dragonfly. Drop pieces you have taken on a 7 by 7 board. (7x7, Cells: 49) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Joshua Morris wrote on Fri, May 11, 2007 04:21 PM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

I'm surprised there have been no comments on this game, particularly given the popularity of Grand Chess.  The game is great as presented, but it also makes an excellent game for Bughouse - the absence of queens and the destruction of pawns makes it even better than Orthodox Bughouse, in my opinion.

Delta88 Chess. Chess on a Trigonal Board. (11x8, Cells: 88) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Joshua Morris wrote on Thu, Aug 30, 2007 07:21 AM UTC:Good ★★★★

Interesting idea.  I've often wondered what a triangular Chess might look like.

Also:  Oww, my brain!

Wildebeest Chess. Variant on an 10 by 11 board with extra jumping pieces. (11x10, Cells: 110) (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Joshua Morris wrote on Fri, Nov 2, 2007 01:17 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

Just wanted to add my 'Excellent' rating.  This game is right up there with Grand Chess.

I have a question for all you Wildebeesters.  Either side can deliver a smothered Fool's Mate on move 2 using the long leap of a Camel or Wildebeest.  This can be defended against in a few ways.  Does this cause opening variety to be limited, in anyone's experience?  Or is it more like Qh5 in OrthoChess, an aggressive move that tends to backfire if the opponent defends well?

AAUUGHH! Chess. After every move, there's a 1 in 18 chance of the rules switching to another in a list of variants. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]