Single Comment

Now that I've played a little ABChess with the zrf (nice job!) I like the game a lot. It has a terrific Xiang-Qi-like feel to it with lots of new tactical possibilities provided by the new pieces. I'm still not sure about the effect of knightriders on opening play, though, and I don't like the anti-positional nature of the teleporter piece. I also have some thoughts about the piece values. I think the teleporter, pao, and rook are overvalued, and I think the varan, unicorn, wildebeest, and eagle are undervalued. But that's one opinion, and a consensus opinion based on a lot more experience is what's needed. Orthodox chess evaluations will not apply to this game, in light of the pawn rules and the king's fortress. Also, I tried several Zillions vs. Zillions games of 'Marshal Varan vs. Two Queens' and white won 5 out of 6 games. That's a small sample and might not be significant, but it might mean that a little more work needs to be done to balance games between unmatching armies. Of course, in games between matching armies, piece values and army balance becomes much less critical. Despite these criticisms, offered and taken, I hope, in a constructive spirit, I like ABChess enormously. It's a game I'm sure I will keep going back to.