George Duke wrote on Fri, Dec 18, 2009 05:24 PM UTC:
Score: Mastodon > Unicorn Great > Centennial > Eurasian > Black Ghost > Templar > Modern > Switching > Seirawan.
http://www.chessvariants.org/index/displaycomment.php?commentid=24303
Sedulously availing all the symbolic help possible, legendary superannuated
Betza is enlisted but not for Chess Unequal Armies, the Next Chess selected
by himself before he skedaddled -- coincidentally in July 2003 the very
month and year Charles Gilman as prolificist and myself as archivist began
propounding wider and deeper perspectives, carrying the day, no longer
beholden predominantly to the 1500-year 64-square philosopher's stone.
Rather, Betza's Black Ghost, already 14 years old, steeped in Orthodoxy
become otherworldly, exhibits a subtle, peculiar Mutator. The two other
Mutators, Switching and Seirawan, have not fared well, landing in the last
two spots thus far above. Non-capturing, teleporting Black Ghost purportedly helps equalise Black's opening dis-advantage. Does it overcompensate? Yes, according to consensus in the comments there. Regardless, some modified Black Ghost, such as allowed only so many times like 3 per game, might ultimately equalise. Belonging only to Black -- see other experimentation with White Ghost too -- Black Ghost is aesthetically unbalancing, however
sliced and implemented. Why should White's first move necessarily be
considered a problem anyway? First-move advantage, or dis-advantage at
times in other CVs, as a rule ought to be just taken for granted as part of
the landscape. So, interesting Black Ghost probably does not really address, let alone answer, any important issue of the day. It should be worth more ongoing study than Templar, and Templar's rather uninteresting up to two-step limited Bishop; and there Black Ghost is slotted.
Mastodon > Unicorn Great > Centennial > Eurasian > Black Ghost > Templar > Modern > Switching > Seirawan.