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I have nothing against patents, but I´m not sure if patenting a Chess game is a good business. There are some examples, as Omega Chess, and, as it can be seen, the economic success is, apparently, modest. Other patented games have had worse luck, and a few others are played, formally or unformally, without the knowledge and permission od the owner of the patent, some of them more or less widely ( by example,'El Juego de las Amazonas' is trademarked, and I´m almost sure it is also patented, but the owner seems to be dissapeared, it is not easy stablish contact with it -juridic personality-, if it still exists, the case is that the game is played, coded, used in many places of the world in many forms, and the owner seems to be without any knowledge of this fact). What is the advantage of patenting a Chess variant?. Unless the game becomes a hit, I can´t see many advantages, and it is very difficult for a Chess variant being a hit, judging by some examples. And, if it is a hit, some near-clones can appear, diminishing the possible economic profits to undetermined levels. But I have not doubts, many of us may be tempted on patenting a game if it becomes a hit, it is absolutelly natural, because others can take advantage and not the author. By the way, I´m waiting to see some class of hit related to a Chess variant, but I´m doubful it is going to happen soon. For a while, I´m happy if our games are played by some people which enjoys our games, and if one of them becomes a potential hit, I can´t judge the rights of the author and the freedom he has to patent his game as soon as possible. If it is not the case, I accept and respect the decision of the author, but it may seem to me an unnecessary use of the time and the money in the majority of the cases, because the question: 'What thing is trying to be protected?' has not a clear answer.