[ List Earliest Comments Only For Pages | Games | Rated Pages | Rated Games | Subjects of Discussion ]
Rated Comments for a Single Item
Doesn't the board need to be one rank longer?
Fergus Duniho's comments have emboldened me to say that I share his reservations but more forcefully. It is well worth taking heed of his expertise on both East Asian and hex variants, as you will see I have done. Had this been the first attempt by anyone at a hex analogue to Xiang Qi I would look more kindly on it, but there is already a history of variants combining these two elements and this one really adds nothing constructive to these earlier variants. The hex diagonal really is too different from the square-board one to suit pieces further restricted by Xiang Qi's internal boundaries. This is why Roberto Lavieri's Toccata dispenses with diagonal pieces altogether and my own progression of Xiang-Qi-influenced hex variants relegate diagonals to their Wellisch usage. The orientation is also Wellisch, following the lead of hex Shogi. Indeed my one variant that does adopt the Glinsky/McCooey orientation and use of diagonals also adopts Yang Qi's radical changes in diagonal pieces to match orthogonal ones, as its name of Liu Yang suggests.
It is good variant. So good that I choose to play it at Swiss Hippo Tournament #2. http://swisshippo.blogspot.com/ It looks aesthetically nice. Chariot, cannon, knight and pawn are stronger than in Xiang Qi. Chariot in the center of the board controls 26 hexes (1\3 of the board!). To make defensive pieces stronger, I offer three ideas. 1) Elephant-move. Elephant moves like Hex Bishop just limited with the river. Can enter the palace. Or more conservative: Elephant can move one or two spaces diagonally. 2) Advisor (mandarin) move. Advisor moves orthogonally, not diagonally. 3) General move. General moves orthogonally and diagonally, so like a king. I like first and third. Maybe this ideas can be used in Xiang Hex 2 (modern variation)... I will think about it! I don't want to change this game, till somebody doesn't show path to forced win. Just to offer another variant... I'd prefer to play with stronger Elephants.
I also would suggest heavily-orthogonal variant: elephants moves as non-leaping dababahs (able to enter the river, but not cross it), and advisors moves as wazirs, and general still have only orthogonal moves.
But i love, how it plays with standart diagonal moves as well.
But i love, how it plays with standart diagonal moves as well.
I like attempts to extend notable chess variants onto hexagonal boards.
5 comments displayed
Permalink to the exact comments currently displayed.