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Sissa. Variant on 9 by 9 board with Sissa's. (9x9, Cells: 81) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Of course Sissa has two pathways to each square on any rectangular board, and either or both may be blocked. 225- and 315-degree angles throw one for a second, but Sissa is a two-path piece, like Eric Greenwood's Cavalier and Duke (both used before in Pritchard ECV games) and like Betza's Rose. I guess 'multiple-path' applies to two possibilities.
Article does not discuss multiple pathways. In fact, Sissa moves to squares of Rook plus those of Nightrider. What is name, as 'Unicorn' is B + NN? However, Sissa does not leap like NN or slide like Rook. Actually it moves to each 'N-Rider square' by two unique paths and 'Rook square' by four(4) routes. Four pathways may be cut to two only by proximity to edge. Still, intervening pieces may reduce any 4-fold way to 3-, 2-, or one, or prohibit move altogether; and any 2-fold way to 1 or 0. More interesting innovation than most CV games that come from new combinations or small change of old elements.
In second drawing above, Sissa at c3 captures Queen at e7 by its 'modified Nightrider route' c3-d4-e5-e6-e7. The other pathway c3-c4-c5-e6-d7 is blocked by Rook at c5, but for two-fold-pathway square, one path is sufficient to complete move (and capture). Sissa goes to N-Rider squares by two-fold way, and Rook squares by four-fold way. Also making same distinction is the angled change of direction. When it turns 45 degrees, Sissa goes to N-Rider square; when 135 degrees, Rook square. It is not necessary, as in article, to think in terms of 225- or 315-degree changes of direction--a '315 turn' is just a 45-degree one the other way for Chess purposes.
'9x9 Blockbusters'. Who know what it is? Put a 'CV' (chess variate) on 9x9, and most of the time it turns out very good or excellent. The only other category that holds for seems to be handful of particular human inventors -- to be named later. Who characteristically has > 10 CVs and > 50% Excellent? Only few, and we shall go out on our proverbial limb as usual, find them, and name them. Part of the reason for 9x9-types' inherent excellence has to be that Shogi amalgums -- chiefly standard Shogi -- on 9x9 are so poorly conceived. Certainly representing excellent culturally, Shogi nevertheless has been found mostly bad for play to most clubbers, worse than also-slow-paced Shatranj. Casual players in the western world find Shogi pieces, moreover, arbitrary and drops distracting. (At least Shatranj had coherence for its time.) Anyway, here is another fine, because original, '9x9', Sissa, recreating as it does ten years ago multi-path Sissa, after Coherent months earlier, and explaining it well enough in this article. The era was short-lived, 1995 - 2003 (when Ralph Betza left) that gave CVs spontaneneous inventiveness, with none of today's ego-driven ''new'' (and not so new (and not new at all)) combinations of elements and, worse, rating of others' CVs not very analytically, instead even with self-described vengeance aforethought. In other words, the modern ethos within CVPage includes that if someone criticizes one's CV, it is taken personally and calls for ''balancing the equation'' by rating the evaluaters' CVs or articles low, regardless of actual merit. Most of newer prolificists adhere to their such principle of ''vengeance rating.'' What a downturn from days of Ralph Betza's mixture of dry wit and informed judgment.
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