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Comments by JohnLawson
Salmon P. Chess. Huge three-dimensional game celebrating 10 years chess variant pages. (10x(), Cells: 7500) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Amy, it's not just kids here! Many of us are firmly middle-aged. (Is 'firmly middle-aged' an oxymoron?)
Most of our editors have their ages in their bios. I am 55, and have been interested in chess variants for 43 years.
Jared: 'Wow, y'all are geezers.' Yes, but not geezers whose brains have ossified!
For pieces, I have a regular Staunton set, plus three different modern style sets. In addition, I have the three Exchess sets (see http://www.superchess.nl/ for available sets), so I can mix and match pieces as needed, and they are pleasing to play with, being medium quality wooden sets. Boards are a bigger problem, which I haven't solved to my satisfaction. I recently purchased a table saw for a home improvement project, and I am considering making a couple boards in common sizes like 10x10 and 10x8.
Chess Eccentricities. An old book on Chess variants from 1885.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]When I was in high school, the Brooklyn Public Library had a copy, but it does not appear in their online catalogue now. When I took it out in 1967, the card said the last time anyone had taken it out was 1959. I would certainly want a copy, and I'm sure there are others who would also.
The Pizza Kings. An experimental army for Chess with Different Armies, with lots of calories.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]'It is about 1.25 pawn stronger than a Queen, 1075 on my scale (on 10x8 board).' It was strong enough to unbalance the army relative to the other 'equal armies'. Note also that, as a short-range piece, the Meatball would devalue on the larger 10x8 board. Yes, I know there are other ways to name the piece and describe the move. Part of the fun of the experimental equal armies vogue in 2001 was an amusing theme, and in those days using Betza's funny notation was routine. I also invented a Nemoroth variant that could not be published here, since it was based on bodily fluids and secretions.
BTW, there were some older comments on this game, including an 'excellent' rating from Ralph Betza himself. http://www.chessvariants.org/ratings/-unequal.dir-pizza-kings.html
A variantist who happened to have a wood lathe: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/TCLPRO.html with a duplicator: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/CML-DUPU.html could make repetitive cylindrical shapes from templates is quantities of dozens for cost of materials plus time. They wouldn't be fancy, but the hard part would be designing the profiles. Now all you need is a variantist who is also a turner.
I suggested a variantist only because he/she would possibly donate or discount their time. An example of what could be done for rather more money than most would be comfortable with is Henk van Haeringen's Exchess sets. http://superchess.nl/indexengels.htm I also buy any reasonably priced chess set in boxwood and ebonized boxwood that is an unusual design. I can then select pieces for whatever I have in mind. The costs of that mount up over the years.
So there are three possibilities:
1) Buy his pieces
I've bought them all, and he's trying to make the shape mnemonic.
If you read his book, there are many more pieces than those he
manufactures.
2) Pay him to make our designs, as he obviously has the equipment and
experience to do this
I think Superchess is a labor of love for him, so I'm not sure that
would be feasible.
3) Set up our own production line, and start competing with him
It looks like he contracts the production. The quality is pretty
high, and the pieces seem to be turned on production duplicators, based on
the toolmarks. I believe he is only interested in Superchess, not variants
in general.
Having tried it, it is quite difficult, at least for me, to design a
decent-looking chesspiece, let alone one that can be turned economically.I've been using different style sets in boxwood and ebonized boxwood. I have all the Superchess Exchess sets as well as: Sets similar to ones I own: http://www.thechessstore.com/product/RSB400/Royal_Staunton_Chess_Set_in_Ebonized_Boxwood_Boxwood__4_King.html http://www.thechesspiece.com/G2000135_the_modern_staunton.html http://www.thechesspiece.com/G-223-KDF_the_berliner.html http://www.thechesspiece.com/AR01_the_arabic_chessmen.html http://www.chessforum.com/sitm.asp?itmID=340 Ones I would like to get some day: http://www.thechesspiece.com/G778105_the_staunton_wein.html http://www.thechesspiece.com/G-275-KTF_antique_repro_chess_set.html So you see I have a significant investment in chess pieces!
I also have some (not all) of these: http://history.chess.free.fr/images/staunton/karpov-set.jpg Yes, they are all wood. Boxwood or ivorywood, black pieces are ebonized. (I would prefer ebony, but money matters.) If you wish to see chess sets I'd love to have but can't afford go here: http://www.houseofstaunton.com/Store/category=House+of+Staunton+Antique+Reproduction+Chess+Sets&exact_match=exact http://houseofstaunton.com/Store/product_name=The+Empire+Series+Luxury+Chess+Set+-+4.4+inch+King/exact_match=exact In my old house, I kept them in glass-door cabinets on display in the game room. I haven't gotten to setting that up in my new house yet.
Horus. Game with Royal Falcons where all pieces start off board and most captures return pieces to owner's hand. (7x7, Cells: 44) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I suspect many 'inactive' variantists lurk, at least occasionally.
Sadly, 'international draughts' boards seem to be non-existent here in the US, let alone nice ones. I've looked, but I need to search in European languages to find them. I can get by in German, and get the gist of Dutch, but that's it. And then the shipping charges...Ugh! Another possibility is a Grand Chess board http://www.mindsports.nl/DownLoad/Noware/GrandChess.html but the shipping is still appalling. And it has to be a nice wood board, because I already have a 10x10 board made by my daughter as a craft project for Christmas, and I can't just use any vinyl board instead. I may end up with one of the vinyl boards anyway, because they are reasonable and shipped from Canada, which is much cheaper.
Heroes Hexagonal Chess. Hexagonal variant with special Hero piece which enhances other pieces. (Cells: 84) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]From the rules: 'If a Guard moves adjacent to an opposing King, it becomes a Heroic Pawn.' Is that what is happening?
I checked out the Supechess program at superchess.nl. Looks nifty, but I'd better wait for the English instructions, since my Dutch is weaker than weak. I have played Superchess via email (with Ben Good) and found it to be quite a lot of fun.
According to 'Superchess and Monarch: The Laws', section 10.3, 'A castling is a move of (i) a King or Emperor and exclusively (ii) a Rook of the same colour...' There's more about how it's done on a 10-file board, but otherwise it's normal castling. As part of his entire Superchess 'system', Henk van Haeringen defines 50 different piece types, so it would be impossible to define single letter abreviations for all of them, and stick with the Roman alphabet.
Cambaluc Chinese Chess Photos. A commercially produced Chinese Chess set with Staunton pieces.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I agree with dhr. Muller in my preference for wooden pieces. Nice ones are not very economical, and custom designs would be quite expensive. I did a 'back-of-the-envelope' calculation and came up with a price of about 2-4 USD per piece if executed by an experienced production hand turner, cheaper if the design and quantity allowed the use of an automatic duplicator. I checked this against prices in internet stores for hand-turned lace bobbins, which are similar to chess pieces in size and complexity, and undecorated ones are about 3-4 USD. There are other less traditional ways of making wooden chesspieces, notably ring-turning and scroll-sawed sillhouettes, which might be cheaper. For those who might want to butcher manufactured sets, the cheapest chess piece retailer I have found online is www.wholesalechess.com
Yes, I think the crafts section would be the place, rather than scattered in random commments pages.
Are you aware of the subject list, found at http://www.chessvariants.org/index/listsubjects.php? Although it is neither threaded nor dated, it will show the discussions not attached to games, listed alphabetically. These can easily be lost, so I check it occasionally for things I may have missed.
This is not an exhaustive list. For regular checkers (not cheap) http://www.chessusa.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=F3-200&Category_Code=CHK&Product_Count=4 http://www.chessusa.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=F3-007&Category_Code=CHK&Product_Count=3 http://www.thechessstore.com/c=mUwXbvqJe2zEk7s142bYNXos9/category/260_other_games.checkers Unfinished wood checkers (much cheaper) http://www.craftparts.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=checkers
The Game of Nemoroth. For the sake of your sanity, do not read this variant! (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Nemoroth is very difficult to play legally. I think every game Ben and I played, there were illegal moves that had to be taken back, usually involving the effects of the Ghast. You may also note that no one ever posted a Nemoroth variant. I toyed with one based on bodily functions, but it was untested, and I am as far from Ralph Betza as can be. I never posted it, as a 'humor' piece, because it would have violated the CVP's G rating. (For those not familiar with the US movie ratings, a G rated film has no sex, no violence, and is considered suitable for very young children.)
Ralph Betza called a Short Queen a Halfling, and wrote a couple articles on such pieces here: http://www.chessvariants.org/dpieces.dir/halflings.html#HALFLINGCHESS
Betza calls them 'anti-Halflings': http://www.chessvariants.org/dpieces.dir/halflings3.html Sorry.
CwDA: Breakfast Brutes. An army with the theme of a balanced breakfast. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Please flatter me and tell me you were inpired by the Pizza Kings!
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