Single Comment

Odd as the array looks, I can see the reasoning behind it. It's not quite as bad as the existence of a piece starting En Prise might suggest, as that piece is both weaker than its opponent and guarded, which should be deterrent enough. On the whole I still prefer McCooey's, which certainly addresses the issue of Glinsky's lack of open space between the front ranks. I'm not sure that piece number ratios are as important as is claimed here. In FIDE Chess the reason for so many Pawns is not merely to be half the entire army, except perhaps in their symbolic origins. Their purpose in actual play is to stop long-range pieces letting rip too soon and add some stealth to the game. This purpose is served perfectly well in McCooey's array. The Glinsky/McCooey promotion zone is also more intuitive. What happens on the end cells of the four outermost ranks here, which appear not to be in the promotion zone as defined?