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Updated version 4.0 of 10x10 crazyhouse/bughouse: 10x10 chess variants (Part 2 of 2)

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In looking for variants that may be comp-resistant, easy to visualize 'drops' of captured pcs seemed to me as desirable, as in Shogi, bughouse or crazyhouse. For aesthetics (IMHO), & to please chess/(chess variant) players, I want western style chess pieces, so any Shogi variant was out. I want 2 player game, but it costs little to note 10x10 crazyhouse variant quickly leads to 10x10 bughouse variant.

I hadn't found 10x10 variants for crazyhouse & bughouse invented. I suspect idea was rejected as unfeasible, e.g. because difficult to come up with an interesting starting position (plus suitable special pawn move rules); placing each side's pawns on their 2nd or 3rd ranks seemed to make such a drawback unavoidable either way. I finally came up with a starting position I liked (applicable to both 10x10 variants), along with special pawn move rules I liked. Hopefully these untested variants may be interesting; they can be played with Grand Chess sets & boards:

Code:
Col a Col b Col c Col d Col e Col f Col g Col h Col i Col j     Row xx

 [R]  :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::       :[R]:       10

:::::  [N]  :[C]:  [A]  :[B]:  [Q]  :[K]:  [B]  :[N]:              9

 [P]  :[P]:  [P]  :[P]:  [P]  :[P]:  [P]  :[P]:  [P]  :[P]:        8

:::::       :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::              7

      :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::        6

:::::       :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::              5

      :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::        4

:(P):  (P)  :(P):  (P)  :(P):  (P)  :(P):  (P)  :(P):  (P)         3

      :(N):  (C)  :(A):  (B)  :(Q):  (K)  :(B):  (N)  :::::        2

:(R):       :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::  (R)         1

The following applies to both 10x10 crazyhouse or bughouse variant ideas of mine, unless otherwise indicated:
Note that 2 new types of pcs than in chess are introduced, besides the std 6 types:
C = Chancellor (moves like N or R [without castling]), a std fairy chess piece fam by Capablanca Chess;
A = Archbishop (moves like N or B), a std fairy chess piece made fam by Capablanca Chess.
Besides that, there is no castling allowed, based on the start position given.
[edit: note that a non-Crazyhouse/Bughouse variant (i.e. no drops), based on the above setup with no castling (but without using the special pawn rules below), could be 'Chess 1010', which would have its pawns move as in chess, e.g. initial 2-step & en passant allowed, & promtion upon reaching the last rank, to any piece type given above, except K or P.
P.S.: Here's a link re: Chess 1010:

http://www.chessvariants.com/index/m...id=MSchess1010

]
My preferences for special pawn rules are:
1) A pawn may not be dropped on a player's 1st or last rank;
2) A pawn may be dropped on a player's own 2nd rank, or any other rank not violating rule 1);
3) Whether or not a pawn has yet moved, if it is on a player's 2nd or 3rd rank it may take a double step as would be the case in standard chess, but the opponent also may capture it en passant as would be appropriate;
4) I personally prefer that there be no pawn promotion (to at least avoid the need for getting any more extra pieces when playing offline), but instead of an Australian rules variant applied to standard bughouse (where a player's pawn just simply remains on the last rank), I suggest the following experimental options be available to a player in case of a pawn reaching the last rank:
4a) The pawn can indeed just remain on the board where it is (for the rest of the game, unless captured), or:
4b) The pawn can be simply removed from the board as part of the same move, and can be dropped on a later turn by the same player, or:
4c) The pawn can be removed as in rule 4b), plus any available piece can be dropped on that last rank square as part of the same move, or:
4d) In case an enemy piece has just been captured by the pawn, a player can chose options 4a), 4b) or 4c), or in case of the variant being crazyhouse, the captured piece can be dropped on that last rank square (after its colour is changed), following removing the pawn (which can be dropped on a later turn by the player), again as part of the same move.

If a name needs to be given to either 10x10 variant, to distinguish it from any similar existing ones, I'd suggest 'Bughouse 1010' and 'Crazyhouse 1010'.

[first update: In the case of crazyhouse (whether standard 8x8 or 10x10), if it is to become widely popular, and ideally a variant is used where pawn promotions are not allowed, an idea could be to, instead of using conventional pieces, have two-sided playing tokens (one side White and one side Black), with the same symbol of a chess piece etched on both sides. This would spare the need to have two 8x8 or 10x10 chessboard sets of pieces, in order for two players to have an offline game. One downside would be that such tokens would likely be less aesthetic, though perhaps not as much as is the case for Shogi IMHO; a second downside is that such tokens would have to be produced all from scratch by manufacturers who would need to be convinced.

I'd note that the starting position for Grand Chess may not be too bad for my purpose either, since all the pawns in both camps are protected at the beginning. Somehow I prefer the difference (e.g. in my starting position, one of the pawns diagonally in front of either king is defended only by it initially, like in standard chess). One slight benefit/drawback may indeed be that at least the starting positions aren't identical, e.g. if a 10x10 crazyhouse no-pawn-promotion variant set with two-sided Black & White playing tokens is ever to be on one's coffeetable, in case questions are asked by a guest who may think of Grand Chess.]

[second update: I initially had an alternative starting position for 10x10 crazyhouse/bughouse that I considered, namely that for my 'Sac Chess' variant, as fully described in my earlier '10x10 chess variants (part 1 of 2)' entry, under 'Chess Variants' in my CFC Discussion Board blog. However, I didn't like this so much as a starting position for 10x10 crazyhouse/bughouse. In spite of my doubts, I thought I'd show this particular starting position again, with all of its extra pieces, in case someone ever wishes to try out the idea (or a variation of it). I'd call the 2 variants that it applies to as 'Sac Chess Crazyhouse' and 'Sac Chess Bughouse':


Code:
Col a Col b Col c Col d Col e Col f Col g Col h Col i Col j     Row xx

 [C]  :[A]:  [S]  :[Z]:  [M]  :[M]:  [Z]  :[S]:  [A]  :[C]:       10

:[J]:  [R]  :[N]:  [B]  :[Q]:  [K]  :[B]:  [N]  :[R]:  [J]         9

 [P]  :[P]:  [P]  :[P]:  [P]  :[P]:  [P]  :[P]:  [P]  :[P]:        8

:::::       :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::              7

      :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::        6

:::::       :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::              5

      :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::       :::::        4

:(P):  (P)  :(P):  (P)  :(P):  (P)  :(P):  (P)  :(P):  (P)         3

 (J)  :(R):  (N)  :(B):  (Q)  :(K):  (B)  :(N):  (R)  :(J):        2

:(C):  (A)  :(S):  (Z)  :(M):  (M)  :(Z):  (S)  :(A):  (C)         1

The following applies to both 'Sac Chess' Crazyhouse or Bughouse variant ideas of mine:
Note that 6 new types of pieces than in standard chess are introduced besides the standard 6 types:
Z = Amazon (moves like N or Q), a standard fairy chess piece;
C = Chancellor (moves like N or R [without castling]), a standard fairy chess piece made famous by Capablanca Chess;
A = Archbishop (moves like N or B), a standard fairy chess piece made famous by Capablanca Chess;
S = Sailor (moves like R or K [without castling]), a piece from Shogi (promoted Rook, or 'Dragon', in that game);
M = Missionary (moves like B or K [without castling]), a piece from Shogi (promoted Bishop, or 'Horse', in that game);
J = Judge (moves like N or K [without castling]), after a fairy chess piece (Centaur).

Castling may occur on the second rank between the king and either rook, with same conditions as in standard chess. Otherwise, there would be special pawn move rules 1) through 4d) that would be the same as for my Crazyhouse 1010 & Bughouse 1010 variants.]

[third update: To perhaps improve computer-resistance, a variant on the rules for all the crazy/bughouse variants above would be to not allow drops past a player's first five ranks, to inhibit any mating series of drops.]

http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/en...w-tech-method)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bughouse_chess

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazyhouse

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_chess

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_draughts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(game)

http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/en...-(Part-1-of-2)

http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/en...chess-variants

http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/en...games-of-skill

http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/en...games-of-skill)

http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/en...Chess-variant)

http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/en...in-fairy-chess

Updated 08-03-2016 at 05:53 PM by Kevin Pacey

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