Re: The Future of Chess and Getting It "Unstuck"

On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:19:58 -0700 (PDT), Harald Korneliussen
<vintermann@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote, in part:
>On Apr 14, 8:15 am, Quadibloc <jsav...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

>> In comparison, one seldom sees _komida****_ cited as an advantage that
>> Go has over Chess. But from what I've just learned, it ought to be
>> cited as one, and a big one.

>Oh? I see it cited all the time. But it was very interesting to learn
>that the common way of giving handicaps in Hex (fixed first moves) has
>also been used to balance Go.

Perhaps it is just that my reading about Go has mostly been in older
books, whereas _komida****_, a recent innovation, is discussed in newer
books and articles about Go.

I have been thinking further about this matter, and have come up with
something I call "Tem****ary Marsellais Chess", or simply "Balanced
Chess", described at the end of the page on my site at

http://www.quadibloc.com/chess/ch0101.htm

Begin by playing Balanced Marsellais Chess, with the additional rule
that a piece may not be moved twice in a turn, but switch to normal
Chess at the first check.

(There is also an additional rule for captures; perhaps the switch to
normal Chess might be made at the first check or capture instead.)

Partial credit is given for bare King and stalemate.

By precisely equalizing Black and White, and making the margin of
insufficient material to force a win as narrow as possible, I illustrate
a way in which it might be attempted to obtain the results for Chess
that the use of _komida****_ has obtained for Go. Of course, with two
moves per turn for part of the game, this is still a new game, not a
minor tweak to Chess.

John Savard
http://www.quadibloc.com/index.html