Talk:List of chess variants/Archive 2

message: I removed the following from Chess variant because they are not chess variants, but simply different ways to play Chess.   ...and what is situs?  --Chuck Smith
Variants by situs
*Postal chess
*Chess on the internet''
:I'll put this back; if Chuck objects to the title because it has a word he doesn't understand, let him begin by suggesting an alternative title.  Situs means place; it has meanings in law and medicine.  I simply adapted it to variants that depend on where the players are.  It also seems that the word variant needs explaining:  The listed items are variants because they are different ways to play chess.  Eclecticology  
:Seems like these are variations of method of play rather than rules of play. Perhaps blitz chess and other methods of time control (of which postal chess can be seen as an extreme form of time control, which allows for the remoteness of participants). --Jeff 17:30 Nov 6, 2002 (UTC)
Playing chess on the Internet and playing postal chess are really NOT chess variants!  If anything, they belong on the main chess article.  They are simply different ways of playing chess.  The game itself is not changed, so they don't belong here.  Also, situs wasn't in my Franklin Electronic Dictionary, so this certainly shouldn't be the appropriate term...  Alternate title:  "Ways to play chess"  --Chuck Smith
*I went to the online dictionary mentioned by Chuck.  Franklin publishes the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and the word "situs" is certainly there in the free collegiate edition.  My own reference was to The New Oxford Dictionary of English.  It is noteworthy to mention in passim that "siti" would not be a correct plural since the Latin root is a fourth declension noun.
*Variant means, according to the Oxford, "a form or version of something that differs in some respect from other forms of the same thing or from a standard".  Since postal chess requires an alteration of the rules of chess (notably rules 1.1, 4.1 and 12.2) it is a variant. Eclecticology
**Postal chess, blitz chess, etc. are not Chess Variants in the commonly use of the term; they
are just different ways of playing FIDE/Western Chess.  Samboy 22:14, 4 Aug 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Rainbow chess is actually a kind of chess set, it should be probably mentioned in section "Chess sets" in Chess piece article. Andreas Kaufmann 19:27, 12 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Different way to play chess is not a "chess variant"

message: This deceptively simple variant, with 3 pawns and a king for each side, has been played in ICC (http://www.chessclub.com/) by many players for many years.
It is described in ICC by typing 'help wild7'.
It has also been written up in several published endgame books. It is also supported by the freely available open-source chess engine 'Crafty' created by Dr. Robert Hyatt.
I think it warrants a mention in the Chess Variant page, and it doesn't fall into the existing categories since it has normal chess rules but a reduced piece starting position.
: It should not be included here because it is not a complete, non-trivial game.  Instead, it is merely an exercise for becoming more resourceful at handling endgames in chess.  AceVentura
: Have you ever played this variant? Having played it many times, I would beg to differ - it is complete (and much simpler to set up than regular chess), very challenging (for most people), enjoyable (for many), non-trivial (for most), and is rarely if ever played as an 'endgame exercise'. BTW it can become very complex in some cases where promotion is achieved by both sides.  W7fan
::Can the pawns promote to spare Kings when they make it to the 8th rank?  If so, an initial setup with 3 pawns and a knight each (no King), ought to be equally playable.
::—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 198.177.27.27 (talk • contribs) 12:24, 6 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Wild7 is played just like regular chess (except the initial starting position which is a king and 3 pawns), therefore pawns cannot promote into kings. If the starting position included anything but the K and 3 P's then it wouldn't be W7. Crum375 21:07, 14 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  ICC 'Wild 7' 

message: There are two types not mentioned here that I have read about and personally played. Mutation chess is a normal game except that every time a piece is taken, the attacking piece gains it's 'power'. Eg: A Queen takes a Knight, and can thus move in L-shapes, as well as diagonally and orthogonally. This game requires a lot of concentration due to the number of 'mutations' that can take place.
The other type is Dual Chess, an interesting variant with complex rules. It is played with 4 people (2 teams of 2) and 2 chess boards. The players must sit:
 Team 1:  Black    White
         (board)  (board)
 Team 2:  White    Black 
Each time a piece is taken, that piece is passed over to the next person. Eg: White player, Team 2, takes a black rook. He then gives it to his partner, who can place it on his board. Black 2 can also choose to keep the piece in front of him, to play at any time. Each time a piece is placed on the board, it uses up a turn, it must be placed on an empty square, and cannot be placed in a position causing the other player to be in check. Normally, a small group of pawns gathers in front of each player, while queens and rooks are generally played immediately. It is against the rules to wait for a piece to be passed to you and the game ends when both games are finished (if Black 1 and White 1 both checkmate their opponent, Team 1 wins. If Black 1 and Black 2 checkmate their opponent, it is a draw). If Black 1 checkmates White 2, but the other game has not been finished, the pieces from the first game do NOT get transferred over to the other game, both other players must do without. Aside from the passing of the pieces, the games are separate. 
Complex strategies are required, as placing a piece down enables a player to increase their chance of winning, however they loose a critical turn. Sacrificing is also difficult, as it enables the other player of the other team to gain a piece that may turn the tide in his game.
Should I add these in? As I said, I have played these with quite a few people, and I read about them on the Internet somewhere, so they are valid variants. —Preceding unsigned comment added by TelcontarNuva (talk • contribs) 27 June 2006
:Mutation chess is a legitimate one that could certainly be added.  Dual chess seems to be the same as bughouse chess (which is already in the article) except with some slightly different rules.  Personally, I don't think it is different enough to have its own entry. SubSeven 19:43, 27 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Mutation and Dual Chess