chess bd borders

[wbport]

I am familiar with the 11-88 system, but this guy had a number 1-64 printed on every square. I can’t imagine anyone messing up a tournament board like that though.

[Smythe_Dakota]

If he wanted to use every number, without skipping any, he would have been better off using octal instead of decimal. Then the squares could be numbered 00-77 (files 0-7, ranks 0-7).

That’s the geek in me.

Bill Smythe

[wbport]

@Smythe Dakota

If he wanted to use every number, without skipping any, he would have been better off using octal instead of decimal. Then the squares could be numbered 00-77 (files 0-7, ranks 0-7).

When I was editor of our state’s chess publication I wrote a program which had the squares numbered 22-99 in a 120 “square” linear array, those numbers were used for subscripts. Filled with weird unmovable pieces, the extra squares were a buffer when the program looked for the origin of a move, e.g, Nh3. Starting from the destination square (49) the numbers 8, 12, 19, and 21 were added to or subtracted from 49 in a loop, hopefully finding only one (g1 is 28 for example) It would search i1 (30) and j2 (41) without crashing. Orthogonal moves used 1 and 10; diagonals, 9 and 11. Got the idea from Robert Hyatt’s description of Blitz (later Cray-Blitz).

[Smythe_Dakota]

I’ve actually thought of the same idea, for a Kriegspiel referee program for example. I would use a 16x16 array, squares numbered 00-FF hex. Only the squares in the lower left (both hex digits 0-7) would be the actual chess board. When computing a knight move, for example, the numbers 14, 18, 31, 33, -14, -18, -31, -33 (decimal) would be tried as addends to the starting square. (Unsigned 1-byte addition, e.g. -01 would be considered the same as +FF, etc.) The resulting arrival square would then be on the board if and only if bits 3 and 7 were both zero.

Bill Smythe

[Bob_McAdams]

@NewportNews

So later, when I get home and read my USCF rules book: section 41D. Boarders. the way I read it, is chess boards without the letters or numbers on any sides are acceptable in a tournament. Does this rule need to be updated? my own opinoin as a beginner/new chess player, is it would be nice if there was a requirement for all sides of the chessboard to have the letters and numbers. I know (you will say black has choice of equipment) I read this rule also. But this was my first tournament: I assumed that all chess boards in tournament play had the numbers and letters on all four sides. I am shocked that no letters or numbers on the chessboard border are acceptable for tournament play. thanks,

One of the problems with rule changes of this kind is that they impose requirements on veteran players who have already purchased their equipment. Even if a requirement could be imposed that would require all manufacturers of chess sets to put number and letters on the sides of the board, it wouldn’t be fair to require players who have perfectly good chess sets to buy the new chess sets.

If you bring a chess set that satisfies your requirements, you’ll be guaranteed to be able to use it whenever you’re playing black. And I’d be surprised if many players objected to using your board when they’re playing black, if you explained why it was important to you.

Bob

[timjust]

@Bob McAdams

@NewportNews

So later, when I get home and read my USCF rules book: section 41D. Boarders. the way I read it, is chess boards without the letters or numbers on any sides are acceptable in a tournament. Does this rule need to be updated? my own opinoin as a beginner/new chess player, is it would be nice if there was a requirement for all sides of the chessboard to have the letters and numbers. I know (you will say black has choice of equipment) I read this rule also. But this was my first tournament: I assumed that all chess boards in tournament play had the numbers and letters on all four sides. I am shocked that no letters or numbers on the chessboard border are acceptable for tournament play. thanks,

One of the problems with rule changes of this kind is that they impose requirements on veteran players who have already purchased their equipment. Even if a requirement could be imposed that would require all manufacturers of chess sets to put number and letters on the sides of the board, it wouldn’t be fair to require players who have perfectly good chess sets to buy the new chess sets.

If you bring a chess set that satisfies your requirements, you’ll be guaranteed to be able to use it whenever you’re playing black. And I’d be surprised if many players objected to using your board when they’re playing black, if you explained why it was important to you.

Bob

Wellll…there is the technique of writing the rule for equipment that is similar to our clock rules; i.e., legalizing all kinds of equipment and defining which kind is “more standard” when push comes to shove.

[nolan]

Maybe what we need is ‘Fischer Random Notation’, in which for each game the letters A-H are randomly assigned to the files and the numbers 1-8 to the ranks.

[jwiewel]

@nolan

Maybe what we need is ‘Fischer Random Notation’, in which for each game the letters A-H are randomly assigned to the files and the numbers 1-8 to the ranks.

For true randomness allow letters and numbers to be used for both ranks and files. Then you could have the move QED.

[GeneM]

@Ron Suarez

… I just bought a couple of nice, roll-up, leather boards from the House of Aragon. …

Leather Roll-up Boards:
Leather roll-up boards are very nice, so much nicer than the less expensive nylon. The leather board lays nicely flat, even after being rolled up for months. Even the corners are flat.

Row Numbers on the Side:
These are fine, but they should be oriented with their bases to their side edge of the board. The numbers should not be oriented to the point-of-view of either White or Black.