Chess variants and other games

All Things Chess
1

I only started playing Chess a few years ago, at age 45. I had learned the game as a child, but I hadn’t played a game of it in about 25 years. In the meantime, though, I played lots of other games, including some variations on Chess. I figured that during my middle years I probably played more games of Byzantine Chess than “real” Chess.

It took me a while to really get into Chess and see it as fundamentally different from all those other board games and other variations on Chess. However, I never quite shook off my old habits and still haven’t devoted myself to Chess to the exclusion of all those other games.

To that end, at Chess tournaments I host, I have Chess variants and other games available for play. I also hope to attract other people interested in those games and, someday, actually hold a section in some of the more “serious” variations of Chess, especially Shogi (Japanese Chess), Xiangqi (Chinese Chess), and Chess960 (Fischer Random Chess).

If you happen to live in Michigan, and have similar interests, drop me a line at dave at gamesinmichigan.com. Check out my tournament flyer at gamesinmichigan.com/chessforcharity .

My own area of particular interest is in the historically significant games, including games like Shatranj, Byzantine Chess, and of course Shogi and Xiangqi, along with non-chess games like Go and Hnefatafl, but I have been known to associate with people who like modern inventions in the abstract strategy family, and I will have some of those available at my tournament as well. All those other games will be available only in the skittles room. The tournament room is set aside for pure Chess.

After a few years of serious Chess play, I am now more fully versed in why people stopped playing Courrier Chess, and adopted the modern rules, and why Chess really is a more serious game than Checkers, but I’ll still play and enjoy those other games. But if you are a history buff like me, or if you like a little bit of variety along with your Chess, or want to experience Chess as seen in other times or other places, look me up if you’re in the neighborhood.

2

Do you play Kriegspiel? Or half-bughouse?

Bill Smythe

3

The group I ran around with in college went through a number of variants. If you click here my list of variants (played on ordinary chess sets) is near the bottom. Kamikaze-Kriegspiel was one of the wilder ones.

4

I’ve never played Kriegspiel. I suspect I would be very, very, bad at it. Visualizing the board is not one of my strong points.

Is “half-bughouse” the two player equivalent of bughouse? Sometimes called Crazyhouse? I play Shogi instead.

5

Everybody is bad at Kriegspiel, because the referee doesn’t tell you where your opponent moved. “Bad” makes Kriegspiel fun, especially with an audience. Visualization is beside the point, because (at least with a human referee) you are allowed to set up your opponent’s pieces anywhere you think they might be.

It might be accurate to call half-bughouse the 2-player equivalent of bughouse, but that description might reasonably apply to some other games as well. I suspect that Crazyhouse may be something altogether different.

Bill Smythe