Hey, just wanted to comment that it’s a little bit hard to follow the actual game because of all the hypothetical tangents - which are understandable, given that it’s a teaching and learning game, but - are the moves given in post 61 ‘real’? With both sides castling??
The bolded moves are the game itself.
So both sides have castled and White has continued Bc1-e3.
I have a new suggestion. Let the wookie win. 
Okay, thanks glee
Talking about the Kriegspiel variant reminds me of a chess variant I’m not sure if I’ve run across somewhere and can’t remember or dreamed up. Call it ‘Grand Turn’ chess. In addition to the relatively normal alteration of turns between players, the game is also broken up into ‘grand turns’, with the rule that no piece, or pawn, can move twice (counting captures as moves) in the same grand turn. It’s sort of the same as the computer strategy game ‘empire’ in which as many of your units as you like can move within the same ‘turn.’
There would be a number of minor details to sort out, with a bunch of varying rule details. Something along the line of:
- Any one player need not play in their turn after the first turn of the Grand Turn. Possibly after X many passes, they must pass the rest of the Grand Turn until their opponent has finished moving and agrees to start the next Grand Turn (or runs out of pieces to play in that Grand Turn.)
- Ordinarily checks must not be responded to immediately, because the checking piece has already moved in that Grand Turn and is unable to ‘complete’ the checkmate. Discovered check, (including the discovered half of a Double check,) must be answered within the next little turn, if possible, otherwise it’s checkmate.
- Any player whose King is in check at the close of a Grand Turn and cannot get out, (by moving the king, capturing the checking piece, interposing,) must end the game and cannot win. Notice that this leaves open the possibility of a draw by reason of mutual checkmate.
That’s about all I can think of at this moment. It seems like a fairly feasible game, (though I’ve never tried playing it through,) with unique aspects to the opening game, (which would probably be the least changed from ordinary chess,) midgame, and endgame. An obvious tactic would be preparing multiple attacks on the enemy king with different pieces - one to ‘smoke out’ the king, force it to use up its Grand Turn move, and then attack it again when it can no longer move out of Check.
Any thoughts, glee? Have you heard of something like this before?
‘Grand Turn’ chess sounds quite tricky - I’ve never heard of it.
Presumably White first plays something like 1. e2-e4; d2-d4; c2-c4; h2-h3; Nb1-c3; Ng1-f3; Bf1-e2; Bc1-g5; OO; Qd1-c2; Ra1-d1…
My favourite variants are Madrasi and Kriegspiel.
Fortunately I haven’t played a large drunk violent man at chess. If I did, he probably wouldn’t lose…
It’s not quite like that - white doesn’t move all of his pieces (or as many as he wants,) first in GT1 - black gets his turns too. The only differences from conventional openings would be that any piece that is moved out cannot attack again within the same turn. For instance, if white started out e2-e4, black could respond with d7-d5 and not need to worry about getting captured - until GT2, in which he would probably have the first turn. 
Kriegspiel is one of my favorite variants.
I’ve also played one, I don’t know what it’s called, where the board is flipped, all of white’s pawns are on the 7th rank, and his pieces on the 8th, and vice versus for black. This one is tough to explain, because it looks like you just need to turn the board around but actually, what it means is that all of white’s and black’s pawns are one square from promotion, and both Kings can easily get mated by a knight because they are smothered. The only legal moves on turn one are knight moves.
It’s a crazy variant, to be sure. Easy to get checkmated quickly if you don’t pay attention.
I haven’t heard of that as a game variant, but I remember a chess puzzle somewhat like that - and with the difference that one side was ‘missing’ its pawns. That was the side that had a mate in 3 or 4.
To solve it, you had to deduce the flipped sides because the king and queen for the side that still had pawns had also switched places, and you were told that it was ‘a position that could theoretically occur during standard play.’ Because the king and queen cannot exchange places with all pawns remaining on the second row, and they cannot go backward, then they must be on their seventh row.
Ah. Well it sounds too tricky for me!
Yes, I’ve seen that problem too.
White to play and mate in 3 moves:
- Ng1-f3 threatens 2. Nf3-d4 (and Nd4-c6 or Nd4-e6 mate).
I though I was good at chess until I got to college and was promptly beat down by half of the guys on my floor. I really haven’t played since then except in family games during power outages but I’ve got a quick question.
If SiXSwordS moves c5-c4 to threaten the bishop doesn’t he end up a head either forcing the bishop to retreat or be captured? I’m just figuring out the notation from watching this game so let me know if I’m way off.
Sheesh- my memory’s going. :smack:
Firstly I should emphasise that all the pieces have ‘crossed over’, so the Black King is on e1 and the Black Queen on d1 etc.
(I’m pretending they’re on d8 and e8 fpr notation purposes, since htat’s how the problem is presented…)
Secondly it’s mate in 4:
- Ng1-f3 threatens 2. Nf3-d4 (and Nd4-c6 or Nd4-e6 mate)
- … Nb8-c6 (threatening b7-b8=Q)
- Nf3-g5 (threatening Ng5-e6 mate)
- … Nc6-d4
- Qd1xd4 any move
- Ng5-e6 mate
What did the other half do to you?!
c5-c4 is a move the program ‘Chess Titans’ (free chess game with Vista) likes to play, so you’re in good company.
It’s a mistake, because although it forces Bd3-c2, it takes the pressure off the White centre. (White’s pawn on d4 is protected by the pawn on c3 and is thus effectively invulnerable to all Black pieces.)
Black spends a move, White spends a move - there’s no gain of time.
The bishop is well placed on c2.
As a general rule, don’t waste a move improving the other person’s position.
As a general rule, don’t waste a move. :D:D
After some of my moves I end up a behind.
I don’t want to get to the bottom of that!
Ok, that makes sense. I’m going to follow along so I’ll probably have more questions. Thanks for the help.
The other half we too drunk to lift a chess piece.
Questions: Is it generally important to identify the transition from opening to midgame? Have we reached it yet, and if so, around what point?