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Since FEN has come up recently, I would like to propose a Forsythe code standard. Let's call it V-FEN for Variant Forsythe-Edwards Notation. One goal I have for this is that it should completely describe the configuration of spaces. The FEN code used by Game Courier does not do this, because it relies on an extra parameter for the width of a rank. So here is what I propose.

Normally use individual letters for Chess pieces. Allow for the use of expanded names, using a pair of parentheses, brackets or braces. Use lowercase for black and uppercase for white (or whoever goes first if different colors are used). Reserve the letters KQRBNP/kqrbnp for Chess pieces. Refer to a game-specific legend for the meanings of other letters or longer labels. If we wish to reserve letters for some common fairy pieces, I recommend against reserving C for Chancellor, as the Knight-Rook is called in Capablanca's Chess. C could just as well be used for Cardinal, as the Knight-Bishop is called in Grand Chess. I would favor C for Cannon and suggest the use of two letter abbreviations of RN and BN for the pieces known in Grand Chess as Marshal and Cardinal. These are more unambiguous labels that would clearly identify these pieces no matter what they are called in a game. Similar labels could be used for other compounds. We could use some conventions from Betza's notation, but I wouldn't recommend replacing all abbreviations with some kind of movement notation, because abbreviations should be kept simple and easy to remember. Mainly, I would recommend adopting the convention of doubling the letter for a rider piece, such as NN for a Nightrider.

Use base ten numbers to identify a number of empty spaces. Require a / to come at the end of each rank except the last. Making no assumption about the length of a rank, the / will be required to tell when the rank ends. Use a - to indicate a space in the grid that doesn't exist on the board.

Using this standard, the FEN code currently used by default in Game Courier, rnbqkbnrpppppppp32PPPPPPPPRNBQKBNR, would not be well-formed. Instead, it would have to look like this: rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR.

Other information about the game would have to come from the game rules. There should be no need to identify a game from its V-FEN code alone. A legend should be provided for the specific piece labels used by a game. The V-FEN code would not be able to tell whether a board is composed of squares, hexagons, or circles, but the game rules would indicate this easily enough. Here are some examples of how the same V-FEN code would look with different board types:

   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+                              
3  | t |:o:| p |:::| r |:a:| n |:k:|                              
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+                          
2  |:n:| e |:x:| t |:::| r |:a:| n |:k:|                          
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
1  | t |:h:| i |:r:| d |:::| r |:a:| n |:k:|   |:d:| o |:w:| n |  
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+  
     a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h   i   j   k   l   m   n   o


        / \ /:\ /!\ / \ /:\ /!\ / \ /:\                         
3      | t |:o:|!p!|   |:r:|!a!| n |:k:|                        
      /:\ /!\:/ \!/:\ /!\:/ \!/:\ /!\:/ \                       
2    |:n:|!e!| x |:t:|!!!| r |:a:|!n!| k |                      
    / \:/:\!/!\ / \:/:\!/!\ / \:/:\!/!\ / \ /:\ /!\ / \ /:\ /!\ 
1  | t |:h:|!i!| r |:d:|!!!| r |:a:|!n!| k |:::|!d!| o |:w:|!n!|
    \ / \:/ \!/ \ / \:/ \!/ \ / \:/ \!/ \ / \:/ \!/ \ / \:/ \!/ 
     a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h   i   j   k   l   m   n   o  

a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h   i   j   k   l   m   n   o

    
                                                            ___  1
                                                        ___/!n!\  
                                                    ___/:w:\___/  
                                ___             ___/ o \___/      
                            ___/:k:\___     ___/!d!\___/          
                        ___/ n \___/ k \___/:::\___/              
                    ___/!a!\___/!n!\___/ k \___/                  
                ___/:r:\___/:a:\___/!n!\___/                      
            ___/   \___/ r \___/:a:\___/                          
        ___/!p!\___/!!!\___/ r \___/                              
    ___/:o:\___/:t:\___/!!!\___/                                  
   / t \___/ x \___/:d:\___/                                      
 3 \___/!e!\___/ r \___/                                          
   /:n:\___/!i!\___/                                              
 2 \___/:h:\___/                                                  
   / t \___/                                                      
 1 \___/                                                          
     a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h   i   j   k   l   m   n   o