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Well, enlighten me. I don't see anything wrong with the setup of Shafran's Hexagonal Chess. That is most likely due to my inexperience with hexagonal variants. But I don't read any remarks to this effect from others that it is an 'unplayable' variant either.

The problem with Capablanca chess is the fact that on the first move, I can attack the unprotected black pawn, which leads to forced progressions. Ed Trice showcased them quite well. It may not be a flaw, but it is definitely a problem. People will simply exchange their chancellors and everything continues on the same, but worse, playing field.

In Tenjiku Shogi you can even threaten checkmate on the first move. And this does indeed lead to a forced sequence of opening moves. So what, if after this the position is about equal? Most players of orthodox Chess use the same trodden opening lines over and over again as well. I don't even see a short forced opening line as a problem. It might be a difference, but then it isn't a very big one. And whether you like it one way or the other is mainly a matter of taste.

This is incomparable with, say, cases where a royal piece is made so powerful that it can never be checkmated in practice. That would be an objectively establishable flaw.