Comments by michaeljay

Great concept, solid gameplay; it is important to remember that the
Demigorgons, or Medusas, cannot protect other pieces, but as Immobilizers,
will petrify anyone who moves into their space, captures and thereby comes
into direct line of sight of them, or sits adjacent to them.  Calculations
of strategy must therefore be modified during play--sections of the board
may be closed up by frozen pieces, and that makes the whole game exciting
and tense.  That same 'closed board' may fly open in the later stages of
the game.
Thanks, Ed--job well done!  Skeptical?--try one over the board with a
chessfriend!  See for yourself.

Thanks for the information!  Manabu Terao, thank you also for the link.

I have never heard of the Invisible Ink Composition, the moves of which
for the shape of a letter or ideogram.  Wonderful idea.

That is one reason why investigation of chess variants is good for the
mind.  New ideas, different cultures, change of perspective.  Thank you.

Look in Japanese Chess for the Shogi program.

It helped me get a grasp on the book Shogi:  Japan's Game of Strategy by
Trevor Leggett by allowing me to play through the examples.

The program itself does what it was intended to do.

Ed, thank you much for your continued ambassadorship of variants and
giving the chess variant-appreciative public an opportunity to learn these
games.

Thanks for the best advice on how to play--examples of the games
themselves.

This game is very exciting.  Thanks for your contribution.

Just cut the cross away from the standard king, and sand the top flat.

This idea of a crown prince (save that it cannot be captured) is given in
'Chess II', made for an 8x10 board, by another author on this site.  For
the record, the twin goals of 'promoting' the prince or checkmating the
king, works VERY well for that board.

When I submit my moves today, I get this message, even though the move is
sent:

Warning:
copy(/home/chessvar/public_html/play/pbmlogs/(...)/(omitted)-cvgameroom-2005-32-111.bak):
failed to open stream: Permission denied in
/home/chessvar/public_html/play/pbm/write_log.php on line 9

Warning: Failed to copy
/home/chessvar/public_html/play/pbmlogs/(...)chess/(omitted)-cvgameroom-2005-32-111.php
to
/home/chessvar/public_html/play/pbmlogs/(...)/(omitted)-cvgameroom-2005-32-111.bak


Warning: chmod(): Operation not permitted in
/home/chessvar/public_html/play/pbm/write_log.php on line 52

Warning: touch(): Utime failed: Permission denied in
/home/chessvar/public_html/play/pbm/write_log.php on line 53


***

Is there some work being done on the log?

I am glad it is posted here.

I am just getting familiarized with Shogi, and the separation of powers on
the Japanese Chessboard is pleasing to my novice eye.

Thanks, Charles, for your focus on the powers of the generals, and their
adaptation to respective games.

Awesome idea. 

I have to go and clear my schedule--I have always wanted to see something
like this.  Give me a chance to determine my availability.

Thanks for creating this tourney.

I am really enjoying the tournament; the mental flexibility that it
requires is energizing.  I work with young kids who love chess, and I have
shown them the positions in my games.  Some had not before heard of XiangQi
or Shogi, and those who had were really excited to talk about their parents
(some of whom grew up playing one of the Eastern standards) and the parents
were pleased to hear they were also learning about these games as well--it
was validating to hear praises of the game sung by someone else.

Thanks for offering the tourney.  I hope after this one, we have another.