Comments/Ratings for a Single Item

I am in doubt now whether the Ancaa wouldn't be a better Queen replacement
than BDD. The later is color bound, so I added an color-changing
non-capture to it to make sure it still would have mating potential with
either of the other two color-bound pieces. But an Ancaa is a color
alternator, and would not need such a trick. Which makes it look a much
cleaner piece.

The only argument against it would be that it looks too much like the piece
I had in mind as Rook replacement, the WN. Although the latter jumps to the
N squares, while the Ancaa can be blocked on F squares.

So I was also looking for an alternative for the WN. One possibility for a
strong piece without mating potential is the Gnu (NC). But it is a
16-mover, which would make it significantly stronger than a Rook, while the
forward 3-leaps are also not recommended. So I might make it a sort of
sliding Gnu, which can reach the C squares only via the N squares (but
still jumps directly to the N squares). This is not too much stronger than
a Rook, and it takes the sting out of the forward C moves.

When I tried to submit this Chess variant, I discovered that the name
'Companion Chess' was already taken. Shame on me for not researching it
properly in advance!

So I decided to rename it to 'Team-Mate Chess', because the only way to
checkmate a bare King is by a team of several pieces.

I also solved the Adjutant-vs-Aanca dilemma in a way I am very pleased
with: I use them both! Team-Mate Chess has King + 7 different pieces in the
initial setup, but it offers an 8th piece as a promotion choice. So
initially the Aanca is present as Queen replacement, and sometimes it will
survive into the end-game and team up with another piece to checkmate the
opponent. But in other games most material will be traded, and mate will
have to be executed by promoted Pawns. By making the Aanca not eligible as
promotion choice, but the Adjutant in stead, such games will usually end in
a mate that involves the Adjutant, as the Adjutant, after the Aanca, is the
strongest piece in this game.

But in this case I can take the original, color-bound version of the
Adjutant, without discriminating against either Elephant or Mammoth to team
up with it. Sometimes you will promote to Adjutant on a light square,
sometimes on a dark. So all three color-bound pieces get a chance to team
up! And when the promotion square of your last Pawn is of the same color as
the only other piece you have, which, oh disaster, is also color bound, you
are forced to under-promote to a non-color-bound piece to save your mating
potential. Probably the Rook-replacements Cobra or Unicorn, as these come
next in line, strength-wise. Fairy-Max for this reason always promotes to
Cobra in Team-Mate Chess (as it does not know the concept of
under-promotion, and would not be smart enough to make the right choice
anyway). This forced under-promotion will drive up the number of different
checkmates with weaker pieces one will see in practice, rather than
automatically ending in Adjutant + something.