Comments/Ratings for a Single Item

Peter, I am sorry I forgot to address the crab move when I submitted
my entry. Because this is a scaled down version of the game, obviously,
no, the crabs do not have the option of moving two squares on their
first move. Crabs always move exactly one square forwards,
either diagonally left, straight ahead, or diagonally right. 
They capture like pawns, to the left or right, and like pawns can
also make non-capturing moves to the left or right or straight ahead.
Because crabs only move 1 square at a time in MINI SLANTED ESCALATOR
CHESS, their is no en passant. Please also note that just as in
SLANTED ESCALATOR CHESS and ULTRA SLANTED ESCALATOR CHESS it is possible
to use the escalator squares to wind up with 2 bishops on the same
color. This is also legal to do in MINI SLANTED ESCALATOR CHESS. 
Castling is the same as in the other games, it's rule is the same
as in orthodox chess. Promotion in MSEC is the same as in SEC.
The board is obviously cramped at first and will open up as pieces
exchange off with each other. SEC was designed with a variant in
which knights could jump across the barriers. This was not considered
a rule of the 'standard game' but rather as an experimental variant
which players could try out. Because of the extreme cramped conditions
of MSEC, anything that gives pieces extra mobility is to the game's
advantage. Therefore, the ability of knights to jump the barriers
in MSEC is a standard rule which applies to this game.

Any other questions??

Yes, you are right, Peter. I got confused. The ability to jump the
barriers
by the knights was a standard rule in SEC, and it's also a standard rule
in
MSEC. I must say that I am pleased to be able to enter this variant into
the 44 squares contest. This design occurred to me long before this
contest
was ever announced. I feel a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing
that
there is now a mini variant of SLANTED ESCALATOR CHESS in MINI SLANTED
ESCALATOR CHESS, just as there is also a large variant of SEC in ULTRA
SLANTED ESCALATOR CHESS. All three games obviously share some
similarities
and readers will inevitably draw comparisons to each other and decide
which
is the best Escalator variant, the one with 44, 60, or 84 squares. 
I am sure that a lot of the entries in the 44 Spaces contest have designs

where pieces are going to engage each other fairly quickly so I hope that
readers will not penalize games for being cramped, knowing that it's
almost inevitable for most entries.