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Partnership Mitregi. Unthemed 4-player variant with most pieces always moving toward or across the River. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

George Duke wrote on Sun, Jun 17, 2007 07:56 PM UTC:

Rating: Average, 6 out of possible 10. 4-player(Or 2-player)8x8, 8 piece-types, one conversion type. Piece-values interestingly of all four forward-only(FO) ones are each less than Point's(Pawn) value. Introduction stays within comfort zone of inventor's own creations sensibly. However, second paragraph annoyingly refers to 9-file alternate rejected before we even know the game. Get a feel for this: your partner has King if you don't, likewise Rook. 'Figure-8' turn-order is useful mnemonic: White King, Black King etc. FO one-step Point crosses at halfway River becoming Wazir(W), okay. 'Upside-down' Rook is FO. Likewise 'u-d Knight'(FO). 'U-d Bishop' F-O. 'U-d Camel' F-O.
Critique: Board stays cluttered with captured pieces in hand returning. Gilman's not the only one obsessing about Shogi drops that are unlikely to prevail except in Japan. Yet here otherwise, how does player get over, left side or right side, to check the King? Because only Rook, Bishop and promotee Wazir are quadra-directional, Shogi-dropwise it needs to be.
Here we go again in 'Notes' with options for 'sidewaysmost', 'Halfcamel', 'skewed Dabbabah'. 'Colourbound analogue' and 'river-straddling zigzag' were quite enough. By contrast, when Ralph Betza development bedazzles with hypotheticals, Betza has delved carefully deeply into each idea one at a time. I think the foursome will constantly be rechecking Rules or reinterpreting the Helm and Hump straddles, apparently never freezing like the Wing at file's end. Broadly, Shogi Wing (Kyoosha) is too weak piece to build really valuable analogues accompanying, let alone whole CV's schema. Betza has articles about CVs also with weakened standard pieces. Centennial's Arrow is also prior comparable  use ineffective.