JarlCarlander's Blog

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Spell Chess Opening Theory

Spell Chess Opening Theory

JarlCarlander
| Sep 26, 2023

In the last post, I recommended Black respond to 1.e4 with 1.Nc6. I now think 1.Nc6 doesn't work at all. (You will need to visualize a bit, and you will also need to forgive some places where I inserted some nonsense chess moves to get to Spell Ch...

Quick Guide to Spell Chess

Quick Guide to Spell Chess

JarlCarlander
| Sep 15, 2023

Spell Chess is an imaginatively crafted variant. It's the best one in the /variants part of Chess.com. Sort of close to chess, and also unique. All of the standard rules apply, but each player has 5 freeze spells and 2 jump spells, and these spell...

The World Chess Championship

The World Chess Championship

JarlCarlander
| Aug 2, 2022

Magnus Carlsen has announced that he's not going to defend his title of world champion.  If I were Ian Nepomniachtchi, or Ding Liren, I wouldn't play in a match which doesn't include Carlsen, the strongest human player. I wouldn't see the p...

How to Theorize in Bughouse

How to Theorize in Bughouse

JarlCarlander
| Jan 31, 2022

In bughouse, relative mastery is rather straightforward to achieve. Whereas in standard chess, years of dedication may pay off very little, many bughouse players achieve a rating of 2300 and higher in less than a year. This is because bughouse is ...

Esoteric Wisdom of the Ancient Bughouse Masters

Esoteric Wisdom of the Ancient Bughouse Masters

JarlCarlander
| Aug 6, 2020

Theory Bughouse is far too chaotic for theory to play the role that it does in standard chess. In standard chess, theory may proceed for thirty or more moves. This is possible because there are no external factors, such as a possible Knight and ...

Have Engines Killed Chess?

Have Engines Killed Chess?

JarlCarlander
| Feb 25, 2020

Part of a comment from a now closed account which expresses the thoughts and feelings that many Chess players seem to have about engines.  I don't use computers before a game, only after. And so many times I analyze a game where I thou...

Case Studies in Chess Variants

Case Studies in Chess Variants

JarlCarlander
| Feb 8, 2020

Since my previous posts on variants, why they work, and why they don't, I've been hearing from some inventors and designers of variants. A variant has been implemented based on my an idea of mine. Here I develop and sometimes revise the ideas in o...

The Problem with Sequels

The Problem with Sequels

JarlCarlander
| Jan 13, 2020

It can be very difficult to develop a good idea. How do you build on something memorable, yet simple, in such a way that doesn't let it spiral out of control? Musicians, poets, novelists, and of course film directors all experience these diff...

Why Do(n't) Chess Variants Work?

Why Do(n't) Chess Variants Work?

JarlCarlander
| Jan 8, 2020

What's the most fun you've had with a chess variant? Perhaps like me, it's playing bughouse, which is not only innately fascinating, but a good way to make friends and interact with people who are not solely interested in taking all of your elo...

Bughouse Buttons

Bughouse Buttons

JarlCarlander
| Dec 3, 2019

The buttons in bughouse allow players to make requests without typing. There are buttons such as "trades are good", "trades are bad", "sit", "go" and requests for each of the pieces. FICS has some good buttons, and some questionable ones, includin...

The Bughouse Sicilian

The Bughouse Sicilian

JarlCarlander
| Nov 25, 2019

The Sicilian Defense in Chess is a double-edged fighting weapon. Whenever a strong Grandmaster is in a must-win situation as Black, they will often respond to 1.e4 with 1...c5.  This move controls the d4 square, without being vulnerabl...

What is Chess Strength?

What is Chess Strength?

JarlCarlander
| Oct 13, 2019

You've probably got that one player, always rated 100 or so points higher than you, who you seem to do well against. If not, then you've definitely got players for whom you are that "good customer"; players with significantly lower ratings who are...

The Bughouse London System

The Bughouse London System

JarlCarlander
| Sep 1, 2019

In chess, 1.d4 used to be considered a little taboo. During the romantic era, it was rarely seen. Players did not know how to handle the closed positions. Later, that changed. Most of the games from the Capablanca-Lasker (1921) matches and Capabla...

Why Chess Works

Why Chess Works

JarlCarlander
| Aug 27, 2019

When parents ask chess coaches why their children should study chess, the coach will often give an answer which might well be true of other games. Chess brings out discipline, patience, a fighting spirit, and other worthwhile traits, in anyon...

Beginning At Bughouse On Chess.com

Beginning At Bughouse On Chess.com

JarlCarlander
| Aug 17, 2019

Every bughouse player has different reasons for being drawn to the game. Some like the collaborative aspects, some like the increased depth, and some like the fancy checkmates. I'm sure if you try bughouse, you will be hooked like I was. This is a...

Guest Post: A Series of Inaccurate Moves

Guest Post: A Series of Inaccurate Moves

JarlCarlander
| Aug 9, 2019

The author of this post, RattleShakeFries, hails from an old site called FICS ((fantastically inaccurate chess site (not to be confused with FICS, the free internet chess server). Most blogs on bughouse, I imagine, contain examples of patie...

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