i personally think that this should be an ncv with a blitz time control since it seems to have similar depth as cornered, but @CzarnyResorak567 suggested that it could be a wof. i am fine with ether.
/VU/ Crazy Crypt
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18 days ago
0
#6
when you enter a game right at the bottom below the chat theres a green play button and that starts a queue of the game
Is this just me or the board looks like a dragon? Also good luck
IanReneHn wrote:
Link so we can test the game
This inks are the games. You click on one of it, click 'play' and wait for chess.com to find an opponent for you
16 days ago
0
#10
more testing games
power of queen
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100095906
power of alifl rider
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100102890
power of sergeant
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100103043
"-0 from me. I cant definitively say it should be a -1, but from trying to picture some things in my head, it seems easy and not punishable enough to play b4 Ib3 e3 Ue2 as white, and now the queen is out and white cannot get smothered mated. An alibaba drop can do one check if black captures it, but once the queen is out, white probably has a large positional advantage.
The sergeant is also probably really overpowered with promotion threats on multiple squares if it ever gets into play. Could someone test if it gives too much of a disadvantage to prioritize trading the soldiers for pawns to get the soldier into the game?
yu-x291 — Yesterday at 23:10Monday, 6 April 2026 23:10
shuffling may also be an issue here. If the pawns in the center get locked, both players could go for the queen development, and eventually both players could get all their pieces out, but due to the obstructive bricks and not wanting to trade pieces for pawns, no progress can be made, leading to a dead draw."
15 days ago
0
#12
yu-x897 wrote:
"-0 from me. I cant definitively say it should be a -1, but from trying to picture some things in my head, it seems easy and not punishable enough to play b4 Ib3 e3 Ue2 as white, and now the queen is out and white cannot get smothered mated. An alibaba drop can do one check if black captures it, but once the queen is out, white probably has a large positional advantage.
The sergeant is also probably really overpowered with promotion threats on multiple squares if it ever gets into play. Could someone test if it gives too much of a disadvantage to prioritize trading the soldiers for pawns to get the soldier into the game?
yu-x291 — Yesterday at 23:10Monday, 6 April 2026 23:10
shuffling may also be an issue here. If the pawns in the center get locked, both players could go for the queen development, and eventually both players could get all their pieces out, but due to the obstructive bricks and not wanting to trade pieces for pawns, no progress can be made, leading to a dead draw."
the alfil rider can deliver two checks as it can be dropped on a square that is five squares away diagonally from the king
along with the alibaba drop black can also prepare a storm of pawns or use pieces to capture pawns to create a swarm of pawns to just finish off the king since even though the king may be able to move to stop checkmates its still three check so only three promotion checks are needed to checkmate thats not very many
the sergeant just like the queen is powerful but is difficult to get out, rushing to get it developed can result in a soldier being dropped on b5/g4 which blocks the sergeant it can also be easily attacked and captured by the alfil rider or knight
giving away soldiers is also dangerous since a soldier one rank away from promotion near the king is guaranteed a check and only 3 checks are required to win
in a very closed position sacrificing pieces for pawns can be a viable strategy to create a pawn storm as pieces (besides the knight) cannot deliver checks to the king when it is behind the row of bricks
developing the queen is supposed to cost moves but its not supposed to never happen in a closed position its natural for players to try to develop the queen when they are not being attacked by anything
so all of the points mentioned in your comments are wrong
15 days ago
0
#13
Me -1 choco -1 https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100160204/25/1 cramped, alfil rider hard to use
15 days ago
0
#14
Nyutixbrother wrote:
Me -1 choco -1 https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100160204/25/1 cramped, alfil rider hard to use
this variant is intentionally cramped to impede development and emphasize tempos
the alifl riders starting position guards the b3 square to prevent quick knight drop mates and for general defense but its movement is limited to allow it to be captured and to provide an extra step in the process of freeing the queen.
this adds something to normal crazyhouse by putting the emphasis on being able to promote pawns rather than somehow finding chains of piece placing that leads to a checkmate making it much more beginner friendly
the knight (and alfil rider) being powerful in the bank due to drop threats is an intentional feature this just requires more thorough defenses
the xiangqi horse (and the alfil rider) mainly exists as a roadblock to first block the queen then impede development of the knight if it is not brought out first
in the rematch game neither player developed any pieces or made an attempt to bring out certain pieces and instead spammed pawns but this is not the way to play this variant if a player plays normal chess by not attacking and randomly moving a bishop in circles in their own space it would be a draw but chess still has more things than that
and gameplay is the opposite of slow tempi are crucial here to develop first then create a strong attack
@czarnyresorak567 who has made numerous accepted variants said that the piece palette is great and this includes the alfil rider which is an important part of many features of this variant
1. 'this variant is intentionally cramped' - when a variant is cramped it is usually a bad factor and i don't see how it is good here
2.' the alifl riders starting position guards the b3 square to prevent quick knight drop mates and for general defense but its movement is limited to allow it to be captured and to provide an extra step in the process of freeing the queen.' - so it only exists to be captured and prevent mate? That's a really bad use of a piece
3. 'this adds something to normal crazyhouse by putting the emphasis on being able to promote pawns rather than somehow finding chains of piece placing that leads to a checkmate making it much more beginner friendly' - because of fairy pieces this is less begginer friendly and as you can see from our game because of cramped gameplay pawn recaptures and place back on the board is a very common strategy clogging up the position.
4. 'the knight (and alfil rider) being powerful in the bank due to drop threats is an intentional feature this just requires more thorough defenses' - ok ig
5. 'the xiangqi horse (and the alfil rider) mainly exists as a roadblock to first block the queen then impede development of the knight if it is not brought out first' - so it exists to clog up the position? That's a bad use of a piece and it is not getting ised afterwards in the game
6. 'in the rematch game neither player developed any pieces or made an attempt to bring out certain pieces and instead spammed pawns but this is not the way to play this variant if a player plays normal chess by not attacking and randomly moving a bishop in circles in their own space it would be a draw but chess still has more things than that' - because of this being cramped it is hard and often not worth it to bring pieces out and that's the problem here
7. '@czarnyresorak567 who has made numerous accepted variants said that the piece palette is great and this includes the alfil rider which is an important part of many features of this variant' - ok ig? The fact that one person said something does not change anything here, we all have different opinions
You have the write to disagree but my vote will stay the same. Sometimes you just have to listen to the feedback and took what people are saying as advice to improve your variant, but again it is your choice to do that or not to do that.
Also you can keep disagreeing with my points and writing counterparts if you want and i will answer
Varinator1 wrote:
yu-x897 wrote:
long stuff
it's written by chicken btw
9 days ago
0
#20
i think both sides make great points, but the argument only focuses on piece synergy, which isn’t really the biggest problem in the variant
from self-analysis and testing games, this variant is pretty unfit for a NCV. the major problem with the variant itself is that it’s extremely sharp - sharp to the point where any wrong move is just difficult to recover from and leads to an eventual forced mate, making the variant just unfun to play in a long time control. it doesn’t also have the strategic depth and variety to actually be listed as a NCV either; it mostly relies on blunders and major positional inaccuracies made by players for an eventual mating pattern, making the game quick with the lack of ‘extra’ gameplay (NCVs like minihouse, cross derby, and sergeant’s checkers rely on tactics, strategy, positional gameplay, etc. and this doesn’t have any ‘extra’ gameplay).
another thing that i notice from testing games and self-analysis as well is that white likely has a large advantage due to tempi. white can march their pawns forward, and eventually pass a breakthrough to either promote or mate. pieces can be developed and pawns can be placed, but this won’t really effect the outcome, a breakthrough will eventually occur on f6 and g6 through again, positional inaccuracies. i think the game is theoretically a forced win for white, however, we can’t really accurately check using software like fsf because it doesn’t support the addition of an alfil-rider piece, something that is important in the game itself.
about the variant being “cramped,” the variant’s design is to be cramped. specific people might like it (such as those who play cross derby and simplicity) and others might not, it by itself should not be a problem, rather it must negatively effect the outcome and playability of the variant, and here it doesn’t. for now i do see the queen and xiangqi horse being significantly useless compared to other pieces due to just being hard to develop in general, and also not being worth it to develop due to tempi.
i think i will currently vote -1 as a NCV due to the problems regarding sharpness, variety, tempi, and advantage with a longer time control and compared to standards
as a wof -0 and later probably -1 once i get to play the variant, sharpness is an underlying issue that can’t easily be fixed as well as the fact that the variant is theoretically a forced win
vu id 49
time control: 3|2 if ncv 1|1 if wof
game rules: 3+ and crazyhouse
promotion is 6th=yn
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100011211
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100011486
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100014564
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100014115
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100013692
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100013028
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100012723
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100010799
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100010455
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100010233
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100010018
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100005633
https://www.chess.com/variants/custom/game/100005191
description
a simple and easy to learn variant with a lot of strategies
the goal of this game is to checkmate your opponents king or check your opponents king three times
pawns promote to a knight or alibaba on the sixth rank: perfect for checking a king on the back rank. promoting pawns to a knight on the b3/g6 square or to an alibaba on the c3/f6 square is the most common way to win. promoting a pawn to an alibaba on e3/d6 is also common since it may fork the knight or dragon bishop while also threatening checkmate on c3/f6.
this game is not all about pawns, right next to the king is a queen: the most powerful piece on the board. to get the queen out each player needs to move out the xiangqi horse which is stuck in place by the alfil rider. One important aspect of this variant is the constant pressure that both players must apply with every move, otherwise either player can free the queen. The xiangqi horse is mostly useless, as it is easily blocked and becomes a roadblock for the player who has it, but the alibaba-rider can be dropped to deliver two checks or checkmate.
each player also gets a knight and dragon bishop that can be used for standard attack and defense. the dragon bishop gets a lot of mobility from the opening and can control quite a few squares, although not as much as the queen. The knight can jump, allowing it to attack a dragon bishop. the knight can be dropped onto the b3/g6 square to deliver a check. Note that this square is guarded by the alfil-rider in the staring position.
each player also gets two soldiers and a sergeant on the g/b files that can march at the king. it may be easy to defend these, but forward capturing pawns can provide a nice twist and force a bit of extra defenses when dropped, and the sergeant can deliver forks or threaten promotion on multiple squares if it ever gets into play.
status: under review