New chess variant idea - Queen-o-rama!

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Bawker

Maybe this already exists, my apologies if so.  I honestly don't have the time to go through dozens of chess alternates pages to see if I invented this or not.

 

Anyway, here is my idea:

 

Most modern chess sets come with 2 queens.  Why not use them?

Set up the board in the traditional way, except put 2 queens where the bishops normally go.  Place a single bishop where the queen normally goes.

 

Everything else about the setup and game is the same.

 

Thoughts?

HGMuller

Probably new, but a bad idea. It does not really offer anything new (same old pieces), and wrecks the standard game in several ways. Having an extra super-piece instead of a minor greatly upsets the trading opportunities, which makes standard chess such a well-balanced and interesting game: it is important to have about twice as many pieces in each next-lower value class (1 Queen, 2 Rooks, 4 minors). Secondly, Bishops are color bound, and having only one of them on a different square shade than the opponent excludes the many interesting end-games with like Bishops. It would probably be slightly better to use an inversion-symmetric start position (Kings on e1 and d8). Then you would throw away the unlike Bishops end-games, which at least would reduce drawishness somewhat.

Note that I am not one of these people that reject any variation on the rules of Chess as a matter of principle, but this just seems a step backward for no reason.

Of course having a spare Bishop in the set instead of a spare Queen would make it logical to allow only promotion to Bishop! This is an interesting idea in itself.

IvanKosintsev

Thank you Mr Bawker! The excellent idea is near. You begin the game with two Qs for whites and blacks without Ks. But player has right to catch opponent's' pieces only when he puts own K on any free and unchecked square with own move like drop. So we are companions of this lucky invention. My congratulations!

mitsakos33

mitsakos33