Strategic chess

Here's a chess variant that my son and I have played for a couple of days.  It is loosely based on a game called Stratego (we didn't have Stratego so I invented this chess game).

Each player take turns placing 1 of his chessman on his side of the board.  They can go anywhere, 2 white bishops, whatever.  So, after 16 turns, all chessmen are placed.  Then we use rock-paper-scissors to determine who goes first.

The movement/capture rules are the same as normal chess but with the following changes:

1. The game ends when the enemy king is taken.  There are no checks/checkmates/etc. 

2. There are no castling, pawn promotion, or en passant.

3. Once a pawn gets to the promotion rank, it can only move/capture like pawns in Chinese chess, I.e. the pawn is confined to its promotion rank but it can move and capture left and right.

It is a fun game.  Give it a try.  I'm curious to hear what others think.

A game where the king can be captured? That's too profound for me.

You should play a game with your son that is not so radical. This is better:

(Taikyoku shōgi)