. Speaking of dogs, check out my new "Bulldog" chess piece I'm working on (2 versions).
It depends on whether or not the 50-move rule applies in the context of the puzzle. If it does, then the result [with best play] will be a draw after the obvious 1.Qxh1 is played. On the other hand, if the 50-move rule is being disregarded in this situation, then the endgame after Qxh1 is VERY far from trivial - so deep, in fact, that the assistance of Lomonosov tablebases would probably be required for a definitive solution.
wow
I saw all that...
@-@ Seriously though, 546...
Holy cow!
Thanks for that amazing endgame, vickalan!
Good work
Heh... based on what little theoretical knowledge I have concerning QN vs. RBN endings, I suspected White may be winning (without the 50-move rule) after some inordinate number of moves. Without tablebase analysis, though, I could never have confirmed that suspicion. Such endings are well beyond the scope of what humans can currently understand.
As far as chess variants go, I'm usually happy to "trade" games. When no one is willing to try the variants I find most fun/interesting, however, I am much less inclined to play a new and randomly chosen game which I'm not particularly enthusiastic about.
#546 move rule
.
it probably never happened
the most moves in a game is probably in the 300s
I don't know anything about QN vs. RBN endings, but by points white is ahead at the start (12 vs. 11). White stays ahead all the way to move 514 where Black makes the first capture. But then white's King of all pieces captures the black rook! White stays ahead with this material for the next 30 moves, until 545 where white finishes off Black and puts him in check.
I don't know anything about QN vs. RBN endings, but by points white is ahead at the start (12 vs. 11). White stays ahead all the way to move 514 where Black makes the first capture. But then white's King of all pieces captures the black rook! White stays ahead with this material for the next 30 moves, until 545 where white finishes off Black and puts him in check.
Interesting take! 
However, I do think it's also important to understand that the "stronger" side (White, in this case) walks a razor-thin tightrope with QN vs. RBN. In a lot of the positions that arise along the narrow path to victory, many of the wrong moves don't even just draw - they lose!! 
In fact, I'd be willing to bet that a tablebase-assisted player could defeat any modern chess engine in such endings, even if forced to play the "weaker" side, and even if the program was backed up by the best available hardware.
Since you asked whether I have a favorite chess variant, the most accurate answer would be that I have a bunch of favorites.
The ones that immediately come to mind are Chess with Different Armies (Betza), Ultima (Abbott), Grasshopper Chess (Boyer), War of Mates (unknown), and Retroduels (unknown). However, most games found within the CVP archive (chessvariants.org) are of very high quality. Spartan Chess (Streetman), for instance, is yet another exceptional game which is also fairly well known. Cetran Chess 2 (Cetina), meanwhile, is an outstanding but quite obscure example (and another of my personal favorites).
That is really intersting too! And it's probably one of the reasons this endgame goes on for 546 moves. I'm sure you're right that a tablebase-assisted player could beat any chess engine in this ending (unless the engine itself had access to a tablebase).
Thanks for your analysis, I didn't know for sure if any wrong moves can actually lead to a loss. Since most moves look like guess-work to me, I probably would have 500 chances of losing if I played this endgame.
