Do you think somebody rated 1595 USCF could

Haha, imagine the knight defending A2 with black eyeing his queen and rook on it, and the knight is flashing on and off every turn. That's not even close to fair!

I think that a 1595 player would not even be sure what to do without his knight. Playing with odds already work the same parts of the brain that play Fischer 960. The 1595 player would have to play effectively as a 1200 - 1300 player or completely relearn his opening principals. I could see him getting early checkmated because he plays an opening where the knight plays a crucial role and doens't realize certain pieces are undefended. (Not literally hanging, he is 1595 after all, but vulnerable to tactics that don't exist in normal chess).

I think it is much easier to take advantage of an opponent who is missing a piece than to scrap up some sort of opening with pieces missing.

One of my favorite variations I've though of is me and a GM or a computer verses someone 2000 strength. The trick is we switch off moves, so I play one move and the GM takes another, and the GM cannot give me any advice! It would be hilarious to see the kind of ups and downs the game would take. One especially hilarious situation is that if the GM seems a forced mate, I better see it too!

I started this thread because of a game played by Josh Waitzkin at the age of eight for the second grade world champianship.

No way. Maybe a 1295.