LongJohn...The cost is very very low! It's not for me to disclose.
Would people leave Brainking if Gothic was longer here I don't think so...this is a great site!
But I know for a fact that many people bought BrainRook and BrainKnight memberships because of Gothic Chess so that is Filip's return!

Walter, I don't what your problem is? If you don't like that we have a patent to the game and have a license with Filip thats just too bad!
To openly suggest that Filip just keep the game here and not pay a fee just shows what kind of person you really are.

1. If you want the rest of your questions asked just UN-BAN Ed and I'm sure he'll answer your questions. That is if you are really Moderator here?

2. These questions your asking have a sarcastic tone and not an inquistive one! Why is the Moderator of this board being a Basher!

3. Do you still want to be Moderator of this board? Do you care about Gothic Chess or do care just to be a Moderator...this is what your actions suggest!!

I don't what argue about this until Doomsday...what are your intentions?

Walter, this is the way that I thought would be best to present this question to the people that play Gothic. I'm only interested in "YES" votes because anyone else would be a "NO". Am I preaching to the choir...YES!!!! Who should I be preaching to. I have a vested interest in this game and it's very important to me. Anyone on this site can who knows me can say that I never post negatively about anything!! I'm here to play Gothic!!

"Isn't it up to Fencer if the game stays or not?" The answer to this is yes and no! Obviously, if Filip does not care to renew the license then there will be no Gothic Chess on this site, but he has to be offered it first!

Also, if I keep getting messages sent to me that are NEGATIVE...to put it nicely...I will post them on this board for everyone to see and then maybe everyone can comment on them. I don't post alot because of the negativity on this DB, thats why in the Gothic Fellowship's DB's I post there!

Just for the record I vote "YES" to keep Gothic Chess on this Site!!

Dear BrainKing enthusiasts,

As media coverage of Gothic Chess in the United States has increased, some interesting offers have come our way. Deals are being made with companies like Hasbro and the House of Staunton to produce attractive wooden and plastic sets. There are now 8 different programs that have paid for Gothic Chess licenses, and more are on the way.

Live news crews will be covering the Computer Championship event this coming November. We are still looking for an online host to provide web coverage so that you can observe the games live with your browser as they occur.

Some offers have come in regarding online playing sites, which I am a little reluctant to discuss right now.

But I would like to "get a sense" of how everyone on here feels about playing Gothic Chess on BrainKing.

Do you enjoy it? Would you mind if it was no longer offered?

As I look at the rating lists, I see Gothic Chess is only the 19th in terms of the player id count. Having only 300+ players, some of these even duplicates, is not really where I thought Gothic Chess would be after nearly 2 years on this site.

Instead of spawning a debate, I would like to propose a vote.

Simply answer "Keep Gothic Chess on BrainKing" if you want it on hear.

No need to vote if you are disinterested.

I will only tally votes that read "Keep Gothic Chess on BrainKing".

Thanks for your time.

Robert Colanzi
National Tournament Director
Gothic Chess Federation

How about renaming this board to "The VENTING Board"! Come here and vent on anything!

Hey Everybody,

Ed and I played real time Gothic Chess!!! It works and is very easy to setup!!

Ed of course won...but it was battle with him having 3 seconds left on his clock.

You can change the color of the squares and the font of the game list! Set the clock for any time one wishes to play, and also save the game when your finished, which we forgot to do!

You and your opponent should agree on the time controls 1st because there is no way to change it after other than playing another game in the process. Also, you should give your opponent your IP Address before you start if you are the one hosting the game...IP's change everytime you disconnect from the internet so just keep that in mind when playing!
So have fun and start playing!!

Thanks, I didn't have "ArchivedGame" capitalized!

Thanks for the help Ed! I used "Arcivedgame" and switched it back because I got the same error! If you can send me what you posted I'll see what I did wrong. Thanks Again

I can't fix it! Fencer can you help!

game#98589
Here is the game everyone!

I remember that game! I thought it was going to be a draw, but then you set a trap that I didn't go for. You had a back rank mate if I attacked your knight after a check! Very clever, but seen! My passed pawn was too far advanced for you stop, so I guess you gambled on me going for the trap! Good game.

More Jousting for 1800 and under...starts March 8th!! Look for it in the "Tournaments" Section.

Thank you Fencer. I'm sure that will at least ease the minds of the people who love to play Gothic here on this site!!

Fencer,

As I read Ed's last post here it looks like he is asking if you will renew your license for Gothic Chess. Do you intend to renew it?

The point I was trying to make is why play CC on this site if White has a huge advantage! This is why no one plays it.

The reason why there is No Capablanca Chess is that White has a huge advantage! So basically this variant isn't playable...where Gothic Chess is a stable variant and a HUGE discovery NOT a samll modification of CC, but the way the 10x8 board should be played! So once again CC is not a playable version!!

I was asked to annotate this game by Nasmichael. It's a game that he loses, but both demonstrate attack and defensive skills in this game. It's a game that is very tactical in nature and a pleasure to go over!

I really am not use to annotating games so I hope I did a good job. My hope is that everyone can enjoy this game and give there ideas on the positions that occur during this game! So if anyone has comments please feel free to give your input as it would be greatly appreciated!!


1. f4 i6
2. g3 Bi6
3. Na3

Nh3 is much stronger in protecting the kingside.

3. ...Ai7
4. d3 Nh6
5. Nj3 O-O
Black is well ahead in development. White should have been getting his Kingside pieces out, such as, Bg2, Af2, O-O.

6. f5 Cf6
7. e4 d5
Black's plan is correct attack White's center!

8. Bg2
Bg5 relieves the pin by the Chancellor.

8. ...Nc6
9. Ah3 Ch5
10.Bf4 Castling here is the safest move. There are many tactical lines that come about if 10. i4! is played.
ex. 10...Cf6, 11. Bg5 Nxf5, 12.exf Axg5, 13. Axg5 Cxf5+ and White is ahead.
if 12. Bxc?? leads to disaster 12...Ne3+, 13. Ke2 BxA, 14. BxB NxQ!

if 12. BxA?? Ne3 dbl+, 13. Kg1 NxQ!

10. ...dxe4
11.dxe4 Nd4 ...e5 is much stronger here forcing the White Bishop to e3.

12.O-O e6
13.c3 c5?! The Knight isn't in a great spot here especially with the c7 pawn vulnerable not to mention the Knight!

14.cxd4 exf5
15.dxc5?! e5 is stronger.
15. ...fxe4
16.Qxd8 Rxd8
17.Ag5 Rh8?
Re8 protects the e-pawn, while Rh8 loses the pawn.

18.Cxe4 Bf5? Another mistake...White's postition is slowly strengthening.

19.Cd6 f6
20.Af3 This loses some steam. 20.Ai3 CxA, 21.jxi

20. Bg4
21.Axb7? Best here is 21.AxB! NxA 22.BxA BxB, 23.Cxb7 and in control.

21. ...Rab8
22.c6 Bxi2!? not a sound sacrifice, but one that helps Black win in the long run.

23.Kxi2 Cj4+
24.Kj1 Cxj3 Ah5 is needed here to continue the attack, however, White is still ahead

25.Rad1?? 25.Cd4 is one of the best Chancellor moves, but almost any Chancellor move here works,
25...RxA, 26.CxR with the threat of promotion as it is White's move gives black a chance at winning the game.

25. ...Ah5! This is the Key move.
26.h3 Ai3+ Black misses a pretty mate in 5!! 26...Bh4, 27.gxB Ai3+, 28.Ki2 Axh4+, 29.Kj1 Cxj2+, 30.Ki1 Cj3 mate.

27.Ki2 Ah5
28.Rd3 Ci5+!
29.Kj1 Aj3!
30.g4 Ci2?? Gives the game back to White & also misses a mate in 3. 30...Ai2+, 31.Ki1 Axh3+, 32Kh2 Cj3#

31.h4! A great move to stop Black's mating threat and get back into the game.
31. ...Cxg2
32.Rxj3 Rxb7
33.cxb7 Cxf4
34.Rxj6 Cf2 Nxg4 was better

35.Rj3?? This is the straw that breaks the camels back! Cd1 and white is still ahead! Black plays it perfectly from here!!

35. ...Cxh1+
36.Ki2 Cxh4+
37.Ki3 Ci4+
38.Kh3 Ci1+
39.Kg3 Cxj3+
40.Kf4 g5+
41.Ke4 Cg3+
42.Kd4 Cxg4+
43.Kc5 Ce5+
44.Kb4 Ng4
45.Nc4 The 2nd and last move of this Knight!!

45. ...Ce7
46.Ka5 Rb8
47. Resigns

Great game guys!!! Yes, there were mistakes, but a fun game none the less...I liked this game more than 99% of mine and I'm not kidding!!

Here is the link to the game ArchivedGame 222603

Hi Ed,

There are some interesting miniature wins on here you might want to put in a separate chapter. When you beat Danoschek in 3 moves with your Chancellor, that should be called "The biggest blunder ever seen"! I also like how you had 5 pieces developed and Danoschek only had a mere Knight in play in your last game with him (remember the one he kept saying he was winning? He must think everyone is stupid). Make sure you include this in the "what not to do" section.

Ed,

Thanks for cleaning up the posts. By the way, how many moves did it take you to beat Cassius? Isn't that the game where you mopped him up in a Chancellor and Pawn ending?

Myself and Defrag1971 played the longest game ever that was completed on September 1st! The game was 86 moves which eclipsed the record which was 74 played by CaissasDream-GothicIventor. The game was a draw which for some people might not seem dramatic, but for us I would say that the game was hard fought and well played. There were probably second best moves played throughout the game, and other than myself losing a pawn which I never was able to win back this game is definitely worth taking a look at!! Game #98600
If anyone knows of a longer game of either one of these please post it.

Thanks

And they said you didn't have a sense of humor!

Ed, will the person who comes in 2nd place win the Gothic Set since it looks like your going to come in 1st!

Well, I see from http://www.gothicchess.org/brain_king.html
that CaissasDream is now 16-1-1 and GothicChessPro is 48-0! I looked at their game today and it was incredible!! CaissasDream was 16-0 with 1 draw before Ed beat him in an incredible Chancellor and pawn ending. You guys should look at the game! The moves that were made in the ending are too complex to believe. I wish someone would explain it to me!

And Fencer, why is Ed's rating only 2134 with a 48-0 performance that includes beating almost all of the top players...Danoschek(1994)twice and CaissasDream(2094) and it looks like he has a strong or even winning position against DescenterKM(2191), as well as, doing a pretty good job on me too! Are the ratings being adjusted properly?

A Gothic Chess program can help out in the sense that it will mature the game for all of us in all aspects of the game, not to mention being able to play a game at your own leisure against the program which is a huge plus! As far as cheating goes...the only answer will be to play "Over the Board" tournaments to see how strong players really are! Hopefully, one day this will come to pass as I for one would love to see people playing Gothic Chess as much as Chess.

On a different note I was just wondering why only myself and one other person have signed up for the 2003 Gothic World Championship...everyone seems to be interested in a $250 tournament, so what is $50 to at least win $2000 and at least a shot at winning $150 for your section...when I read about playing in this tournament I thought it was the best idea Ed could have. Is $50 that steep that no one wants to enter or are there other reasons?

I certainly would play!!! I think only the top 2 players should get money, but I'm sure if we got 200 or more players in the tournament that we can have an alternate winning formula prepared. September isn't that far away but i think $50 is a steal of an entrance fee to win this kind of money! Also, I think Ed's offer of playing him to win an additional $1500 is very generous and we would be crazy to turn this down.

I love the ending to your game! A good combination of piece placement to take the heart out of your opponent, as well as, the game!

Yesterday, I went to Ed's Patent party/Ellie(his wife) birthday party. There was Gothic Chess playing and talk of our current tournament, as well as, the Gothic Chess Championship that we all have been trying to figure out here on this discussion board.

Well, there are new players on the horizon and I think we all should take a look behind us or below us:) The next generation of Gothic players has arrived! Ed's daughter Brittany is a player! We played a Blitz game and she gave me all I could handle. She played an unusual opening and had tactical vision which I was surprised and was caught off guard with! I just managed to pull out a win after a great Queenside castle move she made! I was in time trouble and after I lost my Queen which was pinned to my king by her Rook, I pulled out a tough victory with an ArchBishop mate.

Brittany is 7 1/2 years old....and don't forget the 1/2!! I wish I was Brittany's age learning Gothic Chess...maybe I would have a fighting chance against all of these young upstarts!
Anyway, I think Brittany deserves a round of applause for her nicely played game against me!!

The winner should get more money...after all you are going to be the Gothic World Champion!!

Winner: 70% of the pot
2nd Place: 15% of the pot
Brainking: 5% of the pot
GCF: The rest

Also, a $50 entrance fee seems very fair!!

I think the ArchBishop is one of the most valueable pieces in Gothic Chess. My game seems to thrive on the complexities that this piece introduces to Gothic. Although, there comes a time in the game when one is forced to swap or win a Queen for a ArchBishop + Minor piece.

Sooooo...I say look at the position before making these exchanges. Overall though, I like my ArchBishop...I guess its the Catholic in me:)

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of entering the inner-sanctum of Gothic Chess. Since I live in the Philadelphia area I was invited to Ed Trice's home to play some(of course) Gothic Chess. After upon arriving there, with some well written directions, I was greeted by Ed who was a great host!

After Ed had his late breakfast which was toast and tea he showed me to his Chess Room. We talked about the future of Gothic Chess, as far as, "What will it take for Gothic to over power chess as the mainstream game?" Then we played a game with time controls of G/60. To my dismay I only lasted 12 moves before blundering away the game, but Ed still came up with a Queen sac to end the game as he left me there after the move to prepare lunch. After some review the game could have been good, and maybe worth even posting on this board :) Ed doesn't know, but I just didn't have the heart to go to his own home and beat him in a regulation game :)

After the game, I had the pleasure of meeting his wife and daughter who were both sociable and entertaining. A barbecue lunch was next! Not hamburgers and hotdogs, but steak, sausage and shrimp! I never thought I could feel that at home after going to someone's home for the first time and only the second time meeting him personally.

Lunch was over and Ed asked if would play some Gothic Blitz Chess. I said, "Of course", and he asked if time controls of 6 minutes for me and 3 minutes for him were okay? I said, "How about 5 minutes apiece?". He agreed, and I redeemed myself by winning 2 of 3 games! I surprised myself...not by winning, but that I really didn't know what to expect because of never playing Gothic Blitz before. I know Ed will have something ready at our next meeting though, so I guess I'll have to prepare as well :)

Ed then showed me to his office with all the Gothic games in a database, and of course how he does everything to the website. I was amazed by how much work he accomplishes! He showed me what went into writing the Gothic Chess Review which I can not wait for the return of. Also, the lines and lines of programming just to make that K+N+B vs. K ending which of course he is still in the process of finishing!

I think I was there around 9 hrs. which for me seemed about 3 hrs. I enjoyed the whole day and I'm glad Ed was able to put up with me for that long! I look forward to our next meeting and hope to return the hospitality that I was shown!

If I didn't say it before Ed..."Thanks for a Great Day!"

Thanks for the support...of course I'll 3rd the motion!! As for castling, I know what Whisperz is saying but the same can be said of chess. Gothic does have the advantage of having the extra pieces over chess, but the other player still has those same pieces to defend with. Look at Bobby Fischer's games and you will see that he castled almost as early as you possibly can...I know this is Gothic Chess but the fact remains that there are only a couple of openings discovered. I think all of our future games will decide the issue, but everyone wants an answer now and not later....so castle when you feel it is the right time!

I personally try to castle early usually within around move 8 and the lastest that I have castled was move 15. It would be safe to say that castling depends on the situation or the board position at that time. There are not many absolutes in chess and this is certainly not one. So, I think its good practice to castle early, but if you don't and position is safe there really is no need to castle. Gothic Chess is still in its infancy and most answers will have to await years of game play but I think this is a safe assumption.

I agree with Mattewhall on this...an online tournament would just drag itself out! I miss OTB games, but I realize many of you are not from the Philadelphia area. I think the Championship would be played at the Adam's Mark Hotel on City Line Ave. but I think that would have to be determined by availability. Maybe in the future there can be regional tournaments with all the winners going to one location to play for the chanpionship....or some format like that.

Well, here is my shot!

White Kc8,Ba1,Ni1
Black Ka8
Like Whisperz I needed to put something in!!

I would like to enter the tournament...but I need to know what day and time?

Ed,

Here is my setup for the contest:

Black King = a8
White King = c6
White Bishop = c5
White Knight = b5

I only have a mate in 25 moves for White! I can not seem to get more!

Underpromotion is what the term is called in chess, which would be promoting to a knight since this is the only piece that a queen cannot move like. It stands to reason that in Gothic Chess that if you underpromote it would be the Archbishop for the same reason. It makes no sense to promote to a Chancellor or any other piece since the Queen already has that advantage.
The reason for underpromoting would be to deliver a check when promoting the piece (Knight or Archbishop) or winning a piece with a fork thereby giving you a winning or drawn game that promoting to a Queen would not of given you.