How's that one played Caissus?

As for this licensing business, I'd just keep the game here and blow them off. If they have a problem with it, rename the game. Kind of like Othello is called Reversi here, right? I still don't get how a patent can be granted for something that's a hundred years old. Suppose I took Bird's chess and said a Pawn could not be captured if the move threw a check and the King or Pawn had not been moved in the game as yet. Making a rule change to try and prevent the quick mate that comes about from the Pawn being unguarded at the start of the game. We'd have a new game, but would it be something that could be patented? In Gothic Chess, there are no new pieces or rules. Just a rearrangement of the pieces that existed a hundred years ago. How can this be a new game and a furthering of the art? I could just take Gothic Chess and require the first piece moved be a Pawn. Would this be a new game? In fact, they purposely made all the rules of regular Chess apply in Gothic Chess. The pieces aren't even named differently from Capablanca Chess! I read Ed Trice's article and he shows that the piece placement in Gothic Chess makes for a better game, but I still don't see how that makes it an invention. There's hundreds of Chess variations. I doubt if many have ever been patented. And even if a few are, what good did it do the patent holder? Perhaps it's my lack of understanding of the patent process and the rights and obligations that come with being a patent holder that is causing my confusion. All the same, to me an invention has to be new and novel in some way. I just don't see that in Gothic Chess. And why Gothic Chess? I didn't ask anyone's permission to play it, nor have I bought a license. I wouldn't even know how to go about getting one, come to think of it. Do I have to pay royalties to play this game? Is the license free, or did Fencer pay them for it? What kind of cost would that be? Seems like Fencer is doing Ed a favor just having the game on his site, spreading it out to the public, and letting Ed advertise Gothic Chess sets and links to his website.
Perhaps I'll write the Patent Office and ask about patents and games and see what the answers are. Or a patent attorney. I have a few things I need to have patented too. Maybe an attorney would answer my questions as he's helping me with my patent application. What does it cost to get a patent? Why bother getting a patent? To protect your idea so that one has exclusive right to it, right? I'd say Gothic Chess is Bird's idea and it's part of the public domain now. Was this patent acquired in the hopes of making it rich? Sounds like someone is out a couple dollars.
I think I will make an 8 X 10 chessboard and play a game on it. I might even market them. Flip it over for an 8 X 8 board. Add some extra pieces for Chess variations. Market it as a Bird's Chess chess set. Wouldn't be much of a problem for someone that wanted to play Gothic Chess to rearrange my Bird's chess set pieces to play that game instead. Would I need a license from anyone to do these things? I really doubt it, plus what can they do if I refuse to buy one? Take my set away and tell me to go home? How's someone like Ed going to enforce his patent? That's assuming it is a patent that can't be contested and overturned, at that. I'm really confused about the whole thing.

Anyways, tell me about the Abergvariation.