Sam has closed his piano and gone to bed ... now we can talk about the real stuff of life ... love, liberty and games such as Janus, Capablanca Random, Embassy Chess & the odd mention of other 10x8 variants is welcome too
For posting: - invitations to games (you can also use the New Game menu or for particular games: Janus; Capablanca Random; or Embassy) - information about upcoming tournaments - disussion of games (please limit this to completed games or discussion on how a game has arrived at a certain position ... speculation on who has an advantage or the benefits of potential moves is not permitted while that particular game is in progress) - links to interesting related sites (non-promotional)
I just received a gothic set from www.gothicchess.org, and it is excellent. I had made a set on my own, scavenging a bishop and knight from another set, and painted a board from scrap board. I painted the bishop and knight to distinguish them from the other pieces. But to have the tournament set helps to dismiss the naysayers at coffeehouses where I have played the game; whereas before some would say I made the game up to give myself some mystical advantage, now they can read the patent # and see the time that has been taken to detail the powers of the piece in the design itself. I have said all that to say to the gothic fan, make a set if you have to, but I encourage you to get a tournament style set for your collection.
Then take it and play one in the public. Shake up the FIDE diehards ;-).