I'd like the option to be able to have the pieces set up by the tournament director or individual players for side games, instead of randomly as in Fischer Random Chess or forced as in regular Chess. Give everyone the same set up, but a selected one. This could be handy for having a King's Gambit tournament for example. My primary use for it would be to have different 8 X 10 variant set up and see for my own and other interested players which version they like the best or just want to try. I posted recently in the Gothic Chess discussion board about switching the Kings and Chancellors at the start of the game. I think this is a very good way to start the game, but I don't have a way to see if I'm right or not.

One objection for doing this would concern ratings, but the games could be played as unrated or just grouped together as a variant set up rating. The important thing would be the fun in trying and playing the games with alternate set ups or composed tournament starts. If one particular set up caught on, it could be spun off from the variant setup section and given its own stand alone place as Janus Chess and Gothic Chess are.