Nice combination using the power of the Janus
http://brainking.com/game/ArchivedGame?g=586425&i=59

" "The Philadelphia Open will be played February 18-20, 2005 at the Wyndham Philadelphia Hotel! This tournament is a 7 round Swiss with a G75 + 5 sec delay. You can register here at http://www.gothicchess.org/register_philly_open.html"

What happened with this tournement and who won it?
Are the played games available?

Caissus: Ed Trice would be able to tell you but he can't post here for some reason.

mahavrilla:

Gothic is played by around 35,000 people around the world, at last count from the sales database, now in 51 countries.

There are Grandmasters and International Masters in chess who also play Gothic Chess. This number is very small compared to the non-tournament playing population.

If only Grandmasters liked Gothic Chess, that would be a very small market! Fortunately, many young players take up the game.

Some old pictures from tournaments around the USA were online here at one point:

http://www.gothicchess.org/ty.html

But, as you can see, the page became a "scrapbook" of sorts as various models posed for t-shirts and things.

mahavrilla: Janus Chess has one very good thing going for it. Ed Trice didn't patent it! The games themselves are very similar. I started playing Gothic Chess first, and probably would not even have played Janus Chess had it not been for the events that led to me becoming moderator of the Gothic Chess discussion board or things that Ed Trice did after my installment as moderator of said board. Since then, I've learned to play Janus Chess, and for some reason the game is lots harder for me to play well as compared to Gothic Chess. I'm not sure why this is. Ed is very good at both games, ... mod edit ....

As far as having an answer to your post. The obvious major difference is having two Januses compared to a Janus/Archbishop and a Knight+Rook/Chancellor. The two Januses can work together in ways that can only happen because there's two of them. Kind of like the Rooks in regular Chess. The Bishops in regular Chess can be powerful, but they can never guard each other. The Knights can guard each other, but as soon as one moves that is no longer true. The Januses do both things, as do the Rooks. Gothic Chess's Archbishop and Chancellor do it on occasion, so it's hard for me to say for sure. It just seems like the Januses move together better. On paper the Gothic set is stronger, but that doesn't mean it's a better version, does it? As for excitement while playing the games themselves, that's a very subjective thing and I think the games are equal in that respect. You didn't ask about unpredictability. Is that part of the excitement factor for you?

...and I did receive an email recently from (supposedly) Gary Kasparov regarding his recent retirement from chess and his interest in Gothic Chess.

I don't want to elaborate until I have confirmation that it came from him. Stay tuned

to EdTrice:

I hope the very best!

I hope this too, but i think the possibility for this, is bellow that of having a straight flush at poker.....
Kasparov will concentrate on his books and on making more money from his name.......(Or not of course. Perhaps he doesn't want more money)

. just hope it's not the kasparov from iyt .
polite and modest, that really does not sound like him ... . ~*~

To EdTrice: Why should we not hope that this contact from Kasparov should be serious? If he would be interested in 10x8 variants, he would also be interested in playing programs! That could be helpful for a handful of people.

tedbarber: if fencer wont do it on anotehr board he's not going to change his mind here, best to just let it slide.

EdTrice:
since the USCF is connected to the world not
only via pipeline here the url: http://www.uschess.org ... ~*~ .

Welcome back Ed.

EdTrice: I removed the ban on you Ed.
danoschek: I went to the link, but saw no mention of Gothic Chess. I did see Kasparov's name, but it was in relation to a regular Chess tournament. Did I overlook something? Does the USCF have Chess variants as a part of it? Seems like some top rated Chess players have played Janus Chess. I'd think a Chess federation would be interested in keeping up on that. Perhaps you could show me where to look in their site?

It was Kasparov's interview when he announced he was retiring from chess. He said "...I think this 'Gothic Chess' game holds more promise for players, I am looking into getting involved with it."

Where did you see that...........? Do you have the link.......? I just only see statements about his new book.......

There is lots to read before you see it buried in there, but it is there Let me find the link for you. Also, check your email George, new Vortex on the way.

Walter Montego: calm down.
the uscf was mentioned without reference link which
I added in that my own very helpful way. happy easter . ~*~

EdTrice:
I will check my e-mail when i go home. I'm looking forward to see where do i have to put the tablebases folder this time......

I think this is the game everyone was asking about. It was in Round 6 of 7, both players were 5-0 up until that point. It was one of the highlights of the tournament, a game I felt I should have lost several times over. Here it is in all its imperfection.

[Event "2005 Philadelphia Open"]
[Site "Phialdelphia, PA"]
[Date "2005.02.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "David Stoddard"]
[Black "Ed Trice"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ed Trice"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "rnbqckabnr/pppppppppp/10/10/10/10/PPPPPPPPPP/RNB

QCKABNR w KQkq - 0 1"]

1. g4 Nc6

{This looks like a curious way to begin,
but in playing black you have to watch out
for things like 1...d5 2. Nh3 Bxg4??
which loses The Exchange in Gothic Chess
due to 3. Bxb7!! The early ...Nc6 here
extinguishes all of this.}

2. Nh3 d5
3. f3 g6
4. c3 d4

{Baiting 5. cxd4 Bxd4, which white steers clear of.}

5. Af2 i6
6. d3 Bi7
7. Bxi7 Axi7

{Black played a little too cavalier in setting up this
"Archbishop fianchetto". White becomes strong on the
dark squares with a few well-placed pawns, haunting
Black for the rest of the game.}

8. Bg2 Ng7
9. O-O O-O
10. f4 Cf6

{White has achieved poise in the center, and Black
is trying to force his way into the game with this
premature Chancellor engagement.}

11. g5 Cd6
12. cxd4 Nxd4
13. Nc3 c6
14. e3 Ndf5

{White's moves seem natural and intuitive, and Black
plays like a fox being hunted.}

15. e4 Nd4

{But how quickly small shifts in the position can occur.
Black has deliberately conditioned White to react with
pawn pushes, and White responds in this fashion again.
The result leaves White with an over-extended pawn region
on the queenside, where Black can stake a claim with
a Knight that cannot be ousted. White then is able to cause
this minor positional gain to evaporate in a few moves.}

16. e5 Ce8
17. Ce4 Ngf5

{White still has a nice chunk of real estate in the center,
and the pawn cluster in the e-f-g files resembles a
sturdy Stonewall type of formation.}

18. Ne2 Nxe2
19. Qxe2 Be6

{The trades have left Black with only 2 minor pieces in play,
unsupported in any way by the fianchettoed Archbishop. White,
on the other hand, has a superior development profile with
every non-Rook piece in an active setting. Black's last move
makes the idle threat against the pawn on a2, which White decides
to cover with the Chancellor.}

20. Cb4 Qc8

{The White Chancellor was hitting on b7, so Black dedicates
the Queen to its defense while compounding a potential
diagonal strike against h3 since the Bishop is on e6 as well.}

21. Rac1 Cc7
22. Be4 Rd8
23. Qd2 Bd5
24. Qc2 Be6

{Both sides are dancing around a bit, groping for the thread of
the game as half of the allotted time control has been used up
by each player.}

25. Qc5 Nd4
26. Ca4 Bxa2!

{Black strikes with a little "flash in the pan" combination.
It was interesting to watch White's reaction, after having
been lulled to sleep a little by moves 21 to 24.}

27. Cxa2 Nb3
28. Qb4 Nxc1
29. Cxc1 Rd7?!

{Black exchanged his two lethargic minors for a Rook and the
important a-pawn. This is still a pawn-heavy game, not exactly
favorable for Black's army comprised entirely of major pieces.
The idea is to try to thin out the pawns and keep the battle
raging on the queenside where the candidate passed pawns could
become deadly and decisive.}

30. Ai5! Qh8!

{White wastes no time exploiting the checking opportunity
on g7 now that Black's free-roaming Rook pulled itself off
of the back rank. At first, 30...Qg8 looks like an obvious
choice to prevent 31. Ag7+, but Black wants to leave g8 open
for the Archbishop. While 30...Qh8 was good, Black's absorbing
of 10 minutes of clock time to make this move was not.}

31. Ag4 Rad8
32. Rd1 Rd4?!

{It is safe to say that the battle will be waged starting
in the d-file. Punch and counter-punch soon follow.}

33. Qc5 Cb5
34. Qxe7 Ag8!

{The move I had been waiting to play has molded itself
into a trap where the White Queen must be exchanged off
of the board.}

35. Qc5 Cxc5
36. Cxc5 Rb4

37. Cc2 Rb5

{Pressure points seem to be the theme as we each poke at the
b-pawns, probing for other weaknesses.}

38. Ra1 a6
39. Nf2 Qg7
40. h4 Ai7
41. Af6! Qf8

{White is continuing to manuever as if he is the one who
tricked me into "winning" his Queen for my Chancellor and pawn.
I am, once again, forced to place my strongest pieces in
passive positions on the back rank. Inspiration strikes
as I see a way for White to "set a trap" by dangling the
h-pawn as bait, but, in actuality, when the fireworks
have fizzled, Black has better chances. }

42. Bf3 Aj6!
43. Ng4 Axh4!

{In moves to come, Ng4 looks to deserve a "strong move" annotation
since it gives White a good attack in exchange for losing the h-pawn.
But, as will be shown, this was just the tip of an inverted iceberg.}

44. Ch2 Ag3!
45. Axh7+ Ki7

{Even though pinned, the White Chancellor is still able to
extend the shield of protection to the Archbishop as it drills into Black's
position.}

46. Axf8 Rxf8
47. Kj1! Axh2+

{White finds the correct unpinning move, which would normally have
been a suicidal move into checkmate without the Knight there to
reel in the Archbishop. Very accurate play on behalf of White,
featuring a high degree of tactical sharpness. The question remains,
was Black's strategic play capable of delivering a won ending?}

48. Nxh2 Rxb2

{The endgame is purely chess on the wider board. We have Bishop, Knight,
Rook, and 6 pawns versus a pair of Rooks and 7 pawns. The scales
sometimes tip to the side down a pawn, as Rooks view pawns as landmines
in such scenarios.}

49. Ng4 Rh8
50. Nh6 Rh7

{With two short hops, the Knight has reached its square of maximum
efficiency. One Black Rook is already tied down to passive defense.
This is not the type of ending I want to be playing with only 15 minutes
left on my clock!}

51. Be4 Rf2
52. Rb1 Rxf4

{It is here that White realizes Rxb7 is not possible as ...Rf1+
will lead to a back rank mate.}

53. Ki1 c5?!

{Again, White had pressure against my only regional asset, so that
even 53...b5 would lead to a pawn lost with 54. Bxc6.
I decided to play for unclear positions in time pressure,
an old motiff that has served me well on more than one occasion.}

54. Bxb7 Rb4!

{The point of it all was to send White into a Rookless ending.}

55. Rxb4 cxb4
56. Bxa6 b3

{Let him worry about the passed pawn. My position may be dubious
if you have all day to work out the details, but I can see by the
nervous hand moving the White pieces that the pressure must be
getting to him.}

57. d4 b2
58. Bd3 Rh8!

{Dropping a pawn purely to activate the Rook, a must in the
position.}

59. Nxf7 Rh4
60. Bxg6 Rxd4
61. e6 Rd1+
62. Kh2 b1=Q
63. Bxb1 Rxb1

{I was expecting 64. e7 Re1, so I had to stop my reach and think a moment.}

64. Ne5 Rb5
65. Ng6+ Kh7
66. e7 Rb8

{There were at least 20 people watching at this point.
Don't you just love pressure? About 5 minutes for each player
remains.}

67. Ni5+ Kg7
68. Nxj7 Kg6
69. Ni5+ Kxg5
70. i3 Re8

{I would like to thank Josh Kendall for recording
the rest of these moves as we both scrambled without
writing them down.}

71. Nh3+ Kg4!
72. Ni5+ Kh5
73. j4? Rxe7

{The natural looking j4 push proves to be the final undoing
of White's game after 5 perfect round of play.}

74. Kh3 Re3+
75. Ki2 Ki4
76. Ng4 Re2+
77. Nh2+ Kj5

{The move to get out of check delivers check. My
opponent offers a draw. I saw him slump and relax into
his chair, so I think he must have believed I was going
to accept it. When I played 77...Kj5 I hit the clock with
some additional force, as if shouting "No!" The psychology
of this bore fruit, as he was very indecisive in making
moves 78-80, reaching his hand out, then retracting, then
reaching out, then retracting. He must have seen losses
staring back at him, finally tripping him up.}

78. Kh3 Re3+
79. Kh4 Re8
80. Ng4? Rh8+

{The very unintuitive 80. Kh3 seemed to hold the draw as we
performed the post mortem.}

81. Kg5 Ki4
82. Kf6 Rh3
83. Kg5 Rg3
84. Kf4 Rxg4+
85. Kxg4 Kxi3
86. Kg3 Kxj4

{Playing out the time scramble a little, but
even 1 minute is plenty of time.}

87. Kh3 i5
88. Ki2 Ki4
89. Kj2 Kh3
90. Kj3 i4+
91. Kj2 Kh2
92. Kj1 Ki3
93. Ki1 Kj3
94. Kh2 i3+
1-0

ha ha ha

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 ;-).

Glad you like it

Being a moderator is not easy. On the one hand, we want to avoid flame wars and personal insults. On the other hand, we don't want to be Fascists who deny people freedom of expression.

Initially I hid Ughaibu's post because it was an attempt to provoke Ed Trice. I know there are players who dislike the Gothic Chess patent. I will be honest and say I am one of them. However, I don't like personal attacks either. As a moderator I am suppossed to be impartial and put my feelings aside. To say I find all this extremely difficult is an understatement.

After some careful thought, I decided to lift the hide on Ughaibu's posts. If Ed is insulted he can defend himself publicly. Reader's can make up their mind as to who is right or wrong.

We should all learn to ignore these things. We are suppossed to be adults.

Ughaibu: Have you been downing that bad scotch again? No need to be insulting mate.

Ed: No need to be offended. We are too old to be drawn into childish arguments.

I dont see it as an insult, I think it's quite funny.

That's the problem with humour: not all of it is universal. I was highly amused by ughaibu's posting. I thought it both creative and funny, and I couldn't believe that anyone would take offence. But as a fellow Brit of mature years it's likely that ughaibu and I have senses of humour that overlap to some extent.

Humour is sometimes a risk, especially when it's cross-culture. But today is April Fool's Day, and it's just possible that Andromedical is playing a joke on us by pretending to take things so seriously!

I don't know what you guys are talking about, I have made use of the "hide" feature with that individual for over a year now. It's like that person does not exist, which is fine with me.

ughaibu: LOL...I did too!
now hose her off...reinflate her and put her back in the closet! LMAO

Oh, I have a sense of humor. If I didn't, I would hide everyone, like they do in the poetry board.

You look like you need some blood wine.

Nothing is better for a Gothic Chess warrior than a bottle of Iwhikh and a plate full of Gokh.

Iwhikh = Klingon blood wine
Gokh = Klingon live worms, the perfect snack

Here is something a little more on topic. Bumble's last game of Gothic Chess, from November 22, 2004.

http://brainking.com/game/ArchivedGame?g=507118

And of his 188 active games, how many are Gothic Chess games?

0.

But thanks for telling us we were off topic.

comment removed

Come on little Klingons, now play nice.

Were we off topic? Of course we were. Does it matter? Not really.

Let's lighten up a little. It does not matter if we are a little off topic. Read most boards. Half of the things posted are not on topic.

If Bumble points it out, he is right, but that is alright, no big deal.

And if Bumble does not play that much Gothic Chess, that is alright too. People play what they want and what they enjoy. It is a free world.

And the name calling? Why let personal animosities get in the way of fun?

Has it occurred to you all that when you go on like this on the board I am the one who gets the complaints as personal messages?

We are all in the same boat here, trying to stave off the daily routine by playing games and having some fun. Remember? F-U-N, unless you enjoy spilling your bile, and what is worse, mine too.

As moderator, I hate hiding people and I hate editing posts. Should I turn this into the Poetry Board, where posts are pre-approved?

EdTrice: We can dispute if Off-Topic is "allowed" or not. In fact bumble said, that this all was off-topic before his postings.
But I can not see any doubt where you must show one game of bumble which he lost and touch that bumble does not play many gothic chess games.
I do not want to comment Pedros postings - I have my own meaning of all what here happened, but you should think a little bit: You was banned, now unbanned, came back ... and what is it now?

Now I was attacked unprovoked.

If the off-topic post was by somebody who cared about the game, that is different. You don't see me lurking on the Pente board waiting for someone to make an off-topic post, it just does not make sense.

Bumble was probably joking. How's Gothic's loss against Alex germinating?

Ed has kicked me out of his fellowship, Gothic Chess Steamrollers today for no apparant reason. Thanks, Ed. What did I do to deserve that?

Thad

That's fun. Remember how he thought Rants and Raves was set up as an anti-Walter-support-the-puppet fellowship? I dont know if in the US you have the expression "poor fish"(?) either way the behaviour of GP has consistently exemplified the thrust of this.

Valuable post. I'm getting closer to a definitive diagnosis of your pathology.

EdTrice: Not true. You were lied to...or are lying now. But I'm sure you don't believe me ayway.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=82147

EdTrice: I assume you won't tell us, but who told you I was doing what you claim?

And who did they claim I was sending these posts to?

He's pretending to have you on "hide", welcome to club, is there a word in english for those subjected to a sulk?

What you think is worth about 1/8000 as far as site policy goes.

That last post was a bit cruel, I'm sorry. Of course the guy's opinion has zero value.

I'm sorry to say I'm removing this discussion board from my "Favourite boards". I joined it to explore a fascinating game but the signal-to-noise ratio is too high. I'm not interested in ad hominem attacks, whether or not they're justified. It's sad that five star talent seems to be being wasted on all sides.