Optimized Chess

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Opti Chess (mirror I), starting position

The full, formal name of the game is Optimized Chess 8H X 10W. The brief, slang name of the game is Opti Chess. The common name of the game is Optimized Chess. It was invented anonymously in early 2006 by "OmegaMan".

Optimized Chess is a free, non-commercial Capablanca Random Chess variant that is played on a 8H x 10W board with two additional pawns per side and two new pieces: the chancellor and the archbishop. By the way, Capablanca Random Chess was invented by Reinhard Scharnagl.

All other rules, like en passant capture or castling, are the same or similar to Chess although "symmetric castling" instead of "normal castling" is used. Sub-variants exist wherein the pawns do not have the ability to step two spaces forward with their first move.

It is the inventor's controversial contention that, by using the correct methods of analysis in thoroughgoing detail, he has isolated the best, unique opening setup out of over 12,000 possible, legitimate Capablanca Random Chess opening setups recognized by Reinhard Scharnagl. In fact, the inventor of Optimized Chess offers two opening setups that are east-west transpositions of the same game or mirror-image symmetrical equivalents of one another termed "mirror I" and "mirror II". In practice, "mirror I" is typically preferred by players of Chess due its familiar relative placement of the king and queen (i.e., with the king east of the queen).

Optimized Chess is supported by the two most powerful, multi-variant programs available in the chess variant world. It was selected as one out of only eight 8H x 10W board games featured in SMIRF (developed by Reinhard Scharnagl). It was selected as one out of only eleven 8H x 10W board games featured in ChessV (developed by Gregory Strong). In both programs, its "mirror I" opening setup can conveniently, automatically be loaded for play against a computer opponent.