> > The biggest problem I have with chess is that I want to customize it. I mean more than the pieces -
> > I like to change the rules around. And most serious chess players get really anal if you want
> > to play the game with different rules....
>
> Have you heard of "Knightmare Chess"?

I have now. :o)
It sounds cool.

Some other custom chess versions I'm aware of (both computer games):

* Laser Chess

9 x 9 board, and each team has one more pawn and one more noble piece - the Laser Cannon.
At any time, a player can choose to fire the Laser Cannon instead of moving a piece. The Laser Cannon fires straight down the board - various pieces reflect the beam in different ways, and the challenge is to set them up so that (in addition to all the usual considerations) the beam will hit an opposing piece, which is removed from play as if taken.
(I can't remember if the Laser Cannon can be moved normally.)

* Archon

The coolest computer game I'd ever seen when I was a kid. Played with a completely new set of pieces with their own movement rules, based on mythological beings (golems, trolls, dragons, wizards, basilisks, and so on).
Taking a piece isn't automatic - when a piece moves onto an occupied square, the game switches to arcade-game mode, and the two pieces fight to the death.


Paul