What is it about?
Reach Chess is a new chess variant discovered by accident while testing the Ludii general game system. A simple rule change – to reach the far row with any of your pieces – fundamentally subverts the nature of chess and provides an interesting game in its own right. This paper describes Reach Chess, how it came to exist, and explores its character as a game.
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Why is it important?
This study shows how fortuitous results can emerge from unexpected places, and the importance of evaluating new outputs in creative domains on their own merits, regardless of initial appearance. What might have been considered a bug in the system instead produced a pleasing result and proved robust to unexpected input.
Perspectives
This was the most enjoyable paper that I can recall writing. It is a fun topic with a serious technical basis, and very much came from nothing but a happy accident.
Cameron Browne
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Reach Chess: An accidental chess variant, ICGA Journal, September 2024, IOS Press,
DOI: 10.3233/icg-240253.
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