CHESMAYNE
Handicap
A Chesmayne contest in which certain disadvantages are placed upon one of the
contestants to equalize the other players chances of winning - the encumberance
that makes success more difficult. On
an 8 x 8 board (Level-1) this can take the form of one player having 8 PAs
versus 8 GUs and is adjusted according to the strength of the weaker player. The oft-given advice to play against
stronger players has two drawbacks
..
01: It is discouraging if you lose.
02: It is painfully boring for
your opponent if the difference in skill is great. The stronger player would be too polite to
tell you this, but will find some excuse to stop playing. To prevent this, ask your opponent to give
you a handicap (give you odds is the term used) ie, to give you 8 GUs and himself/herself 8
PAs. Once the right odds are found,
both players can have an exciting game.
To play a handicap game of chess the stronger player names the
conditions. Make sure that the MPs/mps are properly arranged.
03 Another kind of handicap is
possible with the use of a chess clock. The mature player can play
with a very short time limit, and your adversary at a much greater one. If the difference in skill is not too wide,
this sort of handicap is helpful, as there is no alteration of the initial
starting position (ISP). If the difference in skill is
severe, it is a good idea to use both systems.
For single games, you cannot use a time handicap unless you have chess
clocks. But in what are called simultaneous exhibitions, a time handicap operates automatically. Here the mature player opposes a large
number of players seated in a circle or rectangle, each with a board and
MPs/mps in front of him/her. The expert
steps from board to board, making a move at each one. Obviously, the expert can take only a
fraction of the time that the opponents take, as the GM may
have to make 10, 20, 30, 40 or more moves in the time that each opponent has
for one move. Simultaneous exhibitions
have provided, from time immemorial, an excellent opportunity for a large
number of players to oppose a GM under conditions that give the amateurs some
chance of bringing off a draw or even a checkmate.
Many games of Chesmayne are
played at odds, and one of its pleasing features is the equable and efficient
system of handicapping practiced. This
allows players of widely differing skills to meet on even terms without
degrading or altering the game in any significant way. Handicaps are designed to give even
games. If one player wins constantly
the handicap should be adjusted. This
usually occurs with the mps. In a traditional game of
chess each side has eight PAs. In chess
Alpha could have eight GUs and Beta could be given eight PAs or Alpha could have a line-up of 4 GUs and 4
PAs versus 8 PAs. The handicap should
be adjusted depending on the strength of the contestants. See Level-02
and 3.
Level-01
Level-02
Handicap game
example-01: 8 GUs versus 8 PAs (ISP)
.
-A- -B- -C- -D- -E- -F- -G- -H-
RO2 KT2 BS2
QU1 -KI BS1 KT1 RO1 rank-1
PA8 PA7 PA6
PA5 PA4 PA3 PA2 PA1 rank-2
-------------------------------
rank-3
-------------------------------
rank-4
-------------------------------
rank-5
-------------------------------
rank-6
GU1 GU2 GU3
GU4 GU5 GU6 GU7 GU8 rank-7
RO1 KT1 BS1
QU1 -KI BS2 KT2 RO2 rank-8
Handicap game
example-02: 4 PAs and 4 GUs versus 8 PAs (ISP)
-A- -B-
-C- -D- -E- -F- -G- -H-
RO2 KT2 BS2 QU1
-KI BS1 KT1 RO1 rank-1
GU4 GU3 GU2 GU1
PA4 PA3 PA2 PA1 rank-2
-------------------------------
rank-3
-------------------------------
rank-4
-------------------------------
rank-5
-------------------------------
rank-6
PA1 PA2 PA3 PA4
GU1 GU2 GU3 GU4 rank-7
RO1 KT1 BS1 QU1
-KI BS2 KT2 RO2 rank-8