STANLEY RANDOM CHESS MONTHLY
There are many misunderstandings of Stanley Random Chess. This concise glossary will help beginners get a grip of some of the basic concepts and terminology of the game.
SR Chess: Stanley Random Chess, an alternative and more advanced form of chess that predates "Common Chess", and offers greater complexity and creativity.
Stanley: King William the Conqueror's primate, the original source for the name of the game. See: historical origins.
Simplified SR Chess: a name for the commonly played and simplified form of the game, without the rules governing move sequences and board patterns. Also called "Common Chess".
Common Chess: see under: "Simplified SR Chess"
The Great SR Chess Purge: involved the systematic cleansing of SR Chess materials from libraries and schools in the 19th century, as a result of high ranking leaders developing a fierce antagonism toward the game. Sadly, this accounts for a great deal of the general public ignorance about SR Chess, and the popularity of its inferior and simplified variant, Common Chess.
Anti-Stanleys: Anti-Stanley Random Chess Activists responsible for the Great SR Chess Purge
Random: an unfortunate misnomer, because SR Chess is not random. The perceived randomness by the numerous fans of Common Chess following the Great SR Chess Purge led to the unfortunate designation Stanley Random Chess.
Freezing: a condition when a piece can't perform a move that is legal in Common Chess. A piece is said to be "Semi-Frozen" when it can only perform some of its legal moves. Under the conditions of a "Deep Freeze", a piece has no legal moves.
Bipolar Law of Corresponding Necessities: Maxwell's Law, usually stated as follows: First Thereom of Permissible Play: "A legal move in Simplified SR (Common) Chess is not by necessity legal in SR Chess, but a legal move in SR Chess is by necessity legal in Simplified SR (Common) Chess." First Reversed Theorem of Permissible Play: "An illegal move in Simplified SR (Common) Chess is by necessity illegal in SR Chess, but an illegal move in SR Chess is not by necessity illegal in Simplified SR (Common) Chess."
STAR move: Stanley Transposed Automated Replacement, an automated adjustment by the game adjudicator (or chess server) when an illegal move is played, and replaced with the nearest legal move. Statistically, about 50% of legal "Common Chess" moves are illegal in SR Chess.
STD: Stanley Transmitted Distortion, a garbled transmission, unique to lunar games
VH Conditions: VollenHauser Conditions, where the VollenHauser Sudden Death Principle applies. VH Conditions come into effect after move 30, after which the game is under VollenHauser Conditions. Under VH Conditions, a player can win by a Forced IMR.
Forced IMR: Forced Inferior Material Resignation. Under VH Conditions, if the correct Pattern and Sequence is in place, the game ends, and the winner is the person with the most material, known as a Forced IMR. Statistically, expert players are able to create a Forced IMR in 10% of moves played under VH Conditions.
Forced IMR, Non-Inveterate: a condition required for a draw under VH conditions. Any usual Forced IMR position must be non-Inveterate after the next move, thus reversible, and this makes a mandatory draw. See: On Draws
PDO: Premature Draw Offer, a mutually agreed draw, illegal in SR Chess, resulting in Provisional Associate membership status, and a possible lifetime ban.
Statutory Pawn Condition: a position for unranked pawns which prevents a draw under VH Conditions
Loose Madame: an ambitious but risky early developed queen
Modal and Unmodal squares: a game state when certain set conditions (eg Red Square Conditional) are removed through strategic play
Weighted and Unweighted pawns: a lateral imbalance resulting from a diverted pawn arrangement. Increasing pawn weighting is essential for a successful Forced IMR, and is greatly desired prior to VH Conditions. See: calculating pawn weighting
Set: every set of 10 moves. Moves 1-10 = First Set; Moves 11-20 = Second Set; Moves 21-30 = Third Set; Moves 31 onwards = Final Set (under VH Conditions)
Tea Break: a mandatory break taken following the first three Sets.
l'échange de conseil: a tradition to exchange sides following each set (to minimize seating advantage). See: details
l'échange de couleur: a French tradition to exchange colours following each set (to minimize colour advantage)
Punto Intermedio: the "Middle Point" of the game, following the 15th move, when Bauer-schlurfen (pawn shuffling) is done
Bauer-schlurfen: pawn shuffling, done following the "Punto Intermedio" (15th move). See: details
Poco Manica Effect: gamblers' move to deliberately disturb pieces on the board during a "l'échange de conseil."
Grande Tavola Effect: accidental disturbance of pieces during the game. See: details
IPD: Initial Position Duplicate, which automatically wins the game
Free Move: allowed when there is no legal move, following a Locked Board pattern. Also called by some a "Cheat move". See: details
Locked Board Pattern: a position when a player has no legal move, entitling him to a "Free Move".
UBIC: Unlocked Board Identification Challenge, a contest between the Arbiter and Opponent to first identify the Free Move. Conducted during the "Free Move Tea Break", and the subject of gambling.
Uniform Inspector: ISRCA official who applies and inspects blindfolds for UBICs, as well as cuffs and shirt sleeves required by the Royal Decree to prevent the Poco Manica Effect.
Distractors: a support team employing charade-like tactics to divert an opponent's concentration, strictly regulated. See also: licensing of distractors.
ISRCA: International Stanley Random Chess Association
SRCIC: Stanley Random Chess Improvement Commission
Stanley Random Chess Monthly: one of three official ISRCA periodicals
The beginner would also do well to aquaint himself with some of the more common positions and sequences of SR Chess:
Openings: Genevan Gambler Attack, Left Wing Butterfly Defence, Big-Macedonian (Big-Mac), Delayed King's Pawn Game, Whistling Cavalry Charge, Pacified Knight
Moves: Fiancetto Feint of Fornival, Rolling Barrel Attack, Gambino Gambit, Tubular Tunnel Attack, Intra-Rook Exchange, Policeman's Cuff, Implied Sacrificial Queen Gambit, Magic Mirror Defence, Iberian-Karkarese Gambit, Lateral Rook Catapult, Spinning Knight Exchange, JJ Ratchet Equine Bluff, One-Handed Joust, Fort Knox blocking move, Spanish Butterfry, Lurking Bishop Threat, Grotmar Gambit, Diving Cleric, Frankov-Maiden Sacrifice, Tati-Tato Attack, post-modal Dispersal of The Royals, Lariat, Bishop Snatch, King Kidnap, Obverse Recapitulative Rotation, Pawned Pelican, Backwood's Threat, Fawned Gambit, Sashimi Shiver Attack, VanDyken Maneuver, Double Header, Kona Defense
Pieces: Short-Shrifted Knight, East and West Facing Knights, Pawn-Flanked Rook, Weighted Pawns, Breeding Knight Pair, Inflexible Knight, Rotated Rooks
Positions: Exposed King Paradox, Nailati Formation, Twin Telescopic Rook formation, Saucy Entangled Trollop formation, Vladlac Position, Diagonal Majority, the Saragossa draw position, Royal Commode
Areas: Central Croix Area, Left & Right Quadrant, Geneva Confection's 3rd Bilateral Quadrant, Modal (or Unmodal) Dark Squares
Sequences: Open Unflanked Carnival Combination, Inverted Columbus Combination, Tower of London Sequence, Kodama's Call of Nature
Limitations: Rule of Sixes, Sequenced Rank Restriction, Conditional Limitation, Diagonal Majority, Family Fork Vulnerability (FFV), Promotion Penalty, Mandatory Poetic Amore, Vital Premise #276, Crowbar Privileges, Phyrexian Paradox
Variations: the Treaty of Throckmorton, 1767; the Act of Contrition, 1898; the 1932 Paris Revision; the Second Left Amendment; the 1987 International Stairmaster rule
SR Chess GM Gregory Topov
Posted Tuesday - 2006-04-04 - 12:07:25 EST
by Staff Reporter Verdra H. Ciretop in Toronto
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