Every composition in this issue is quite short; there is no "flagship" article, although the group of articles on checkers variants is loosely connected. It seems that this issue is dominated by short pieces on chess and checkers variants.
A special class of chess variant seeks to extend Orthodox Chess into other realms, whether of board geometry, size, or dimension. Another group of chess variants, which I think of as the "classic" variants, utilizes the Orthodox Chess board and pieces for alternative chess-type games. Hostage Chess is an example of this type of game. It seems to be the case that Orthodox Chess players seeking to extend their horizons will first investigate games from one or both of these genres, either because they can use skills previously honed in the traditional game, or because they can thereby remain in a certain comfort zone.
This issue contains the last of the Hostage Chess articles; next issue we will be continuing coverage of classic chess variants, with the first of a series on Alice Chess. Concerning the other class of variant, we already cover Grand Chess, of course, and we are actively seeking someone to write about Hexagonal Chess.
The chess-type games have a certain psychological appeal, with their single-minded hunt-and-destroy objective. Nevertheless, the checkers class of games is a venerable genre that readily lends itself to scintillating combinations. We will be starting a regular column on checkers variants in AG8.
In AG8 also we will return to connection games, which are reduced in this issue to a Twixt puzzle and a short article on Octagons. Other games in AG8 will include Salta, Chase, and probably a few more games from the 8x8 Game Design Competition. Note that none of these games are chess or checkers variants!
In addition, I am looking for articles that will provide a change of pace from the analytical material that tends to be prevalent in this magazine. Many people, of course, appreciate the analysis, but I think the articles we had of a less technical nature in AG7 were a welcome addition. I am working on some ideas, including historical material as well as articles about the people involved in games.
Overleaf there are a couple more letters about the definition of abstract game. My view is that any board game can be considered to be an abstract game because every game has a certain underlying abstract structure once any thematic trappings are stripped away. It is this underlying structure that primarily interests me-the mechanisms of the game and the resulting strategy and tactics. In some cases, I think the thematic fleshing out of a game is a distraction, so my preference tends towards games that lack a heavy thematic overlay. However, I have no objection to playing games that are supposed to represent real-world events, providing the games' abstract structure is good and interesting. An example of this is Ta Yü, reviewed in this issue. Nevertheless, it seems to me that a game generally only needs something extra if its abstract structure is not good enough to sustain interest; therefore, I tend to subscribe to the second of David Pritchard's definitions, that 'a thematic game is a failed abstract game.' The large German games market demonstrates an exceptional circumstance in which public demand is for thematic games, so that many good abstract games acquire a theme. Sometimes I wonder if the marketing gurus are not in part creating this demand themselves rather than simply responding to it.
Kerry Handscomb
