Qiang-Xiangqi

Credits to @imchesspro0930 (for the walls and alibaba riders), @NoWellOkay (for the dragon bishop) and @JkCheeseChess (for the bishop) for helping me with testing and getting to this position revision!

This game, although based on Xiangqi, differs quite massively. If the CGAs deem so too, as stated in previous versions, I would like this variant named "Qiangqi", but I'd rather this variant be named "Qiang-Xiangqi" 《强象棋》.

This is my 4th revision of Qiang-Xiangqi, a project that took about 3 months so far. Hopefully this gets accepted! EDIT: Unfortunately this got declined.

Summary of the (major) changes:

--> 1. Back to regular Xiangqi board size

--> 2. Different wall/dead piece configurations

--> 3. Defensive structure redesign

--> 4. New pawn structure

--> 5. More spells.

1. Back to regular Xiangqi board size

--> The previous board was too big, and so time was necessary to make a defensive position,

--> which wasn't available. As a result, the previous version was too aggressive and chaotic.

--> Here, the board is regular xiangqi size, with somewhat similar piece layouts. The quick

--> mates with the wildebeest can be tried, but those competent with fairy pieces can easily

--> diffuse these threats, and can also punish them. Defensive fortresses might seem

--> impenetrable due to the central pawns, but the stone generals/sergeants, with help from

--> a jump spell if really necessary, can open the game up.

2. Different wall/dead piece configurations

--> Basically to stop early pawn/piece rushes. Restricts the movement of certain pieces,

--> especially the wildebeest, and maybe the alibaba rider and the pawns (to stop early pawn

--> rushes). Because of this, quick mates are less frequent, solo attacks are harder and less

--> effective and there are less potshot tactics.

3. Defensive structure redesign

--> By that I mean the bishops, alibaba riders and stone generals. The problems with the

--> original alfils and ferzes were that they were too weak. Now, all "defensive" pieces can be

--> used in an offensive way. The new dragon bishop also covers nicely the squares a

--> wildebeest would otherwise attack the king, and does a nice job defending the king. The

--> bishops and alibaba riders are stronger, and more useful in attacking purposes, even

--> though they are meant to be defensive pieces. Stone generals are also more useful than

--> ferzes, being able to promote in the future and cause great havoc in attacks. Basically,

--> both sides have sufficient defence resources that can be used in counterattacks. But the

--> pieces are all limited in their abilities to defend, so shuffling does not work here. This is

--> what makes this game so fun, as the weaknesses mean one side can outplay another.

4. New pawn structure

--> By moving the sergeants back to rank 3, and placing dead pieces in front of them,

--> sergeant rushing is no longer a viable strategy. Also, sergeants are very powerful, so this

--> version has nerfed their powers, replacing some sergeants with stone generals. Rushing

--> sergeants early may lead to a sergeant-stone general trade, and sergeants in this game

--> are actually worth around 2 stone generals, or even half a bishop. Many pieces in this

--> variant are colourblind, and the stone generals are placed on the opposite colour to the

--> bishop / alibaba rider, to make up for the colourblindness. This enables one side to

--> dominate one colour, if they outsmart their opponent, giving them a massive advantage.

--> Again, this challenge is what makes gameplay fun here.

5. More spells

--> Increasing jump spells from 3 to 4 is used to encourage their use in order to break

--> potential deadlocks in the position, especially their role in pawn play. Through this, there will be

--> more piece activity in the centre, bringing this game to life, transitioning this game from closed

--> to more open, releasing the potential of all the major pieces. Also, more spells mean that more

--> times will a fun crazy wonderful tactic can be executed, from

checkmates with pawns to king

--> captures with long ranged pieces, to more sophisticated pins, forks and discovered attacks. Both

--> features make this game more fun and interesting to play. However, there is a limit to jump

--> spells. If they are overused, one side will have asymmetrical attack advantages with the jump

--> spell. There is an element to using resources wisely in this game, making it more fun to play.

Also there is a minor change in promotions, mainly for theming, but also to prevent pieces getting too powerful. The knight promotion is replaced with the xiangqi horse.

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