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It is amuzing to see the Chess Montreal diagram font icons, for King and Queen, adorning each post here on UsChess.org new forums.
For more information about Chess Montreal, see…
http://www.enpassant.dk/chess/fonteng.htm#MONTREAL
The goal of C.M. is to make each chess diagram equally viewable from Black’s perspective.
The means used by C.M. is to re-design each icon so each has 180 degree rotational symmetry. Gary Katch’s insight was to draw the icons to match how the real wood pieces look when they are viewed from directly above the board.
I find C.M. interesting, but…
The attribute of 180 degree rotational symmetry inherently tends to bring with it a lot of circularness or roundness; which tends to make the each icon type look a bit like the other types (all round-ish).
Another strategy that aims for the goal of making diagrams equally viewable from Black’s perspective is to – Design icons that shine their defining characteristic just as brightly in both of the 180 degree opposite orientations (or put in sloppy misleading terms, when both right-side-up and upside-down).
From that strategy I designed the Handy Symmato chess font. For anyone curious, here is a link to a discussion of Handy Symmato…
http://www.castlelong.com/essay/Essay_HSym_fd47b_Doc_Prn.PDF
Thanks.