Hmm, it seems white has done a better job of hiding his queen than black has.
If I were playing black I might consider 20…Ke7 21.Qf1 Kxd7.
Bill Smythe
Black has completed development and enjoys a space advantage.
At this point I’m as confident as Napoleon advancing on Russia.
[Event “Three-Ply Open (Sponsored by Charmin)”]
[Site “uschess.org”]
[Date “2016.05.10”]
[Round “1”]
[White “jwiewel”]
[Black “billbrock”]
[Result “*”]
[ECO “A00”]
[PlyCount “42”]
[EventDate “2016.05.10”]
[SourceDate “2016.05.10”]
- g3 f6 2. Bg2 e5 3. f3 Nc6 4. e3 Nd4 5. exd4 Bc5 6. Kf2 Bxd4+ 7. Kf1 Bc3 8.
bxc3 Ne7 9. Ke2 b6 10. c4 Nd5 11. cxd5 c6 12. Kd3 Ba6+ 13. Ke3 Be2 14. Kxe2
cxd5 15. Kd3 d6 16. Ke2 Kf7 17. Ke1 h5 18. Ke2 g6 19. Bh3 Qd7 20. Bxd7 Ke7 21.
Kd3 (21. Qf1 Kxd7 22. d3 Rh6 23. Bxh6) 21… Kxd7 *
- Ke2 Rh6 23. Kf2
[Event “Three-Ply Open (Sponsored by Charmin)”]
[Site “uschess.org”]
[Date “2016.05.10”]
[Round “1”]
[White “jwiewel”]
[Black “billbrock”]
[Result “*”]
[ECO “A00”]
[PlyCount “48”]
[EventDate “2016.05.10”]
[SourceDate “2016.05.10”]
- g3 f6 2. Bg2 e5 3. f3 Nc6 4. e3 Nd4 5. exd4 Bc5 6. Kf2 Bxd4+ 7. Kf1 Bc3 8.
bxc3 Ne7 9. Ke2 b6 10. c4 Nd5 11. cxd5 c6 12. Kd3 Ba6+ 13. Ke3 Be2 14. Kxe2
cxd5 15. Kd3 d6 16. Ke2 Kf7 17. Ke1 h5 18. Ke2 g6 19. Bh3 Qd7 20. Bxd7 Ke7 21.
Kd3 Kxd7 22. Ke2 Rh6 23. Kf2 Rhh8 24. Ke3 d4+ *
Even though I’m getting blown off the board, I must admit that Bill Smythe has come up with a very cool chess variant! It’s more subtle than bughouse IMO. Note how the White king’s current job is to protect the White queen.
False modesty: your situation is more like Gen. Schwartzkopf’s on 2/23/1991.
But what is good winning technique in this variant? If I were only down a piece or two instead of the whole army, it’d be problematic.
Or suffers from a space overdose.
Thank you! I was afraid somebody else might have already invented it. (Still could be true.)
Few things are less subtle than bughouse.
Bill Smythe
- Ke4 d3 26. Kxd3 (an unstopped black pawn on d4 is very dangerous to a white queen that can move to e2) (this is the first black pawn captured)
[Event “Three-Ply Open (Sponsored by Charmin)”]
[Site “uschess.org”]
[Date “2016.05.10”]
[Round “1”]
[White “jwiewel”]
[Black “billbrock”]
[Result “*”]
[ECO “A00”]
[PlyCount “54”]
[EventDate “2016.05.10”]
[SourceDate “2016.05.10”]
- g3 f6 2. Bg2 e5 3. f3 Nc6 4. e3 Nd4 5. exd4 Bc5 6. Kf2 Bxd4+ 7. Kf1 Bc3 8.
bxc3 Ne7 9. Ke2 b6 10. c4 Nd5 11. cxd5 c6 12. Kd3 Ba6+ 13. Ke3 Be2 14. Kxe2
cxd5 15. Kd3 d6 16. Ke2 Kf7 17. Ke1 h5 18. Ke2 g6 19. Bh3 Qd7 20. Bxd7 Ke7 21.
Kd3 Kxd7 22. Ke2 Rh6 23. Kf2 Rhh8 24. Ke3 d4+ 25. Ke4 d3 26. Kxd3 Ke6 27. Ke4
Rhd8 *
Time to open things up slightly.
28. g4 g5 29.gh
[Event “Three-Ply Open (Sponsored by Charmin)”]
[Site “uschess.org”]
[Date “2016.05.10”]
[Round “1”]
[White “jwiewel”]
[Black “billbrock”]
[Result “*”]
[ECO “A00”]
[PlyCount “60”]
[EventDate “2016.05.10”]
[SourceDate “2016.05.10”]
- g3 f6 2. Bg2 e5 3. f3 Nc6 4. e3 Nd4 5. exd4 Bc5 6. Kf2 Bxd4+ 7. Kf1 Bc3 8.
bxc3 Ne7 9. Ke2 b6 10. c4 Nd5 11. cxd5 c6 12. Kd3 Ba6+ 13. Ke3 Be2 14. Kxe2
cxd5 15. Kd3 d6 16. Ke2 Kf7 17. Ke1 h5 18. Ke2 g6 19. Bh3 Qd7 20. Bxd7 Ke7 21.
Kd3 Kxd7 22. Ke2 Rh6 23. Kf2 Rhh8 24. Ke3 d4+ 25. Ke4 d3 26. Kxd3 Ke6 27. Ke4
Rhd8 28. g4 g5 29. gxh5 Kd7 30. Qe2 d5+ *
See you at Fermilab in a couple hours!
- Kxd5 Rg8 32. Qd1
I will not be at Fermilab. This is my only weekend in May that I am not directing a tournament.
PS leaving the Queen on e2 would have allowed … Rc8 Qe4 Rc5#
Moving the d-rook to c8 instead of g8 would have allowed … e5 and …Rc5#
Those pawns are dangerous and I’m having difficulty eliminating the rooks.
I am wondering about basic endings in Three-Ply Chess. It would seem that K+Q vs K would impossible, because black should, within a few moves, be able to force white to hang his queen, or at the very least, force the queen to run all over the board hiding, so that white could never get down to the business of forcing mate.
K+R vs K might be slightly more promising – there are more places the rook can hide – but still, the effort to avoid sabotage might still perpetually prevent a forced mate.
Bill Smythe
That would seem to underscore the need to keep some pawns or maybe a minor piece to serve as shelter for the heavy artillery. As best I can tell, every game of Three-Ply Chess ever played has been one-sided…
[Event “Three-Ply Open (Sponsored by Charmin)”]
[Site “uschess.org”]
[Date “2016.05.10”]
[Round “1”]
[White “jwiewel”]
[Black “billbrock”]
[Result “*”]
[ECO “A00”]
[PlyCount “66”]
[EventDate “2016.05.10”]
[SourceDate “2016.05.10”]
- g3 f6 2. Bg2 e5 3. f3 Nc6 4. e3 Nd4 5. exd4 Bc5 6. Kf2 Bxd4+ 7. Kf1 Bc3 8.
bxc3 Ne7 9. Ke2 b6 10. c4 Nd5 11. cxd5 c6 12. Kd3 Ba6+ 13. Ke3 Be2 14. Kxe2
cxd5 15. Kd3 d6 16. Ke2 Kf7 17. Ke1 h5 18. Ke2 g6 19. Bh3 Qd7 20. Bxd7 Ke7 21.
Kd3 Kxd7 22. Ke2 Rh6 23. Kf2 Rhh8 24. Ke3 d4+ 25. Ke4 d3 26. Kxd3 Ke6 27. Ke4
Rhd8 28. g4 g5 29. gxh5 Kd7 30. Qe2 d5+ 31. Kxd5 Rg8 32. Qd1 Rgd8 33. f4 exf4 *
34 Qe1 Re8 35. Qxe8+
The queen was getting too difficult to protect (Ke4-f3 or Ne2 could have done it, but that eliminates any initiative) so I’m getting rid of a black rook that is getting troublesome.
In retrospect 34. Ba3 Rf8 35. Bxf8 may have been better.
It may be three-ply, but it’s still touch move 
[Event “Three-Ply Open (Sponsored by Charmin)”]
[Site “uschess.org”]
[Date “2016.05.10”]
[Round “1”]
[White “jwiewel”]
[Black “billbrock”]
[Result “*”]
[ECO “A00”]
[PlyCount “72”]
[EventDate “2016.05.10”]
[SourceDate “2016.05.10”]
- g3 f6 2. Bg2 e5 3. f3 Nc6 4. e3 Nd4 5. exd4 Bc5 6. Kf2 Bxd4+ 7. Kf1 Bc3 8.
bxc3 Ne7 9. Ke2 b6 10. c4 Nd5 11. cxd5 c6 12. Kd3 Ba6+ 13. Ke3 Be2 14. Kxe2
cxd5 15. Kd3 d6 16. Ke2 Kf7 17. Ke1 h5 18. Ke2 g6 19. Bh3 Qd7 20. Bxd7 Ke7 21.
Kd3 Kxd7 22. Ke2 Rh6 23. Kf2 Rhh8 24. Ke3 d4+ 25. Ke4 d3 26. Kxd3 Ke6 27. Ke4
Rhd8 28. g4 g5 29. gxh5 Kd7 30. Qe2 d5+ 31. Kxd5 Rg8 32. Qd1 Rgd8 33. f4 exf4 - Qe1 Re8 35. Qxe8+ Kc7 36. Qxa8 f3 *
- Nxf3 f5 38. Nxg5
time to eliminate a dangerous pawn mass,