Answers.Body: <p>I cannot find any textual descriptions, but it seems that the rules can be reconstructed from the videos you linked to. The rules are like chess, but with fairy pieces. I will describe the pieces and the initial setup.</p>
  <p>Fourwinder (pawn): moves one step straight or diagonally but only captures straight, with optional double straight or diagonal move from initial position.</p>
  <p>Harpy (superknight): &quot;a harpy jumps two squares in any direction&quot;, jumps like a knight but can also jumps two squares horizontally or vertically. Also known in <a href="https://www.chessvariants.com/large.dir/mideast.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Mideast chess</a> as the Castle.</p>
  <p>Dualist (sounds like Duos, but in the short video is written on one of the papers visible to the side): short queen of range 2 (like a queen, but restricted to moves of length 1 and 2)</p>
  <p>Trident: short queen of range 3 (like a queen, but restricted to moves of length 3 or shorter)</p>
  <p>Knishop: combination of knight and bishop (see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_(chess)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">princess</a>)</p>
  <p>Knook: combination of knight and rook (see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_(chess)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">empress</a>)</p>
  <p>Zeus/Devil (white/black king): &quot;this piece moves diagonally 1 or 2 [...] the only other possibility is sideways [...] cannot capture sideways&quot;, 2-short bishop that can also move but not capture one step sideways (apparently not forwards, as that possibility is not discussed when the king comes into check in the example game played, and backwards also seems to be disallowed)</p>
  <p>The initial setup is mirror-symmetric with pawns in the same positions as western chess and goes: A1: harpy, B1: trident, C1: knishop, D1: king, E1: knook, F1: duos, G1: trident, H1: harpy.</p>
  <p>It is possible I still missed something, but this is what I could reconstruct mostly from the explanations in the first video and the papers that are visible in the second video.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-02-24T16:35:02.920Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2022-02-24T16:35:02.920Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: hkBst
Body: <p>I am looking for the rules of  chess variant finesse by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Browne" rel="nofollow noreferrer">GM Walter Browne.</a></p>
  <p>Here is my research so far.</p>
  <ol>
  <li><p>Two youtube videos :
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nysD5lS4lBI" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nysD5lS4lBI</a>
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybIL1i5J7s" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybIL1i5J7s</a></p>
  </li>
  <li><p>This website <a href="http://www.finessebybrowne.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.finessebybrowne.com/</a> from this interview
  <a href="http://www.uschess.org/index.php/June-/From-the-Vault-Chess-Life-Interview-with-GM-Browne.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.uschess.org/index.php/June-/From-the-Vault-Chess-Life-Interview-with-GM-Browne.html</a></p>
  </li>
  </ol>
  <p>I' tried to get old version from <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160722085814/http://www.finessebybrowne.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">archive.org,</a> but it's blank.</p>
  <p>Here is a website for my search:
  <a href="https://lookingforfinesse.github.io/lookingforfinessevariant" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://lookingforfinesse.github.io/lookingforfinessevariant</a></p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-12-13T00:11:22.267Z
Comments.Text: It's obvious you've put in the effort as far as online searching is concerned, but sometimes with niche variant stuff you have to go straight to the source. For example, Kaufman (who played in one of those YT videos) is very active on Talkchess - you could try asking him there.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Mobeus Zoom
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-12-15T11:30:50.467Z
Comments.Text: @MobeusZoom thanks for the suggestion i will try this.
Comments.UserDisplayName: la minute dom
Tags: <rules><chess-variants>
Title: Looking for the finesse variant rules by GM Walter Browne
ThreadText: # Looking for the finesse variant rules by GM Walter Browne
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2021-12-12)
  
  I am looking for the rules of chess variant finesse by [GM Walter Browne.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Browne)
  
  Here is my research so far.
  
  1. Two youtube videos :
     <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nysD5lS4lBI>
     <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybIL1i5J7s>
  2. This website <http://www.finessebybrowne.com/> from this interview
     <http://www.uschess.org/index.php/June-/From-the-Vault-Chess-Life-Interview-with-GM-Browne.html>
  
  I' tried to get old version from [archive.org,](https://web.archive.org/web/20160722085814/http://www.finessebybrowne.com/) but it's blank.
  
  Here is a website for my search:
  <https://lookingforfinesse.github.io/lookingforfinessevariant>
  
  **Tags:** rules, chess-variants
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: It's obvious you've put in the effort as far as online searching is concerned, but sometimes with niche variant stuff you have to go straight to the source. For example, Kaufman (who played in one of those YT videos) is very active on Talkchess - you could try asking him there.  
  > **username_0**: @MobeusZoom thanks for the suggestion i will try this.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2022-02-24. Score: 2 | Accepted answer
  
  I cannot find any textual descriptions, but it seems that the rules can be reconstructed from the videos you linked to. The rules are like chess, but with fairy pieces. I will describe the pieces and the initial setup.
  
  Fourwinder (pawn): moves one step straight or diagonally but only captures straight, with optional double straight or diagonal move from initial position.
  
  Harpy (superknight): "a harpy jumps two squares in any direction", jumps like a knight but can also jumps two squares horizontally or vertically. Also known in [Mideast chess](https://www.chessvariants.com/large.dir/mideast.html) as the Castle.
  
  Dualist (sounds like Duos, but in the short video is written on one of the papers visible to the side): short queen of range 2 (like a queen, but restricted to moves of length 1 and 2)
  
  Trident: short queen of range 3 (like a queen, but restricted to moves of length 3 or shorter)
  
  Knishop: combination of knight and bishop (see [princess](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_(chess)))
  
  Knook: combination of knight and rook (see [empress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_(chess)))
  
  Zeus/Devil (white/black king): "this piece moves diagonally 1 or 2 [...] the only other possibility is sideways [...] cannot capture sideways", 2-short bishop that can also move but not capture one step sideways (apparently not forwards, as that possibility is not discussed when the king comes into check in the example game played, and backwards also seems to be disallowed)
  
  The initial setup is mirror-symmetric with pawns in the same positions as western chess and goes: A1: harpy, B1: trident, C1: knishop, D1: king, E1: knook, F1: duos, G1: trident, H1: harpy.
  
  It is possible I still missed something, but this is what I could reconstruct mostly from the explanations in the first video and the papers that are visible in the second video.
  
  
  ---
  
  