Kriegspiel is September's Recognized Chess Variant of the month.

The site is back up, although not everything is working. Please be patient
with us over the next week or so as we fix up our site-move related
problems. Thanks!

Interesting article on Xiang-Qi, what's wrong with western chess, and the
theory of the Chinese origins of chess:

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2455

The social customs at the tournament level sharply contrast those at the
amateur level where NOT announcing check can cause you grief as you wait
for your opponent to move and finally, he/she tries to make a move
unrelated to their condition of check.

[Note-  This message did not make it under the correct category 'Rules Of
Chess FAQ' because the internet connection kept crashing.]

There's a major GM event in Wijk Aan Zee this month at the Coruschess
event, and the website also has the following notice: 'The Dutch
Championship Superchess, a new variation of the famous game, will take
place on 29 January.'  Anyone know any more?