Re: The "swap rule" in chess...

"David J Bush" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]

>
> In fact, the main objection to 5MEQ might be that opening preparation
could
> become more important than ever. The player who "cuts the pie" could
devise
> all sorts of elaborate traps for both sides, which the player who "chooses
> the slice" could fall into regardless of which side is chosen. I don't
deny
> this is a valid objection to this opening protocol. But any proposal to
> change the rules of chess is bound to have some downside.
>

This point undercuts the reason for the proposed change in the first place.
The advantage of the first move could increase. Taking the idea to the
extreme
where the first player gets to select any starting position at all, and then
the next player
gets to decide which side to take, obviously favors the person setting up
the position.
Even though the selected position might be objectively equal, one player
only will have
studied it and selected it to fit his needs.