The backstory: The work on halfchess started much before it was made into an app. I have always believed that there is a correlation between children getting better at maths and children being good at chess. I believed that it would be easier for children to learn and play chess, if they did so on half of the board. The game is faster and encourages both players to think deep - rather than find a shallow bad move of the opponent. After eight or nine months, I decided to make an app of it. During this time I also played halfchess many times with my girlfriend. She was learning chess and when playing on half the board - she could spot my chess moves and offer a strong defence.... I also learnt a lot about gamification while making this game. Like I changed the rule that a stalemate is a draw, mainly because most Halfchess games would otherwise end in a draw. Chess is a competitive game and is not a zero sum/fun game - someone needs to win for it to be fun. May there be more chess and happiness in the world.
Half chess
Half chess