GPJ Publications

Figurate Numbers — by G. P. Jelliss — June 2008, with additions November 2008 — file size: 1.39 MB.

This 16-page A4 booklet is an account of numbers that can be represented by counters arranged in various geometrical formations. This is work in progress, and I hope to issue an extended version when further work has been completed. It includes tables of all numbers from 0 to 999 with their prime factors and details of their shapes. Particular emphasis is placed on numbers that can be presented in two different shapes.

New Year and Millennium Card — by G. P. Jelliss — issued end of 1999 to a few correspondents — file size: 289 KB — sideways view.

The card, on two A4 pages, features four 12 by 12 magic knight's tours with the two diagonals adding to 1740 (twice the magic constant 870), the nearest to diagonal magic being 870 ± 22.

Synthetic Games — by G. P. Jelliss — First published 1998 — file size: 6.42 MB.

This booklet, of 22 A4 pages, is a collection of chess puzzles with the stipulation "Play the shortest possible game leading to ..." where the conditions "..." can take many forms.

Figured Tours, A Mathematical Recreation — by G. P. Jelliss — First published 1997 — file size: 4.16 MB.

This offshoot to my knight's tour studies is a 22-page A4-size booklet containing more than 225 tours showing specified numbered cells in geometrical formations. It includes all 100 of T. R. Dawson's tours that show the square numbers in a knight chain, and has my 144-cell Fibonacci tour (from The Games and Puzzles Journal #13, 1996) on the first page.

The Games and Puzzles Journal Volume 2, issues 13 - 18, 1996 - 2001 — edited and published by G. P. Jelliss.

Volume 1 of The Games and Puzzles Journal ceased in 1989, but by 1996 I found I had sufficient material to embark on a second volume. In part this consisted of notes on knight's tours that I had hoped to publish in book form, but which never found a publisher. In particular I thought H. J. R. Murray's history of magic knight's tours and Ernest Bergholt's work on mixed symmetry in tours ought to reach a wider readership.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #13 — 28 May 1996 — 24 pages — file size: 5.06MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #14 — 16 December 1996 — 24 pages — file size: 5.39MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #15 — December 1997 — 24 pages — file size: 5.11MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #16 — 15 May 1999 — 24 pages — file size: 5.30MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #17 — October 1999 — 24 pages — file size: 4.94MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #18 — March 2001 — 32 pages — file size: 6.73MB.

In effect the six issues of this volume appeared over six years. This was due to my changing circumstances (in 1994 I sold my shop and moved to a flat in St Leonards, and in 1999 I sold the flat and moved to Leicester) and to time spent learning about computers (issue 13 was the first fully produced on a computer). The final issue, #18, includes a four-page index to the volume.

In 2001 (before #18 was printed) The Games and Puzzles Journal transferred to the internet, and printed copies were no longer distributed.

Variant Chess Volume 1, issues 1 - 8, 1990 - 1992. — edited and published by G. P. Jelliss.

The magazine was originally issued in B5 size, although the artwork was A4. These PDF copies, apart from #6, are reproduced direct from the original artwork, so a few paste-up lines are visible. From issue #3 onwards the text was typeset on computer though the diagrams were still pasted in by hand.

Variant Chess, #1 — January-March 1990 — 16 pages — file size: 2.81MB.

Variant Chess, #2 — April-June 1990 — 16 pages — file size: 2.86MB.

Variant Chess, #3 — July-September 1990 — 16 pages — file size: 2.78MB.

Variant Chess, #4 — October-December 1990 — 16 pages — file size: 2.83MB.

Variant Chess, #5 — January-March 1991 — 16 pages — file size: 3.95MB.

Variant Chess, #6 — April-June 1991 — 16 pages — file size: 4.22MB.

Variant Chess, #7 — July 1991-March 1992 — 16 pages — file size: 3.52MB.

Variant Chess, #8 — July-December 1992 — 16 pages — file size: 3.48MB.

Problems associated with the closure of my retail business "The Puzzle Box" evidently delayed the last two issues. Fortunately Peter Wood was able to take over both editing and publishing and he produced the next 12 issues from 1993 to 1996 in excellent style.

Volume 3, which began with issue #21 in Autumn 1996, saw plans for the formation of what became the British Chess Variants Society. The BCVS continues to publish the magazine, which is now (2008) up to Volume 7. For details see the British Chess Variants Society website. Thanks are due to the current Editor, John Beasley, and the BCVS for permission to reproduce these eight early issues here.

Retro-Opposition, and Other Retro-Analytical Chess Problems by T. R. Dawson — edited by G. P. Jelliss
— First published 1989, reset 1997 — file size: 6.61MB.

This 24-page A4-size booklet contains all 111 of T. R. Dawson's Retro-opposition compositions, together with a selection of his other retros. It is based on a 1928 manuscript booklet, Seventy Five Retros, in the BCPS Archive.
[The 1989 edition was B5 (quarto) size reduced from A4 paste-up originals, with "letraset" chess diagrams. In 1997 all the text and diagrams were redone using computer type-setting, with "linares" diagrams.]

The Games and Puzzles Journal Volume 1, issues 1 - 12, 1987 - 1989 — edited and published by G. P. Jelliss.

The magazine was originally issued in B5 size, although the artwork was A4. When a bound volume was produced I retouched copies of the artwork and reproduced it A4 size, as here. The text was originally typed in sections and pasted onto the master copies, along with the diagrams. Since this was done by eye it is now noticeable that some of the text is skewed at odd angles.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #1 — September-October 1987 — 20 pages — file size: 4.16MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #2 — November-December 1987 — 16 pages — file size: 3.61MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #3 — January-February 1988 — 16 pages — file size: 3.30MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #4 — March-April 1988 — 16 pages — file size: 3.39MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #5+6 — May-August 1988 — 32 pages — file size: 6.44MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #7 — September-October 1988 — 16 pages — file size: 4.04MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #8+9 — November 1988-February 1989 — 32 pages — file size: 6.91MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #10 — March-April 1989 — 16 pages — file size: 3.13MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #11 — May-August 1989 — 16 pages — file size: 2.94MB.

The Games and Puzzles Journal, #12 — September-December 1989 — 20 pages — file size: 3.44MB.

The basic issue size was of 16 pages, but there were two double issues. The first issue had four extra unnumbered pages consisting of advertisements and a list of 'zines' and the games they offered. In the PDF version I have placed these extra pages at the end, since they need to be rotated clockwise for ease of reading. In the original issue they were between pages 4-5 and 12-13. (The prices and addresses on these are of course now mostly out of date. My shop "The Puzzle Box" closed around 1992.) The last issue, 20 pages, includes a 6-page index to the whole volume.

A second volume of six 24-page issues was published 1996-2001.

Chessics The Journal of Generalised Chess. Volume 2, issues 17 - 30, 1984 - 1987
— edited and published by G. P. Jelliss.

Chessics, #17 — Spring 1984 — 12 pages — file size: 1.60MB.

Chessics, #18 — Summer 1984 — 12 pages — file size: 1.72MB.

Chessics, #19 — Autumn 1984 — 12 pages — file size: 1.78MB.

Chessics, #20 — Winter 1984 — 12 pages — file size: 1.65MB.

Chessics, #21 — Spring 1985 — 12 pages — file size: 2.08MB.

Chessics, #22 — Summer 1985 — 12 pages — file size: 2.16MB.

Chessics, #23 — Autumn 1985 — 12 pages — file size: 2.03MB.

Chessics, #24 — Winter 1985 — 16 pages — file size: 2.33MB.

Chessics, #25 — Spring 1986 — 12 pages — file size: 2.16MB.

Chessics, #26 — Summer 1986 — 16 pages — file size: 2.82MB.

Chessics, #27 — Autumn 1986 — 8 pages — file size: 1.36MB.

Chessics, #28 — Winter 1986 — 16 pages — file size: 2.03MB.

Chessics, #29+30 — 1987 — 16 pages — file size: 2.62MB.

From #21 onwards these PDF copies are reproduced from the original B5 paste-up copies, (which were reduced to A5 when printed), so these copies are more detailed and hence have larger file sizes. There were four Special Issues devoted to single topics, namely #22 Notes on Knight's Tours, #24 Theory of Leapers, #26 Magic Tours, #28 Chessboard Dissections. (I have put a line through tour 03b in the catalogue of 8x8 magic knight tours in #26 since it was included in error and is not magic.) The final issue, numbered 29+30, besides original work includes notes on issues #17 to #28, and a 3-page Index to Volume 2.

Chessics Volume 1, issues 1 - 16, 1976 - 1983 — edited and published by G. P. Jelliss.

The first three issues were produced by letterpress, the diagrams being set by hand using metal type. Thereafter it was produced by photocopying, the diagrams being set up using letraset transfers. All issues were A5 page size. The first six issues were of just 8 pages, and the next four of 12 pages, then it went to 16 pages for three issues. The final issue of 12 pages includes a four-page index for the whole volume. The quality of the master copies varies, so on some of the chess diagrams the chequering is indistinct.

Chessics, #1 — March 1976 — 8 pages — file size: 1.84MB.

Chessics, #2 — July 1976 — 8 pages — file size: 1.55MB.

Chessics, #3 — May 1977 — 8 pages — file size: 1.65MB.

Chessics, #4 — October 1977 — 8 pages — file size: 1.24MB.

Chessics, #5 — July 1978 — 8 pages — file size: 1.12MB.

Chessics, #6 — August 1978 — 8 pages — file size: 0.92MB.

Chessics, #7 — March 1979 — 12 pages — file size: 1.82MB.

Chessics, #8 — October 1979 — 12 pages — file size: 1.75MB.

Chessics, #9 — October 1980 — 12 pages — file size: 1.79MB.

Chessics, #10 — December 1980 — 12 pages — file size: 1.93MB.

Chessics, #11 — January-June 1981 — 16 pages — file size: 2.12MB.

Chessics, #12 — July-December 1981 — 16 pages — file size: 2.36MB.

Chessics, #13 — January-June 1982 — 16 pages — file size: 2.58MB.

Chessics, #14 — July-December 1982 — 16 pages — file size: 2.85MB.

Chessics, #15 — 1983 — 16 pages — file size: 2.22MB.

Chessics, #16 — Spring 1984 — 12 pages — file size: 1.54MB.

From issue #14 onwards the magazine was subtitled The Journal of Generalised Chess.
Volume 2 also began in Spring 1984. See above.