i also grew up playing chess variants, including all the ones you mentioned except for the "2 for 1" version. though it surprises me that 4 pawns is enough to give white an easy win. it seems black could sacrifice pieces early to take out all the pawns to stop them from queening. to make kriegspiel interesting, find two other chess players, and make sure you spend every third game moderating. it remains the only game i know where it is more interesting to watch than to play. escalation was always a favorite of mine. if you like the games to last longer, play that white gets one move, then both players alternate taking two moves. if you want an even more strategic game, forbid a piece from capturing on the first of those moves. erich