Cyril Kato's blog

Posts

  1. Specs and Tests Are Two Different Things

    A test suite is only as trustworthy as the framework beneath it, and a framework is a program like any other. Why I wrote my own, and why it took twelve years.

  2. Eight Pawns

    Nothing is duller than a symmetrical game. Asymmetry from the first move is the antidote, and three traditions supply it. They need only share the board.

  3. Just a Dot

    In shōgi, a single dot separates the King from the Jeweled King. A mark with no effect on the rules—yet one that has endured for centuries.

  4. A Linguistic Fingerprint

    The Accept-Language HTTP header as a linguistic fingerprint—a trace of where you've lived, what you've studied, and what you refuse to read.

  5. A Coordinate Format for Multi-Dimensional Boards

    CELL (Coordinate Encoding for Layered Locations): a coordinate format for multi-dimensional boards, extending the system Philip Stamma devised in the 1730s.

  6. Free SVG Assets for Abstract Strategy Board Games

    Free, public domain SVG assets for abstract strategy board games—pieces and boards for chess, ogi, and xiongqi traditions.

  7. The Gentle Threat: From Capture to Convention

    Why differences between Chess, Shogi, and Xiangqi are mostly matters of style rather than rules—from capture to convention, resignation to inevitability.

  8. Beyond Checkmate: A Lexicon for the King's Fate

    A rule-agnostic lexicon for naming king states across chess traditions, with a Persian, Old French and English mapping and a pointer to the CGSN status spec.

  9. PCN and PGN: Complementary Approaches to Game Notation

    PCN: A format-agnostic game notation supporting TOML and JSON, designed for cross-variant abstract strategy games.

  10. Introducing FEEN: A Simple, Canonical Notation for Board Positions

    FEEN (Field Expression Encoding Notation): a minimal, rule-agnostic format for board positions in chess variants and other board games, built for canonicity.

  11. URL Protection Through HMAC: A Practical Approach

    A practical approach to URL protection using HMAC for secure, tamper-proof links, with applications in CSRF protection and passwordless authentication.

  12. A Minimal Hash-Based Symmetric Encryption Protocol

    A minimal symmetric encryption protocol using hash functions for message confidentiality, focusing on simplicity and fundamental cryptographic principles.