''Optimized Chess'' is offered in two opening setups that are east-west transpositions of the same game or mirror-image symmetrical equivalents of one another termed "mirror I" and "mirror II". In practice, "mirror I" is typically preferred by players of [[Chess]] due its familiar relative placement of the king and queen (i.e., with the king east of the queen).
''Optimized Chess'' is supported by the two most powerful, multi-variant programs available in the chess variant world. Note that neither program is very strong at the game of Gothic Chess, both having lost to Gothic Vortex many times. It was selected as one out of only eight 8H x 10W board games featured in [[SMIRF]] (developed by [[Reinhard Scharnagl]]). It was selected as one out of only eleven 8H x 10W board games featured in [[ChessV]] (developed by Gregory Strong). In both programs, its "mirror I" opening setup can conveniently, automatically be loaded for play against a computer opponent.
