Please submit something else though! 
Ok, will do. Obviously good variants aren't slapped together quickly, so I'm glad you made the deadline February 15. With my current "to do" list I might need almost all that time. In the meantime, here are some of my thoughts on what makes a good variant:
2) Piece material is well balanced to produce strategic and tactical play. No pieces are too strong which can disrupt the harmony of good tension in a game. Obviously this means there are no easily captured, undefended pieces in the starting position (one example of a flaw in game design).
3) Graphics are well-produced, imaginative, and interesting. Armies which are based on a "theme" are cool in games too. (I've even seen games designed to simulate a situation from a famous book or movie).
4) Game pays homage to other works. Rather than an all-new invention, why not do something that builds on another's work? This means you have a new invention, but helps create interest in something that someone has done before. After all, the original work was also produced by someone who has the same interest in variants.
5) Respect chess tradition. Don't invent all new rules to obliterate the game of chess. Only slight changes are needed to make a much different game than chess. Be very selective in changing these elements: one king, one queen, row of pawns in front of army, rooks at corners, win is by checkmate, etc.
Any other good features, comments, or thoughts?
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