Bringing terrain into the game
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As it evolved over the centuries, chess has represented warfare on the tabletop. But battles are never fought on neat little squares. They are fought on a terrain that changes from battle to battle. The terrain very often changes the outcome of the battle.
Puzzle Board Chess brings terrain into the game.
Here's an example from a recent game that will give you a good idea about what I mean.
I invented Puzzle Board Chess in 2020 and have been making and selling the games in small batches since then. Last month, I brought my games to Twin Tiers Comic Con here in Horseheads New York, and on the Saturday of that event I lost two games to the same kid. The kid was a strong chess player, and on Sunday, the second day of the con, he came back to challenge me again.
This time, the terrain most definitely affected the outcome. He played as black and came at my king with a strong, double-rook attack, with his queen attacking from the other side. But this time, because of the layout of the board, my king was able to diagonally escape to a tile the rooks could not reach. And his queen, although powerful, was left without any assitance on that side of the board.
From there, I was able to use knights (which are the only pieces who can jump over gaps) and bishops with my queen to eventually win checkmate.
Here's how Puzzle Board Chess is played.
Here's some more examples of layouts players have come up with in Puzzle Board Chess. You may notice that some try to optimize for a particular piece, for example to take advantage of the Knight's ability to jump. But then that becomes a problem if the player then loses both of their knights.
To have the most satifying experience, players should bear in mind a couple of ideas:
• When complete, each board should allows players at least two ways to get from one side of the field to the other. If there is only one path across, it becomes a chokepoint and will most likely cause a stalemate.
• Remember that since the pawns do not play in the game, if you lose a piece you don't get it back. Becoming too careless with loss of pieces could result in a stalemate because of a lack of material.
Of course, you could also use this board to set it up in a square and play a standard game of chess.
I've sold hundreds of these games around the U.S. by now and have shipped as far away as Australia. If you have a copy of Puzzle Board Chess, please let me know how it's been going. I hope you have been enjoying the game.
More about the game is on my website: www.metadreamsllc.com
You can also find videos like this one on our YouTube channel.
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