Perhaps instead of (or in addition to) the cards that specify which piece you must move, you could make cards that specify a square which you must move a piece to (if such a move exists). For example, Jim plays 1. e5, then draws the "c4" card. Jim has the choice of playing c4 or Bc4 as part of that turn. If Jim draws "a8", he does nothing, as he cannot move a piece there yet.
Lame Chess Variation Game?
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Cryptic-C62 wrote:
Perhaps instead of (or in addition to) the cards that specify which piece you must move, you could make cards that specify a square which you must move a piece to (if such a move exists). For example, Jim plays 1. e5, then draws the "c4" card. Jim has the choice of playing c4 or Bc4 as part of that turn. If Jim draws "a8", he does nothing, as he cannot move a piece there yet.
That would be a lot of cards.
What about just rolling a die? Use the different numbers for different pieces. 1 for pawn, 2 for bishop, 3 for knight, 4 for rook, 5 for queen, and 6 for king. If you can't legally make that move with that piece, either roll again or pass.
Mmm.....‘rolling at die’ -- we’ll try that; just about the same using various cards. Or, maybe two dice and you decide which piece you want to move, e.g. you roll a 3 and a 5, but if you roll doubles, that’s ‘wild’ so you get to move whichever piece or pawn you want (or pass if you choose, or miss out if can’t move anything). Just remember: no extra move if you are checked, or are putting your opponent into check -- I fine that this is a lot better for ‘game flow’.
All good responses, which would have saved me fifteen dollars plus shipping - LOL!
I wonder how you could turn something like this into a real type of gambling game using small change -- like a type of poker game or similar? Each move would require some sort of ‘bet’ like ‘hold’ or ‘raise’, or whatever, rather than just betting on the game after whoever wins. We’ll call it ‘Poker Chess’!
Here's a ruleset that could work for Poker Chess:
A standard chess board is set up, and each player starts with a stack of chips. Each player is dealt five cards at random from the deck of chess pieces or squares. The players bet based on their hand, just as in poker. Then the players take turns revealing one card from their hand, playing a move (if possible) and discarding it. After five moves by both players, the deck is shuffled and new hands are dealt.
The game continues in this manner until a player folds/resigns or is checkmated, in which case the other player takes the pot. In the case of a draw, the pot is split.
I ordered a chess game from Amazon called, “No Stress Chess”. It’s principally designed as a method for teaching and introducing young children (mostly) to the game of chess. It starts off at a ‘level 1’ and works its way up to full fledged chess. At the beginning level each person draws a card that tells you what piece or pawn to move (and there’s a ‘wild’ card as well), and that’s your move; you cannot pass -- you must make that move (if you can legally or at all) no matter what kind of trouble it gets you into. So, there’s basically very little thinking or strategy -- it’s ‘the luck of the draw’.
I bought the game in order to play with some of my very young grandkids, but also for my wife who insists that she in incapable of learning how to play chess. Well, in short order (yeah, just ‘short’ of almost twisting off BOTH of her arms in order to get her to learn and play the game!) we both got tired of this particular modality of play. Eventually, though, she actually did learn how to play chess enough to play a regular game, so she did benefit from “No Stress Chess”. Then I got this ‘bright’ idea.
My wife likes Yahtzee (go figure, but I do as well at certain times -- it’s very light fun for at least one game) and some card games of chance, so I thought, just for kicks, why not incorporate some element of chance into the game of chess? What we do now is: She (white) starts off with a regular turn, and then right after she moves her piece or pawn, draws a card from the “No Stress Chess” deck and takes a SECOND turn (hence, two turns in a row) based upon whatever the card she drew directs her to do. She has the option of using or not using the card she draws afterwhich it goes into a ‘discard’ pile. For example, if the card tells her to move a rook, but both of her rooks are still fenced in, then she simply puts the card onto the discard pile (‘tough luck’ - she only got to move once during her turn). But let’s say she drew a ‘knight’ card and indeed it is possible to move one of her knights, then she can move it, or decide not to because it would be to no advantage. The only time you can’t draw a card, i.e., move twice in a row (or have that possibility) is when you are checked, or you put your opponent in check; you just move once -- you cannot draw a card in order to make two plays in a single turn.
We have enjoyed playing this way. It can be frustrating (in a ‘fun’ gambler’s sort of way) becaue you never know what card you are going to draw and sometimes you are hoping for a certain piece or pawn card (to checkmate, take a peice, or whatever) and YOU DRAW IT! And of course your opponent has that same ‘hope’ either when you are drawing or when he or she is. So, when Lady Luck is with you then it’s “Aha! Yes!”, but when she’s not it can be, “$#%@&!!”.
Lame? Yeah, maybe to the most serious of players who would think this is sacrilege, but if you are playing someone who is a lot stronger than you, then it can be ‘fun’ to have luck on your side to perhaps prevail over him or her. And the same goes for you if you are the much stronger player -- it may evoke some interesting feelings. And if you are playing with young kids who know how to play chess, I think it can be a lot of fun to add the element of chance (good luck/bad luck -- just as in life sometimes!).
Suggestion: Instead of purchasing the “No Chess Stress” game just to get the cards, you can easily make your own (that’s all there is to the set anyway, other than a ‘learner’s board’ with graphics on it as to what goes where, some very cheap, light, plastic chess pieces, and a very light duty card holder).