Is 3D chess like Spock played on Star Trek any good?

Spock (Leonard Nimoy, RIP), introduced the concept of 3D chess to the world on Star Trek decades ago. Now there are actually 3D chess sets for sale. Is it any good? Or should I say, just how gimmicky is it?

I think the answer is no. Wikipedia has a page on 3d chess.

There are people who play it and like it too. I've never tried it and find normal chess hard enough. It's no good to me.

So I guess you're saying it's highly illogical.  -^

There are no official rules to this Chess variant, as the television series never showedany significant part of a game. Fans designed rules for using the equipment shown in the series, however:

http://www.chessvariants.org/3d.dir/startrek.html

I never tried to play it, so I couldn't tell you if it is any good as a game.

      http://lawofgamedesign.com/2015/02/27/why-play-3d-chess-in-memory-of-leonard-nimoy/

To remember Nimoy, I watch that Columbo episode with Nimoy as the surgeon who murdered a partner.  I won't spoil it and tell you how he did it though.

     I don't watch the show, but it appeared here also.  Seems to be a standard chess set in the background.                                                              

        http://www.lulu.com/shop/james-trimm/the-world-of-3d-chess/paperback/product-15167398.html

       I've got one of these. The game starts in normal position on the middle board. If your moving a piece from its "original" position, you must go to the other 2 boards. After that, its your choice.                                                                           

      With a couple of things from Home Depot, I built a 4-way,  3D set.

The top board is rotated 90 degrees from the other two boards. Mistake?

       Wow, I'll be darn. I didn't notice that. Yeah, probably a mistake. There's just one screw in the middle of each board.

LoL .... RonaldJosephCote, you crack me up :-)

Is it a good game? I wasn't putting down all possible variants of 3d chess, just variants played on the star trek type boards. As you know, there is a community of geeks who spend all their life energy memorizing star trek trivia (even memorizing star dates for each episode), writing poetry in Klingonese, and pursuing Kholinar, and such. Such people have tried and failed to make a tolarable variant of chess using the board Kirk and Spock played on.

RonaldJosephCote wrote:

       I've got one of these. The game starts in normal position on the middle board. If your moving a piece from its "original" position, you must go to the other 2 boards. After that, its your choice.                                                                           

       I really don't understand the board Spock played on. I sapose there's some logic to it.  The game is played in your mind, but the 3D aspects has to do with your eyes. Attacks can come from above and below.

Seems to me that 3d go played on a 19x19x19 grid would be a mindboggling game to try to learn.

       What the hell is this?   

      https://www.google.com/search?q=3D+chess/images&espv=2&biw=1028&bih=549&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=dNgzVfjYKYrIsQSb4YGwDA&ved=0CDIQ7Ak#imgrc=_

i found it interesting. but real chess better