Growing up with siblings I feel any game is better with more than just two players, so while this unique chess board that accommodates two opponents isn’t a new idea, the gameplay sounds more polished than previous attempts.
Chess certainly doesn’t rate in the top 10 of my favourite board games, probably because I rarely win, but the prospect of having a third player I can team up with certainly breathes some new life into it. While playing on a circular board does introduce some unique challenges and twists, its creators have gone to the trouble of working out all the gameplay logistics and protocol issues.
For instance, the pattern of circles on the board which might look like just decorations are actually trajectory lines, illustrating how a piece can move after it crosses the middle of the board, eventually returning to its original position. To ensure that you don’t attack your neighbouring opponents in the opening moves, an uncrossable three tile moat separates and protects each set of pieces during their opening salvos. Three Man Chess, as it’s unfortunately called, is available from Amazon for $43 and includes the round board and three sets of pieces. And who knows, were the late Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov to team up, maybe they could have easily bested IBM’s Deep Blue on this board. [3ManChess via Fancy]