Chess variants too good not to explore

Regular readers will be aware I am a huge fan of chess.

Over the years I have written on many chess variants from Shogi to Omega Chess, and I’m back to that common theme over the next two or three issues.

Certainly the familiar chess set you can purchase in many stores is to me just a must for anyone with even a modicum of interest in board games. It is as classic a two-player board game as there is.

While relatively easy to pick-up in terms of the basic moves, it is a game which can take a lifetime to master.

And, of course mastering chess is something which can be tracked with national and international rankings and tournaments. Few if any board game is more organized than what is what we recognize as ‘western chess’.

That all said, western chess is hardly the only chess option.

There are chess variants which have existed for hundreds of years. Shogi, Xiangqi and Makruk are examples of types of chess which have deep roots within certain areas of the world; Japan, China and Thailand respectively.

Such games have a common root with our western chess each developing in slightly different ways, creating distinct games which are all clearly chess, and all with a great deal of merit to play. With that in mind I certainly recommend giving a try, of course on the preface you are a fan of abstract strategy games. I recognize chess games are not for everyone, but they are great for those who like no luck games which focus the mind.

While there are numerous older versions of chess, the next couple of columns will be looking at more modern variants.

The area of variants is an interesting one. As noted chess can take a lifetime to master, so a devoted player need look no further than a single board and an eye to playing regularly to get better by degrees. But, most of us tend to enjoy a bit more diversity when we head to the game table. It’s why I love crokinole, hive, and a few dozen more and still wait impatiently for new games scheduled to arrive – where is my Tak game by the way.

So if you like variety, but still love chess, then variants are a great option.

If you are intrigued by chess which plays a bit differently then you are lucky as there are dozens and dozens to choose from; Omega Chess, Grand Chess and others noted here before, but other great options exist, and next week we’ll look at Wildebeest Chess played on an 11X10 board with a couple of interesting new pieces; the camel and the wildebeest.