Martian Chess

Martian Chess
Andrew Looney
Colorless simplified chess nevertheless has subtle strategy
:Players	Players:	2 - 4
:Time	Length:	Medium
:Complexity	Complexity:	Low
Trios per color:		3
Number of colors:		1 per player
Pyramid trios:
Monochr. stashes:		1 per player
Five-color sets:		3
- - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - -
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Setup time:		one minute
Playing time:		5 minutes - 30 minutes
Strategy depth:		High
Random chance:		None
Game mechanics:		colorless
Theme:		chess
BGG Link:		Martian Chess
Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 1995
Can be played with 2-6 players with user designed print-and-play chessboard wedges.

Andy believes Martian Chess is the second oldest game for the pyramids, and the first created after the eponymous Icehouse. The earliest dated version of the rules are from 29 January 1995.

Martian Chess plays similarly to Earthling Chess, using similar mechanics such as:

• moving and capturing individual pieces
• turn-based
• played on an chessboard
• distinct pieces have distinct movement rules

However, Martian Chess uses some different features than Chess:

• control of pieces is determined by location rather than color,
• the victory conditions are based on captured points instead of capturing a certain piece,
• a player can force the end of the game, and still win based on points,
• is playable with more than two players.

For seasoned chess players, Martian Chess has subtle paradigm shifts that offer convention-challenging lessons (though not to the same extent as Icehouse itself).

The game requires three trios per player, in any colors.

Links

• Official rules online at Wunderland
• Sample game on YouTube
• Play with 3, 5 or 6 players using chessboard wedges.
• Martian Chess can be played online at Super Duper Games.
• Java applet with AI hosted at SuperMaze.com.
• Martian Chess is available as a free iPhone app which has AI and multi-human support.

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