Christian Freeling | |
|---|---|
 Freeling in 2012 | |
| Born | 1 February 1947 Enschede, Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Occupation | Mathematics teacher (retired) |
| Known for | Game designer |
| Children | 4 |
| Website | http://mindsports.nl/ |
Christian Freeling (born 1 February 1947, in Enschede, Netherlands) is a Dutch game designer and inventor of abstract strategy games, notably Dameo, Grand Chess, Havannah, and Hexdame.[1][2]
Freeling's designs cover a range of game types. Several of his games are endeavors to improve on established games that he concluded are flawed or limited in some way, while some introduce familiar game mechanics into uncommon settings. He also regularly translates rules for orthogonal board games to the hexagonal grid, resulting in new versions with altered properties – usually enhanced strategy and tactics options, and fewer draws.
"Christian's games often embody a desire to get to the heart of the concepts used in abstract games. This is most clearly displayed by his minimalist chess variant, Chad, and his version of column checkers, Emergo."[2]
Among all his games, Freeling considers Dameo, Emergo, Grand Chess, Storisende, Sygo, and Symple to be his most important,[3] with Emergo as his personal favourite.[4]
- ^ Dylan Loeb McClain (19 August 2007). "Giraffes, Viziers and Wizards: Variations on the Old Game". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
- ^ a b Handscomb (2002), p. 7.
- ^ "The ArenA". mindsports.nl. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ Freeling, Christian. "Geek of the Week #655 Christian Freeling - christianF." BoardGameGeek, edited by W E. Martin, BoardGameGeek LLC, 29 Apr. 2018, boardgamegeek.com/thread/1984367/article/28953624#28953624. Accessed 31 August 2020.