Martian chess

This article is about the game created by Andrew Looney. For the game created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, see Jetan.
Martian chess
DesignersAndrew Looney
PublishersLooney Labs
Publication1999; 25 years ago (1999)
Years active1999–present
Genres
SystemsIcehouse
Players2 or 4
SkillsStrategy, tactics
Materials required
Released in
WebsiteOfficial website

Martian Chess is an abstract strategy game for two or four players invented by Andrew Looney in 1999.[1] It is played with Icehouse pyramids on a chessboard.[2] To play with a number of players other than two or four, a non-Euclidean surface can be tiled to produce a board of the required size, allowing up to six players.

In his review in Abstract Games Magazine, Kerry Handscomb stated:[3]

The first thing to note about Martian Chess is that it is not a chess-type game at all. Instead, the objective is to accumulate points by capturing pieces.

Martian Chess is [...] an original game with novel tactics and strategy.

In 1996, Looney had invented Monochrome Chess, a similar two-player game that uses regular chess pieces where the half of the board determined who controlled a piece. While the king is not royal, the king and rook can castle.[4]

  1. ^ Pritchard, D. B. (2007). "Martian Chess". In Beasley, John (ed.). The Classified Encyclopedia of Chess Variants (PDF). John Beasley. p. 353. ISBN 978-0-9555168-0-1.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference gms was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Handscomb, Kerry (Spring 2003). Handscomb, Kerry (ed.). "Martian Chess". Game and Book Reviews. Abstract Games. No. 13. Carpe Diem Publishing. p. 5. ISSN 1492-0492. OCLC 44155104.
  4. ^ Pritchard, D. B. (2007). "Monochrome Chess". In Beasley, John (ed.). The Classified Encyclopedia of Chess Variants (PDF). John Beasley. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-9555168-0-1.