Chess Enthusiasts Steve Reed (Ilwaco) and Jon Coby
(Astoria) brought their unique hand-made chess sets for a visit.
Steve Reed, President of the Peninsula
Chess Club and Rookie Knights children's Chess Club brought his amazingly detailed and professionally hand-crafted
sets:
board #1 -McCooey's Hexagonal
board #1 -Glinski's
Hexagonal (two additional pawns per side on same
board as above)
board #2 -Triss (3-player on hexagons)
board
#3 -TriChess (3-player on hexagons)
board #4 -Trigon (3-player on triangles)
board #5 -3-man Chess in the Round
(modified commercial board, custom pieces)
board #6 -double-sided (Deca-Chess & Hyper-Chess) with full-size pieces
for *either*
Steve says, "Strategy for 3 players is very different and fun, offering a bit more of a challenge because
of increased power of pieces."
Jon Coby (an expert-level chess
player with a rating over 2000) has been developing a new kind of chess "Hyperchess" with extra pieces:
- The Squire -moves like a king but is unable
to castle.
- The Prince - moves like a bishop and a knight.
- The Duke - moves like a rook and a knight.
- The Wizard - moves like a rook knight and a bishop.
Jon says, "I was thinking about how chess
might evolve and the extra pieces seemed like a logical progression." Jon points out that "Even though there are more pieces in Deca-Chess and Hyper-Chess, they are solidly
based upon standard chess piece movement but have the advantage of avoiding advanced preparation in openings... your normal
game should be strengthened just by the exercise your brain cells will get. You might find it a relief just to later
return to "small" chess."
Jon has also developed 3D Chess. A mind-numbing game that allows pieces to move up and
down, in addition to their regular moves. Instead of thinking in a flat 2D square... you must move your pieces on
a cubed board!
For more information about these Chess Oddity / Variant sets, contact Steve Reed or Jon Coby.
