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Entertainment Articles | January 21, 2008

The number of recognized chess variants is growing.� And this not only attracts whole new leaguesof chess players, but it has also created new chess board designs far differentthan the original 8 x 8 chess boards.�

According to an online independent voluntary judiciarycommittee, there are approximately 43 recognized chess variants, and the numberis growing.� The increased variety ofgame play has not only attracted whole new leagues of chess players, but it hasalso created new chess board designs far different than the original 8 X 8chess boards.�

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This adventurous exploration of the game�s variousgeometrical and multi-plane possibilities has helped to put forward many newand interesting design concepts.� Mostnew chess board designs, however, fail the test of time.� This is usually due to the inventor�s flawedunderstanding of entertainment value and the necessary math that made chess thegame that it is in the first place.�However, others did, and do, survive.�The following are examples of just some of the successful chess boarddesigns:

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• Changgi� Also know as Korean Chess, it is played on chessboards that are 9 X 10with the first two ranks on the 10 square side including 2 X 2 centresections made up of 8 equilateral triangles.� Linear game play on these chessboardstakes place on the lines that make up the grid while diagonal play goescorner to corner.� This modifiedsystem, said to be the descendant of the Chinese chess variant, Xiang-Qi, hasmaintained a strong following and it, along with its design modificationof chess boards, is here to stay.
• CourierChess � In the Middle Ages, a German variant came to life and increasedgame complexity by turning the playing field into 8X12 chess boards.� Each opponent has 12 pieces to pitagainst their foe.� Some chesspieces move either exactly like or differ very slightly from the oldergame of Chaturanga, the progenitor of chess.� Courier chess adds three new chess piececlasses, making game play such that stalemate wasn�t an issue.� Courier chess boards and the game itselfdied out for a long period after the Middle Ages ended, but now the gamehas experienced an online revival.
• Dragonchess� Gary Gygax, famed creator of Dungeons & Dragons, turned his eye tochess and chess board design.� Whatresulted was three 8 X 8 boards stacked one on top of the other.� The upper board is meant to representthe sky, while the middle level is treated as earth and the lowest boardis treated as the underworld.� Aswith Gary�smuch-played and much praised RPG gaming invention, Dragonchess has a newset of chess piece types based on D&D character classes.� With such classes as Griffins,Oliphants, Paladins and Basilisks, players are expected to maneuver theirchess pieces in concert according to a complicated mathematicalnotation.� This game and its uniqueuse of multiple chess boards survives due to the legions of cape-wearing,potion-making, spell-casting super-geeks that everyone else cheated off ofin high school.� A narrow, butdedicated demographic. Speaking of which�
• Tri-dimensionalChess � Ever since sci-fi fans saw Spock playing the mysterious alien gameof Tri-Dimensional chess, they have been intrigued with attributing a realand playable set of rules for the fictional game.� In the early 90�s, a formal rule set ofgame play was established.� EveryStarfleet officer in cyber-distance of this wonderful breakthrough inchess and chess board design began assembling their Tri-dimensional chessboards with fevered anticipation.�Star Trek 3-Dimensional Chess, as it is also known, is made up fromone 64-space board split into seven different levels.� This configuration consists of three 4 X4 and four 2X 2 chess boards arranged both vertically andhorizontally.� Seems easy, but thetrick is that pieces from different levels interact with each other andpieces can also be transported from one level to another, not to mentionthat the players can move the 2 X 2 chess boards to suit their strategicneeds.� Game complexity here canmake your head spin and may be better left to the slide rule army.

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Now that you�ve had just a taste of what we can come up withwhen we attempt to reinvent chess and the design of chess boards, you canappreciate the unending evolution of the game.�However, that doesn�t mean you have to play these variants.�

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Traditional chess boards conforming to those familiarage-old rules can be purchased in many designs and beautiful materials.� There are many online suppliers ready tocater to your chess board needs. Find a supplier that provides a reliableonline service with a wide selection of unique and classical chess boards.