Chessplus
Chessplus is a chess variant developed by the Australia-based family business Chessplus Team.
| Publishers | Chessplus Team |
|---|---|
| Years active | c. 21st century to present |
| Genres | Board game Abstract strategy game Mind sport Chess variant |
| Players | 2 |
| Playing time | Similar to that of chess |
| Chance | None |
| Skills | Strategy, tactics |
Appearance
Chessplus, as a physical variant, can come in 1 of 3 packages.
- A bag of the pieces.
- A box featuring a pawn and knight combining.
- A pseudo-box with a board and pieces.
Main gimmick
The main gimmick of Chessplus is that players can combine their pieces. The only piece that may not combine is the king.[1]
Gameplay
Chessplus gameplay is similar to that of regular chess, but pieces are designed specifically so they can merge. The only piece that can't be merged with is the king. Pieces can only merge with other pieces of their own color. Only 2 pieces can be merged at a time, possibly for balancing. Pieces may split, in which they use their original move to remove themself from the merge.
Castling
Castling may be done with a combined rook. Just like in regular chess, the rook must not have previously moved. In other words, if a knight moved to combine with a rook, castling is possible, but if that rook moved to combine with the knight, then castling is no longer allowed for that rook.
En Passant
Similar to the castling rules, en passant can only be used on a combination of 2 pawns. If the combination is, say, a rook and a pawn, en passant is not viable.
Inspiration
It was inspired by the leader's wife, who, at age 8, during a chess match with her father, merged a rook with a pawn, then promoted the piece to a queen.[2]