Hexagonal Chess (1936)

About this game

Over the years a number of chess variants have been proposed for boards featuring hexagonally shaped cells (commonly called hexes). The most popular of these is Hexagonal Chess which was invented in 1936 by Wladyslaw Glinski of Poland. David Pritchard says, in the Encyclopedia of Chess Variants, that Glinski's game is played by over half-a-million people, mostly in Eastern Europe. It features a hexagonally-shaped (of course) 3-colour board. Otherwise, it differs from traditional chess in that it has 9 pawns and three bishops--one for each colour. The set-up naturally varies from that of a square board, but beyond that, much of the play is fairly similar.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 2 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 3.9/5 this is a heavy game — read the rulebook before people arrive.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.