Three-handed chess

Three-handed chess is a family of chess variants specially designed to be played by three people. [cite book | author=Pritchard, D. | title=Popular Chess Variants|publisher=Bastford Chess Books | year=2000 | id=ISBN 0-7134-8578-7] There are many variations of three-handed chess. They usually use some non-standard board, for example, hexagonal or three-sided board connected in the middle in a special way.

Three player chess (and other games) variants are the hardest to design fairly because the imbalance that is created when two gang up on one is usually too great for the player to withstand. Some versions avoid this problem by deciding victory such that the third player loses as well as the checkmated player, leaving the player who delivers checkmate first to be the victor.

Hexagonal board

Many three player chess variants use hexagonal board. Pieces move usually as in one of versions of hexagonal chess:
* [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/5867/chesh.html Chesh] by Gianluca Moro.
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/hexagonal.dir/chexs.html Chexs] by Stephen P. Kennedy.
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/hexagonal.dir/echexs.html Echexs] by Jean-Louis Cazaux.
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/hexagonal.dir/hexreview.html HEXChess] : commercial chess variant by HEXchess Inc.

Three-sided board

Often a special three-sided board is used:
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/historic.dir/self.html Self's variant] : by Hency J. Self (1894).
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/multiplayer.dir/3pl2.html Three player chess] : by Robert Zubrin (1972). The patent for this game describes a variant in which whoever is first to checkmate one of the other two players gains control of that player's forces. If more than one player's pieces contribute to a checkmate, this applies to whoever makes the final move that causes a checkmate. [US patent|3652091|US3,652,091 – Three-player chess board – Robert Zubrin]
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/historic.dir/marinelli.html Triple chess] : chess board is extended with 8x3 rectangles on 3 sides. This game is invented by Philip Marinelli in 1722.
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/d.photo/triochess.html Triochess] (1975).
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/historic.dir/waider.html Waider's game] : by Waider (1837).

Other boards

Besides hexagonal and three-sided boards some other board forms were tried:
* [http://www.3schach.de/german/device.html 3-color chess] : uses a special three-dimensional board or can be used with three colored boards.
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/multiplayer.dir/3manchess.html 3-man chess] : uses round board.
* [http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/contest84/orwellchess.html Orwell chess] : cylindrical board is used, similar to cylinder chess.

trategy

The introduction of a third player drastically changes the style of play, even if standard pieces are used. Many chess openings are useless due to the extended board and third player. The introduction of the 'extra' move by the third player can introduce situations of deadlock, for example if a white piece is undefended and simultaneously attacked by both black and red pieces. Black cannot take the white piece, since red would then capture the black piece next turn. In similar situations, a piece can move quite safely into a square where it is attacked by both opponents, since neither opponent would take the piece and risk capture by the third player. Each player must think twice as far ahead- anticipating the moves of both opponents, which is difficult since the next player may move to attack either of his opponents.

In games where the third player loses as well as the checkmated one, players must concentrate not only on their own attack and defense, but also on preventing the two opponents from checkmating each other. A player can take advantage of one opponents position to checkmate the other, but must be careful that the third player does not checkmate first. White could checkmate red, only to have his piece captured by a black piece, which checkmates red. In this situation, white would lose since black delivers the final checkmating move. This strategy also applies to games which give the checkmating player command of the checkmated opponent's pieces- a player who allows the second player to checkmate the third would surely go on to lose due to the increased power of his remaining opponent, now armed with the third player's pieces.

ee also

* Sannin shogi, a three-handed shogi variant played on a hexagonal board.

References

External links

* [http://www.three4chess.com/index.html Three player chess] .
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,910529-1,00.html Chess for three] .