Dice Chess 8 By Tony Berard I have invented a number of board games in which people can become world class players. My Dice Chess series of games is the focus of this article. The rest of my games are awesome, too. So, don’t get me wrong there. One major benefit the ease of manufacturing my Dice Chess series of games is the basis for my endorsement of this series of games. So far in the Dice Chess series of games, I have Dice Chess 8 and Dice Chess 10. In this book, I will discuss Dice Chess 8. The number after the words “Dice Chess” refer to the size of the board. Thus, Dice Chess 8 is played on an 8x8 board. Dice Chess 10, then, would be played on a 10x10 board. How to play Dice Chess 8 This is the same board as a chess board. Notice that a white square is on the right side as viewed from White’s perspective. Next, this is the initial setup of the Dice to begin a game. Just like chess has a starting position, Dice Chess 8 has a starting position. Notice also that the files and ranks are labeled. Where the pawns would be in chess we see a row of white 2’s and a row of black 2’s. The rook spots have 5’s, and they descend inwards to 4’s and 3’s. Where the queen would be, we see a 6. And, the blank die is where the king would be in chess. The blank die is called The King Cube. The Turn Allotment: White’s very first turn is restricted to 3 points. All turns by both players are up to 6 points. Note: A player does not have to use the full turn allotment. In fact, zero points can be used if desired resulting in a passed turn. Most times, though, a player will want to use the full turn allotment. White’s first turn is restricted to three points to balance the game. Thus, White gets a partial first step while Black gets a full first step. After that, both players each get full steps. This sets up an alternating advantage, which becomes a normal equilibrium of the position after a few moves without any definite demarcation. The Mobility of the Pieces Versus the Power Rank of the Pieces Dice Value Mobility Range Power Rank 1 1 (min range) 1 (max rank) 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 (max range) 6 (min rank) The Dice Value is the number of spots (or pips) on the top face of the die. A die may move any number of squares up to and including its Dice Value. Thus, the dice value is equal to the mobility range. The Power Rank of a die is also its Dice Value. Observe, though, that the Mobility Range of a die and the Power Rank of a die are in a reverse relationship. Thus, when the Dice Value is a “1” the mobility of a die is one space, which is the least distance (one space) a die could go. However, its Power Rank is the maximum it can be (i.e. top rank). At the other end of the spectrum, when the Dice Value is a “6” the die can travel up to six squares distance on the board, which is nearly the power level of a chess queen. But, this great gain in mobility comes at the price of this die being at the lowest power level. This distinction is very important when we discuss the Turn Scale. Next, though, we will discuss the King Cube briefly. The King Cube’s Mobility and Power Rank The King Cube is a blank die. Thus, its mobility and power rank are not defined in the manner of the rest of the pieces in the game. So, it is by declaration that a King Cube has a Mobility Range of 1. Its Power Rank, though, will be left as a mystery until we discuss The Turn Scale next. The Turn Scale Operation Points Symbol Increment 1 I Decrement 1 D Capture 2 C Move 3 M So, you can change the Dice Value of any die on the board simply by incrementing or decrementing it. A “2” for example, can be incremented to a “3” for one point of turn cost. Because there are up to six points in a turn (other than White’s first turn, obviously), then a player may perform up to six different increments or decrements during a single turn. This great flexibility is very nice when faced with tough play by a determined adversary. Move and Capture should be discussed simultaneously as they are closely related. A Move can be accomplished by any die along a clear path in any direction to a square up to and including its Mobility Range. Thus, a “5” for example can move to a square 5 units away in a straight line from where it started as long as it doesn’t hop over any piece along the way. This piece can also move to squares that are 4 units away or 3 units away etc. Squares closer in distance are accessible, but squares farther away than the Mobility Range are not accessible with a single move. Note that because a move is three points, and a turn has a turn allotment of six points (for any turn that is not White’s first turn), then it is possible and likely that a lot of turns will involve the movement of two pieces or one piece moving twice. What happens when there is an obstruction in the path of the piece you want to move? Well, if it is your own piece, then you may not move it onto or beyond your obstructing piece. You may spend three points to move your obstructing piece to clear the path for your piece you want to move further. Observe the following diagram. In the above diagram, suppose you want to move the “4” on c3 to g7. Well, you are not permitted to do that because you have an obstruction on e5. If White is beginning this turn, we have six points to spend. If our goal is to get this 4 to g7, it can be accomplished by moving the “1” on e5 first. So, we spend three points to move the 1 on e5 first to let’s say d6. Next, with the other three points available in the turn allotment, we can now move the 4 to g7 because the path is now clear. What happens if the obstruction is an opposing piece? That gets us into the wonderful mechanics of Dice Chess 8!! So, we will begin the capture possibilities discussion with an easy diagram. So, Black wants to capture something. Can he capture the 5 on c3? Yes. The Power Ranking of your capturing piece must be at least that of the piece you want to capture. So, our 5 on c7 has a Power Rank equal to that of the piece on c3. The 5 on c7 may move to c4 for 3 points, and may continue to c3 for 2 more points. Thus, it costs five points to perform a capture. The requirements to capture are that the piece you want to capture is within range, the Power Rank is at least that of the piece you want to capture, and you have enough points to spend on the capture. All three of these criteria are met to be able to capture the 6 on h7 as well. However, all three criteria are not met regarding the 4 on f4. But, all is not lost. It is possible to capture the 4 on f4. If we decrement our 5 to a 4 first, then we will meet the requirement that the Power Rank of our capturing piece must be at least that of the Power Rank of the piece we want to capture. The 4 on f4 is still within range if we decrement the 5 on c7 to a 4. It costs one point to decrement, and five points to perform the capture. Thus, we could capture the 4 on f4 if we wanted to. The Object of the Game The object of the game is to capture the opposing King Cube. It is possible to form a checkmate in this game, and if a player checkmates the opposing King Cube, then that is a victory as well. The King Cube is not inviolate like the chess king. So, if you leave your King Cube in a position where your opponent can capture it, you lose the game (unless your opponent fails to capture it). Properties of the King Cube The King Cube is a pipless die, which means it doesn’t have any spots. Earlier, I declared that its mobility is always fixed at one, but its Power Rank was a mystery. Now, to resolve that mystery, the King Cube may capture any opposing die regardless of its Power Rank. In addition, the King Cube may be captured by any opposing die. Thus, it is not hindered in its ability to capture, but it also does not hinder any opposing ability to capture it. The King Cube may perform an MC (move + capture) turn for five points, and the player may use the sixth point for an increment or decrement if desired. This type of maneuver may only happen on one of the eight squares immediately surrounding the King Cube.