Martian chess The Martian Chess Set won the Origins Award for "Best Abstract Board Game of 2000". The rules to the game were reissued in "3HOUSE" booklet in 2007, again by 2013 in Pyramid Primer #1 and in 2016 as a part of "Pyramid Arcade" boxed set. Each player starts with nine pieces: three small ("pawns"), three medium ("drones"), and three large ("queens"). The color of the pieces is irrelevant to the gameplay. A mix of colors is recommended. Players initially place their pieces in the corners of the board as shown. In a two-player game, only a half-board is used. The
Chess with different armies Chess with different armies Chess with different armies (or Betza's Chess or Equal Armies) is a chess variant invented by Ralph Betza in 1979. Two sides use different sets of fairy pieces. There are several armies of equal strength to choose from, including the standard FIDE army. In all armies, kings and pawns are the same as in FIDE chess, but the four other pieces are different. Before the game players choose their armies in a certain way, predefined by tournament rules. This can be done either randomly or secretly by both players. Each player has a choice of 4