Tile Chess (1999)

About this game

In Tile Chess, the board isn't used and the pieces are represented by tiles. The pieces move in the traditional fashion, including capturing, and the game — and the pieces for that matter — is held together by the restriction that each piece must always be connected to another piece, with that piece being connected to another, etc. Thanks to this requirement, the board and the grid that the pieces move on is formed by the pieces themselves (or lack thereof). You cannot make moves that would orphan pieces, which adds an interesting wrinkle to the game — and to make matters worse (in a good way), you might have to defend yourself against more than just one opponent...

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 6.
• Rules load. At 2.7/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 12 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.