Chess

Game Information

• Age: 10+
• Duration:?
• Number of players: at least 22
• Leaders: 1 Game Master, 1 Prison Guard, 1 Mercenary (explanation to follow)

Materials

• 4 ropes (approx. 1 m)
• Barrier tape
• 7 flashlights (Make sure no participant brings their own)
• Play money
• Exemption cards

Preparation

• Divide participants into groups of at least 11 and no more than 19 people.
• Mark off a prison area with barrier tape.
• Distribute the camps for each group around the perimeter of the prison (see image “The Playing Field”).
• Hand out 3 lamps per group (one to mark the camp, the others for the towers—explanation to follow), and place one inside the prison as well.
• Give each player 1 coin.

Procedure

 At the start, each group is at its camp. Players are then assigned their pieces (the assignment is kept secret—a key tactical element), and the game begins at a signal.

Now the groups try to capture the enemy group’s king, while of course protecting their own king at the same time.

They do this by capturing each other; in this game, capturing is based on trust—you “tap” your opponent on the back several times—and once the value of the opponent’s piece (see “The Pieces”) has been reached, the opponent is eliminated. The “problem” is that only you know what kind of piece you are -> honesty is key!

Note: The “taps” must be completed within 10 seconds—otherwise, start over!

Note: A character’s value = how many times you have to “tap” them on the back to catch them

If you die this way, you go to jail.

To free a teammate, you must buy a free pass from the mercenary for a fee of 1 coin—you can then exchange this with the jailer for the release of a teammate.

If a team runs out of money, it can no longer free anyone.

The game ends as soon as one of the situations familiar from chess occurs:

• Checkmate: A king has been captured; its team loses
• Stalemate: Only kings remain on the board—a draw

The Characters

Per group:

(Setup: Number of pieces, value)

• 1 King 5x [Can only move outside the camp using horses (he may remain stationary) – if he is captured, you lose the game]
• 1 Queen 4x [Can directly kill the King, even if he is “on” a horse¹'¹]
• 2 Bishops 2x [Can also move into enemy camps]
• 2 Rooks (Special Case²) [The only pieces with lamps; however, once the lamp is turned on, they may no longer move; their role is to provide light -> they cannot capture anyone]
• 1 Scout 2x [Can blow up rooks (see Appendix 1)]
• -> the rest (at least 4) Pawns 1x [can become horses]
• Plus 2 ropes for horses¹

¹When two pawns hold onto a rope together, they form a horse (3x “chiken”)² Once the one that moved is eliminated, the other reverts to a pawn     

¹'¹The king may only move “on horseback” outside his camp, i.e., he holds onto a rope together with two pawns; at this stage, the horse must be captured first (except by a queen).

²Rooks can only be captured by the Scout (1x “chiken”), after which they swap places (Scout becomes Rook; Rook becomes Scout).   

Pieces without a group:

• 1 Mercenary [Sells free passes and information about other groups]
• 1 Prison Guard [Guards the prison; releases prisoners in exchange for free tickets]

Sources

• Cover image (Checkmate.jpe): © Alan Light / www.wikimedia.org
• Game board graphic (Spielfeld.pgn): Reto Flütsch