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My son (for reference, he's five) just invented his own chess variant, which I'm posting here because it seems to produce a game that is actually very playable with some non-trivial strategy.

He calls it "drop down chess" for reasons that are to convoluted to go into, and his explanation of the rules is a bit different from what I'm describing here, but it's functionally the same.

The game is like regular chess and uses normal chess men. In addition, you need markers in two colours (draught stones will do).

When capturing a piece, the piece used to make the capture transforms into a "point token" (represented by a stone) of the same colour. Point tokens cannot move and are treated as normal pieces and block other pieces, just as regular pieces would. These point tokens can be captured normally.

When the game ends, the player with the most "point tokens" in play wins; if both sides have the same number of tokens but one side is mated, the mated side loses. Otherwise it's a draw.

What is interesting is that the Queen remains a powerful piece, but only for gobbling up enemy tokens. Regular captures turn the Queen into a token, which effectively loses you the Queen. The King is not exempt from this rule, making a regular capture with the King instantly loses the game (so it's effectively illegal).

Evert wrote:My son (for reference, he's five) just invented his own chess variant, which I'm posting here because it seems to produce a game that is actually very playable with some non-trivial strategy.

He calls it "drop down chess" for reasons that are to convoluted to go into, and his explanation of the rules is a bit different from what I'm describing here, but it's functionally the same.

The game is like regular chess and uses normal chess men. In addition, you need markers in two colours (draught stones will do).

When capturing a piece, the piece used to make the capture transforms into a "point token" (represented by a stone) of the same colour. Point tokens cannot move and are treated as normal pieces and block other pieces, just as regular pieces would. These point tokens can be captured normally.

When the game ends, the player with the most "point tokens" in play wins; if both sides have the same number of tokens but one side is mated, the mated side loses. Otherwise it's a draw.

What is interesting is that the Queen remains a powerful piece, but only for gobbling up enemy tokens. Regular captures turn the Queen into a token, which effectively loses you the Queen. The King is not exempt from this rule, making a regular capture with the King instantly loses the game (so it's effectively illegal).

I suggest you a variant: the tokens are disks with the drawing of pieces; when you capture a piece, it transforms to the token with the same piece image (and opposite color). The tokens can move but they are like "phantom" and cannot capture but can be captured.

stegemma wrote: I suggest you a variant: the tokens are disks with the drawing of pieces; when you capture a piece, it transforms to the token with the same piece image (and opposite color). The tokens can move but they are like "phantom" and cannot capture but can be captured.

I'll suggest that to my son, it looks like an interesting addition to the dynamic. He insists that the game be played with two chess sets anyway, with the token represented by a piece of the other side, turned on its side.
So really the main difference with your suggestion is that the tokens do not move...

Evert wrote:

stegemma wrote: I suggest you a variant: the tokens are disks with the drawing of pieces; when you capture a piece, it transforms to the token with the same piece image (and opposite color). The tokens can move but they are like "phantom" and cannot capture but can be captured.

I'll suggest that to my son, it looks like an interesting addition to the dynamic. He insists that the game be played with two chess sets anyway, with the token represented by a piece of the other side, turned on its side.
So really the main difference with your suggestion is that the tokens do not move...

I think that your son would like if only captured pawns can keep moving (without capturing) and maybe even promote to... an alive pawn!