Three-dimensional chess
Encyclopedia
Three-dimensional chess (or 3D chess) is any of various chess
variants played on three-dimensional boards
. Three-dimensional variants have existed since the late 19th century, one of the oldest being Raumschach (German for "Space chess"), invented in 1907 by Dr. Ferdinand Maack
and considered the classic 3D game. Maack founded a Raumschach club in Hamburg in 1919, which remained active until World War II.
Chapter 25 of Pritchard
's The Classified Encyclopedia of Chess Variants discusses games using boards with three or more dimensions and contains some 50 such variations. And chapter 11 covers variants using multiple boards normally set side by side ("such games can also be considered as examples of three-dimensional chess" — Beasley).
The Raumschach 3D board can be thought of as a cube sliced into five equal spaces across each of its three major coordinal planes. This sectioning yields a 5×5×5 (125-cell) playing volume. The horizontal levels are denoted by capital letters A through E. Ranks and files of a level are denoted using algebraic notation
. White starts on the A and B levels and Black starts on E and D. (So, the kings begin on squares Ac1 and Ec5.)
Other obvious physical differences from chess include two additional pawns per player, and a special piece (two per player) named unicorn
.
movement) through the corners of the cubes. (Thus each unicorn can reach only 30 cubes; each player's pair, 60.) The queen combines the moves of a rook, bishop, and unicorn. The king moves the same as a queen but one step at a time. Pawns move forward as in chess, or one step directly upward (for White) or downward (for Black). Pawns capture diagonally as in chess, including one step upward (White) or downward (Black) through a front or side cube edge. Promotion occurs where pawns cannot move further, namely the rank E5 (for White's pawns) and rank A1 (Black's pawns). There is no pawn initial two-square advance, no en passant
capture, and no castling
. White moves first, and the object is still to checkmate
the opposing king.
TV episodes and movies, starting with the original series
(TOS) and proceeding in updated forms throughout the subsequent movies and spinoff series. The game even assumed a fairly significant role in the TOS episode "Court Martial". (Captain Kirk
is put on trial for negligence in the death of a crew member. Spock
, who had programmed the Enterprise
s computer to be unbeatable at the game, plays five matches with the computer and easily wins each one, proving the machine—the source of seemingly irrefutable evidence confirming Kirk's guilt—had been tampered with, thereby destroying its credibility in its account of the incident.)
The original Star Trek prop was crafted using boards from 3D Checkers and 3D Tic-Tac-Toe
sets available in stores at the time (games also seen in TOS episodes) and adding futuristic-looking chess pieces. The design retained the 64 squares of a traditional chessboard, but distributed them onto separate platforms in a hierarchy of spatial levels, implying to audiences how chess evolved by the time of a 23rd century predominated by space travel. Rules for the game were never invented within the series – in fact, the boards are sometimes not even aligned consistently from one shot to the next within a single episode.
The Tri-D chessboard was further realized by its inclusion in the Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph
, who created starting positions for the pieces and short, additional rules.
A complete set of tournament rules for Tri-Dimensional Chess written by Jens Meder is available on his website. Meder's rules are based on FIDE's rules more than Andrew Bartmess's Standard Rules, with some deviations too. A repository of Tournament Rules games can be found on the website of Michael Klein.
There are some software programs for playing Tri-D Chess, most notably Parmen, a Windows application written by Doug Keenan and available free on his website.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
variants played on three-dimensional boards
Chessboard
A chessboard is the type of checkerboard used in the board game chess, and consists of 64 squares arranged in two alternating colors...
. Three-dimensional variants have existed since the late 19th century, one of the oldest being Raumschach (German for "Space chess"), invented in 1907 by Dr. Ferdinand Maack
Ferdinand Maack
Dr. Ferdinand Maack invented Raumschach, the classic 3D chess game, in 1907. He promoted the game with demonstrations, articles, booklets, and a magazine ; and founded the Hamburg Raumschach Club in 1919, which was active until World War II.-References:...
and considered the classic 3D game. Maack founded a Raumschach club in Hamburg in 1919, which remained active until World War II.
Chapter 25 of Pritchard
David Pritchard (chess writer)
David Brine Pritchard was a British chess writer and indoor games consultant. He "gained pre-eminence as an indoor games and mind sports consultant, a role that he in effect created...
's The Classified Encyclopedia of Chess Variants discusses games using boards with three or more dimensions and contains some 50 such variations. And chapter 11 covers variants using multiple boards normally set side by side ("such games can also be considered as examples of three-dimensional chess" — Beasley).
Raumschach
The inventor contended that for chess to be more like modern warfare, attack should be possible not only from a two-dimensional plane but also from above (air) and below (underwater). Maack's original formulation was for an 8×8×8 board, but after experimenting with smaller boards eventually settled on 5×5×5 as best.The Raumschach 3D board can be thought of as a cube sliced into five equal spaces across each of its three major coordinal planes. This sectioning yields a 5×5×5 (125-cell) playing volume. The horizontal levels are denoted by capital letters A through E. Ranks and files of a level are denoted using algebraic notation
Algebraic chess notation
Algebraic notation is a method for recording and describing the moves in a game of chess. It is now standard among all chess organizations and most books, magazines, and newspapers...
. White starts on the A and B levels and Black starts on E and D. (So, the kings begin on squares Ac1 and Ec5.)
Other obvious physical differences from chess include two additional pawns per player, and a special piece (two per player) named unicorn
Fairy chess piece
A fairy chess piece or unorthodox chess piece is a piece analogous to a chess piece. It is not used in conventional chess, but is used in certain chess variants and some chess problems...
.
Move rules
Rooks, bishops, and knights move as they do in chess in any given plane. Rooks, for example, move through the walls of the cubes in any rank, file or column. Bishops move through the edges of the cubes, and knights make a (0,1,2) leaping move (the same effect as one step as a rook and one as a bishop). Unicorns move in a manner special to a 3D space (called triagonalSpace diagonal
In a rectangular box or a magic cube, the four space diagonals are the lines that go from a corner of the box or cube, through the center of the box or cube, to the opposite corner...
movement) through the corners of the cubes. (Thus each unicorn can reach only 30 cubes; each player's pair, 60.) The queen combines the moves of a rook, bishop, and unicorn. The king moves the same as a queen but one step at a time. Pawns move forward as in chess, or one step directly upward (for White) or downward (for Black). Pawns capture diagonally as in chess, including one step upward (White) or downward (Black) through a front or side cube edge. Promotion occurs where pawns cannot move further, namely the rank E5 (for White's pawns) and rank A1 (Black's pawns). There is no pawn initial two-square advance, no en passant
En passant
En passant is a move in the board game of chess . It is a special pawn capture which can occur immediately after a player moves a pawn two squares forward from its starting position, and an enemy pawn could have captured it had it moved only one square forward...
capture, and no castling
Castling
Castling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces at the same time. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then...
. White moves first, and the object is still to checkmate
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
the opposing king.
Star Trek Tri-Dimensional Chess
Probably the most familiar 3D chess variant to the general public in the middle 20th and early 21st centuries is the game of Tri-Dimensional Chess (or Tri-D Chess), which can be seen in many Star TrekStar Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
TV episodes and movies, starting with the original series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
(TOS) and proceeding in updated forms throughout the subsequent movies and spinoff series. The game even assumed a fairly significant role in the TOS episode "Court Martial". (Captain Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
is put on trial for negligence in the death of a crew member. Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
, who had programmed the Enterprise
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, is a fictional starship in the Star Trek media franchise. The original Star Trek series depicts her crew's mission "to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before" under the command of Captain James...
s computer to be unbeatable at the game, plays five matches with the computer and easily wins each one, proving the machine—the source of seemingly irrefutable evidence confirming Kirk's guilt—had been tampered with, thereby destroying its credibility in its account of the incident.)
The original Star Trek prop was crafted using boards from 3D Checkers and 3D Tic-Tac-Toe
Qubic
Qubic is the brand name of a four-in-a-row game played in a 4×4×4 matrix sold by Parker Brothers starting in 1953. The original box, and the 1972 reissue, described the game as "Parker Brothers 3D Tic Tac Toe Game." Players take turn placing pieces to get four in a row horizontally or...
sets available in stores at the time (games also seen in TOS episodes) and adding futuristic-looking chess pieces. The design retained the 64 squares of a traditional chessboard, but distributed them onto separate platforms in a hierarchy of spatial levels, implying to audiences how chess evolved by the time of a 23rd century predominated by space travel. Rules for the game were never invented within the series – in fact, the boards are sometimes not even aligned consistently from one shot to the next within a single episode.
The Tri-D chessboard was further realized by its inclusion in the Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph
Franz Joseph (artist)
Franz Joseph was an artist and author loosely associated with the 1960’s American television show Star Trek. Joseph is perhaps best known for his 1973 Star Trek Blueprints , to date the only set of blueprints of the original Starship Enterprise ever officially endorsed by...
, who created starting positions for the pieces and short, additional rules.
Rules development
The complete Standard Rules for the game were originally developed in 1976 by Andrew Bartmess (with encouragement from Joseph) and were subsequently expanded by him into a commercially-available booklet. A Creative Commons-licensed manual by Marco Bresciani gives a translation in Italian of the latest version of Bartmess's Standard Rules, and is available through the Star Trek Italian Club (for members only). A free summary in English of the Standard Rules is contained on Charles Roth's website, including omissions and ambiguities regarding pieces moves across the four Tri-D gameboard 2×2 attack boards.A complete set of tournament rules for Tri-Dimensional Chess written by Jens Meder is available on his website. Meder's rules are based on FIDE's rules more than Andrew Bartmess's Standard Rules, with some deviations too. A repository of Tournament Rules games can be found on the website of Michael Klein.
There are some software programs for playing Tri-D Chess, most notably Parmen, a Windows application written by Doug Keenan and available free on his website.
Board details
Plans for constructing a Tri-D chessboard can be found on The Chess Variant Pages, as well as in Bartmess's Tri-D Chess Rules and in Bresciani's manual. Details for building a travel-size board are included on Meder's website.See also
- Chess variantsChess variantA chess variant is a game related to, derived from or inspired by chess. The difference from chess might include one or more of the following:...
- Cubic Chess
- Millennium 3D ChessMillennium 3D ChessMillennium 3D Chess is a variant created by William L. D'Agostino in 2001 employing three vertically stacked 8×8 boards. The inventor describes his objective as "extending the traditional chess game into a multilevel environment without distorting the basic game".The 8×8×3 geometry is a popular one...
External links
- "Raumschach" by Bruce Balden and Hans Bodlaender, The Chess Variant Pages
- "3D Chess from Star Trek" by Hans Bodlaender, The Chess Variant Pages
- "3-D Chess FAQ File" by David Moeser, The Chess Variant Pages
- "Three Dimensional" (index) The Chess Variant Pages
- Tridimensional Chess Rules Andrew Bartmess's commercial site; history of Standard Rules
- Star Trek 3-D Chess Rules Charles Roth's site; free summary of Standard Rules
- 3D-chess site of Jens Meder Tri-D Chess Tournament Rules, boards, and more (in English)
- 3DChess Michael Klein's site; Tournament Rules game library and more (in English)
- PARMEN Doug Keenan's site; free Tri-D Chess for WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, supports Standard and Tournament rulesets according to posted sample games - vulcan open sourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
3d chess program ("inspired by Star Trek")