Combat Chess Games

Computer Combat Chess

• While not present in every computer chess game, some developers attempt to make chess more appealing by adding elaborate battle sequences when pieces are captured. Beginning with Battle Chess on PC and Console, the tradition lives on, with a variety of old and new chess programs that enact all out war on the checkered board. The game play is at heart the same, though, so if you don't like chess, you likely won't like any of these adaptations.

Stylized Chess Sets

• Stylized chess sets add a different look and feel to the standard game of chess. They allow you to reenact great battles both real and fiction. With pieces representing everything from good and evil as depicted in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy to the Civil War, you will surely be able to find a chess set that suits your combat tastes.

Traditional Chess Sets

• While perhaps not immediately recognizable as so, the traditional game of chess is a game of war. Combat is the heart of the game, as you command an army against your opponent, gain territorial advantage and defend against ongoing threats. Each piece represents a unit at your command, with varying abilities and value associated with their rank. Researchers in Australia and Sweden are using the game to study actual combat, according to the British newspaper "The Guardian."

Chess Variants

• Chess variants use the same pieces as traditional chess, but they offer different variations on the rules. There are hundreds of chess variations available. Some allow captured pieces to be ransomed and then parachuted back into the game, while others run a parallel universe where vanquished pieces go to continue the fight. Chess variants offer unique rules that change chess combat.