Dragonchess is a three-dimensional fantasy chess variant

Chess variant

A 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:...

 created by Gary Gygax

Gary Gygax

Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....

, co-creator of the famed role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

 Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

. Dragonchess was first presented in 1985 in issue No. 100 of Dragon Magazine

Dragon (magazine)

Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...

.

The Dragonchess gameboard consists of three vertically-stacked 12×8 levels. The upper level (blue and white) represents the air, the middle level (green and amber) represents the land, and the lower level (red and brown) is the subterranean world

Underworld

The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...

 .

The Dragonchess game pieces (42 per player) are an ensemble of characters and monsters inspired or derived from fantasy settings

Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings

The flexibility of the Dungeons & Dragons rules means that Dungeon Masters are free to create their own fantasy campaign settings. For those who wanted a pre-packaged setting in which to play, TSR, Wizards of the Coast , and other publishers have created many settings in which D&D games can be based...

 in Dungeons & Dragons. Intricate inter- and intra-level game piece capabilities are defined. As in chess

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...

, the game is won by delivering 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...

 to the enemy king.

Upper board

The Sylph

Sylph (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a sylph is an outsider that shares many similarities to fey creatures.-Publication history:...

 (S)

On level 3:

• can move one step diagonally forward, or capture one step straight forward;
• can capture on the square directly below on level 2.

On level 2: can move to the square directly above on level 3, or to one of the player's six Sylph starting squares.

The Griffon

Griffin

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...

 (G)

On level 3:

• can move and capture by jumping in the following pattern: two steps diagonally followed by one step orthogonally
  Orthogonality
  Orthogonality occurs when two things can vary independently, they are uncorrelated, or they are perpendicular.-Mathematics:In mathematics, two vectors are orthogonal if they are perpendicular, i.e., they form a right angle...
  
   outward;
• can move and capture one step triagonally
  Space 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...
  
   to level 2.

On level 2:

• can move and capture one step diagonally;
• can move and capture one step triagonally to level 3.

The Dragon

Dragon (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...

 (R)

Bound to level 3:

• can move and capture any number of unobstructed steps diagonally, or one step orthogonally;
• can capture remotely (without leaving level 3) on the square directly below on level 2, or on any square orthogonally adjacent to that square.

Middle board

The Warrior (W)

Bound to level 2:

• can move one step straight forward, or capture one step diagonally foward;
• promotes
  Promotion (chess)
  Promotion is a chess rule describing the transformation of a pawn that reaches its eighth rank into the player's choice of a queen, knight, rook, or bishop of the same color . The new piece replaces the pawn on the same square and is part of the move. Promotion is not limited to pieces that have...
  
   to Hero when reaching the 8th rank.

The Oliphant (O)

Bound to level 2: can move and capture any number of unobstructed steps orthogonally.

The Unicorn

Unicorn (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a unicorn is a mysterious, majestic magical beast. It resembles an imposing and beautiful white horse, with glowing eyes, a silky mane and tail, and the stereotypical spiraling, shell-shaped horn coming from its forehead...

 (U)

Bound to level 2: can move and capture the same as a chess knight

Knight (chess)

The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...

.

The Hero

Heroes' Lorebook

Heroes' Lorebook is an accessory for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:...

 (H)

On level 2:

• can move and capture one or two unblockable steps diagonally;
• can move and capture one step triagonally
  Space 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...
  
   to levels 1 or 3.

On levels 1 and 3: can move and capture one step triagonally to the same square on level 2 the Hero previously left.

The Thief

Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)

The rogue or thief is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks...

 (T)

Bound to level 2: can move and capture any number of unobstructed steps diagonally.

The Cleric

Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)

The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...

 (C)

On level 2:

• can move and capture one step in any direction;
• can move and capture to the square directly above or directly below on an adjacent level.

On levels 1 and 3: the same powers as when on level 2.

The Mage

Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)

The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...

 (M)

On level 2:

• can move and capture any number of unobstructed steps diagonally or orthogonally;
• can move and capture to the square directly below on level 1 or directly above on level 3.

On levels 1 and 3:

• can move one step orthogonally;
• can move and capture one or two steps directly above or directly below to one of the other levels.

The King

Monarch

A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...

 (K)

On level 2:

• can move and capture one step in any direction;
• can move and capture to the square directly below on level 1 or directly above on level 3;

On levels 1 and 3: can move to (only) the same square on level 2 the King previously left.

The Paladin

Paladin (Dungeons & Dragons)

The paladin is one of the standard playable character classes in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The paladin is a holy knight, crusading in the name of good and order, and is a divine spellcaster...

 (P)

On level 2:

• can move and capture as a chess king+knight
  Knight (chess)
  The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...
  
  ;
• can move to levels 1 or 3 using an (unblockable) knight-like move: one level up or down followed by two steps orthogonally.

On levels 1 and 3:

• can move and capture one step in any direction;
• can move to the other levels using an (unblockable) knight-like move: one level up or down followed by two steps orthogonally, or two levels up or down followed by one step orthogonally.

Lower board

The Dwarf

Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...

 (D)

On level 1:

• can move one step straight forward or sideways, or capture one step diagonally foward;
• can capture on the square directly above on level 2.

On level 2:

• can move one step straight forward or sideways, or capture one step diagonally foward;
• can move to the square directly below on level 1.

The Basilisk

Basilisk (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the basilisk is a reptilian magical beast that turns creatures to stone by meeting their gaze.-Publication history:...

 (B)

Bound to level 1:

• can move one step diagonally forward or straight backward, or capture one step straight forward;
• always freezes (immobilizes) an enemy piece on the square directly above on level 2.

The Elemental

Elemental (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, an elemental is a type of creature. Elemental creatures are composed of one of the four classical elementals of air, earth, fire, or water.-Publication history:...

 (E)

On level 1:

• can move and capture one or two steps orthogonally;
• can move one step diagonally;
• can capture in the following pattern: one step orthogonally followed by the square directly above on level 2.

On level 2:

• can move and capture in the following pattern: the square directly below on level 1 followed by one step orthogonally.

Move notation

Recording moves is done the same as in algebraic notation

Algebraic notation

Algebraic notation can mean:* In mathematics and computers, infix notation, the practice of representing a binary operator and operands with the operator between the two operands...

for chess, extended to a 12×8 board, with the addition of a numeric prefix (1, 2, or 3) in front of each square coordinate to idenfity the level. (So for example, Black's king starts on 2g8.)

External links

• "Dragonchess" by Edward Jackman, The Chess Variant Pages
• "More on Dagonchess" by Hans Bodlaender, The Chess Variant Pages
• Strategy Game Server play Dragonchess online
• DragonChess free software for local and network play by SourceForge.net
• Pathguy.com a simple Dragonchess program by Ed Friedlander