Ages:	14 and up
Players:	2
Playing Time:	30 - 60 mins

 

**PREORDER**

The core of Chess Joker is the classic game of chess. You and your opponent will take turns back and forth, moving pieces in the hopes of checkmating the enemy king. What we've added to this equation is a deck of 256 Joke cards, each with its own unique effect that can be used instead of a standard chess turn.

At the end of every turn, you will flip the top card of the deck face-up next to your side of the board. This card is an option for your next turn. On that turn, you can either take a standard chess move, or you can take the joke move provided by the card. The card's effect might be beneficial, neutral, or even detrimental to your position — but if you choose to use it, you'll move it to your score pile. Every Joke card has an Elo point value, and if you accumulate 800 points, you win immediately!

If you don't use the card, it's discarded. Either way, you'll draw a new card at the end of your turn. Even though the cards provide fascinating new options that disrupt standard chess positions, you always get to know what options your opponent will have available when you take your turn.

But what if you run low on pieces? Is your cool card useless simply because you're out of a piece type? It is not, thanks to the Masquerade rule. Many effects have a piece name in bold. If you have such a card, and you have no pieces of that type, you can masquerade any of your pieces to substitute. You'll score the card face-down for 25 points instead of its normal value, but you'll still get the benefits of a cool move!

You'll also score face-down cards each time you're placed in check (unless it would cause you to win), and each time your opponent starts their turn with three or fewer pieces on the board. These extra points keep the game moving toward a conclusion, and they're crucial situations to plan for! Creating a strong position is important, but you'll need to bring down the checkmate hammer decisively when the time comes.