QUITE a few years ago - possibly in the 1990s - I bought a game called something like Chuck-a-Chess.
It consisted of a number of normal six-sided dice, except that each face was covered by a chess piece* rather than a number of dots.
Unfortunately I threw the dice out during one of my periodic clear-outs, and have been unable to find a replacement set.
So instead I have invented my own game, and called it Diced Chess.
To play you need two ordinary dice (as well as a chess set and board) and the ability not to turn the board over when luck goes outrageously against you.
In Diced Chess the six faces on a die represent the six pieces: 6=K, 5=Q, 4=R, 3=B, 2=N, 1=P.
The player whose move it is rolls the two dice and may make any legal move with either of the two pieces indicated by the dice.
Rolling a double lets the player move any piece. If the piece moved is the one indicated by the dice, eg two 5s would mean a queen, the opponent has to skip a turn, unless the move played resulted in a check.
To castle you need to roll either a 6, for a king, or a 4, for a rook, or a double.
A player in check gets up to three rolls of the dice to escape check or else forfeit the game.
Stalemate only counts if the player with no legal moves, and so in a stalemate situation, makes a roll that results in a number that represents one of his surviving pieces, or rolls a double.
Clearly there will be times when a player rolls numbers that do not allow a move, in which case the turn passes to the opponent. However a player may never deliberately pass.
What follows is the very first game of Diced Chess, played against my friend Tim Johnson. He won the draw for colours and so had white.
Tim Johnson - Spanton
In the notation the letters in brackets show what the player rolled with the dice, the numbers translated for convenience's sake into chess pieces. So TJ's first roll below resulted in a 5 and a 1, which are represented as QP.
I will write light notes as the game goes along.
1.(QP)e4 (QR)--
A null move straight off - not a good start for me.
2.(RR)d4 (RR)c5 3.(QP)dxc5
TJ said he was tempted to play Nakamura-style with 3.Qh5!?, but feared the queen would be vulnerable.
3...(BN)Nf6 4.(RR)Bg5 (KP)h6 5.(KB)Bxf6 (RB)Rg8
This is arguably worse than a null move.
6.(BN)Bd4 (KP)e5!?
Taking a risk to try to reduce my material deficit.
7.(BN)Bxe5 (KR)Rh8 8.(RN)Nf3 (BP)Bxc5 9.(QP)Qd5!
A strong move as the queen radiates threats from d5 without being very vulnerable.
9...(QN)Qa5+
Going for broke. White now gets up to three rolls of the dice to escape check.
10.(KR)Kd1
Not a move he would have wanted to play. It will be interesting to see how vulnerable the white king is in the centre.
10...(QP)Qb6 11.(QR)Qb3!?
11.Qxc5!? is a gamblers' move.
11...(QN)Qxb3
Showing the downside to White's 11th move - will the black queen successfully hit and run?
12.(QR)Rg1 (NP)Nc6 13.(QB)Bxg7 (RP)Rg8 14.(RB)Bxh6 (PP)Qxb2 15.(BB)Bc1!? (QR)Qxa1
It is becoming a massacre, but a game of Diced Chess ain't over till it's over.
16.(RB)Bb2!?
Doggedly going after the black queen.
16...(KR)Rg4 17.(QB)Bxa1
White's strategy has worked - material is now roughly equal.
17...(QR)Rxe4 18.(QR)Rh1 (KK)Bxf2!?
Materialistic. Moving the d pawn to open a diagonal for the light-square bishop was also tempting.
 |
| TJ here rolled a 4 and a 3. What would you play? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
19.(BN)Bd3!
A good move that attacks a black piece and provides extra defence against an attempt to mate by ...Re1+, as now the white rook at h1 gives additional cover to the e1 square.
19...(KQ)Kf8 20.(KQ)Kd2 (KN)Nb4 21.(QR)Rf1 (QR)Re6 22.(QR)Rxf2
White has clawed his way back to a material advantage.
22...(QB)--
The second time I have been unable to move.
23.(RR)Bc3
Threatening to make a capture with check.
23...(RN)Nxd3 24.(QQ)cxd3 (RN)Rb6!
Threatening the queen's knight but also providing extra cover against a check from b4.
25.(RB)Rf1 (PP)Rxb1 26.(KP)Kc2 (KK)Rxf1
The tide has turned again, but possibly not decisively.
27.(KB)Bb4+
This must be worth a try, even though the odds favour me rolling a 6 or a 1 in six tries (three rolls of two dice) ...
27...(NN)Kg8
... or indeed a double.
28.(RB)Bd6!? (QN)-- 29.(NN)Nd2
White gets to roll again as he moved a piece indicated by the doubled dice.
29...-- 30.(KP)h4 (KQ)Kh7
Keeping off the dark squares.
31.(BN)Nxf1 (KN)Kg8
Safety first.
32.(BN)Ne3 (BP)b6 33.(QR)--
White's first null move.
33...(RP)a6 34.(NP)Nd5 (KB)Bb7 35.(KR)Kc3 (KB)Bxd5 36.(BB)Kd4 (KQ)Kh7 37.(KP)Kxd5 (RP)Rg8 38.(KQ)Ke5 (QB)-- 39.(KN)Kf5 (QR)Rxg2
I was also tempted by 39...Rg6, but decided to take a pawn that could provide part of a mating net.
40.(RN)-- (RN)Rxa2 41.(KB)Kf6 (KB)Kg8 42.(KN)Ke7 (BN)-- 43.(NP)h5 (KP)Kh7!? 44.(KQ)Kxf7 (NN)Rf2+ 45.(QR)(KP)Ke7 (QP)a5 46.(RP)d4 (BN)-- 47.(BN)Bg3 (RB)Rf3 48.(RR)Bc7 (KK)a4!?
I could have played 48...Kh6!? and rolled again, but did not want to tempt fate by putting my king on a dark square.
49.(KN)Kxd7 (QP)a3 50.(BN)Bxb6 (KN)Kg8 51.(QB)Bc5 (RB)Rf7+ 52.(QQ)Ke6 (PP)a2
A very fortunate roll of the dice as I get to move a pawn to the seventh rank and roll again.
53.-- (BN) 54.(RN)-- (KR)Rh7 55.(KN)Kd5 (QB)-- 56.(RB)Bb4 (PP)a1=Q
Another great roll for me.
57.-- (RB)Rxh5+
TJ offered to resign here, but we agreed to play on - just in case something really weird happens.
58.(QQ)Ke6 (QP)Qxd4 0-1
But now TJ did resign as Black must win - a game of fluctuating fortunes.
*I am using 'piece' in its non-technical sense to include pawns.
