A variant of chess thought to have been played as early as the 11th century in Europe, and even earlier in India and Burma, dice chess involves rolling dice to determine which pieces you are allowed to move. 1 for a pawn, 2 for a knight, and so on.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme/ The Trustees of the British Museum [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

It’s one of the chess variants that gives you the satisfaction of actually being able to capture your opponent’s king, rather than just winning as soon as a capture is inevitable.

• Dice chess

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The Generalist

I live in Auckland, New Zealand, and am curious about most things.