It is the purpose of this book to acquaint you with 3-D Chess and teach you how to play the game. It is also hoped that you will discover that 3-D Chess is not complicated as it sounds or as complicated as you have probably heard.
Because very little is known about the game by the general public, 3-D Chess is thought to be a very complicated game when in fact it is not. Instead, it is quite an easy game to play once you learn the rules. Like regular chess, you must learn strategy. There are, of course, people who feel chess in general is for the “Brains”, and they do not consider themselves “Brains”. This is not true. The sad thing is that it is the chess player who thinks that 3-D Chess is the next step up from regular chess. After having been explained the basics, they see that it really isn’t that complicated. Therefore, it is the purpose of this book to dispel all rumors about the game of 3-D Chess by teaching you how to play the game.
Basically, when playing 3-D Chess, you will be using the rules of regular chess verbatim, and these rules are expounded upon so that the pieces move to their maximum capabilities. You will see after learning the fundamentals that not one rule of regulation chess has been broken.
When playing 3-D Chess, you are not playing more than one game; however, you do play on more than one level. By playing on more than one level, you play a game that has depth, which is what the third dimension really is, length, width and depth. A standard set of chessmen is used with the game, 16 men on a side: 8 pawns, 1 King, 1 Queen, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights and 2 Rooks.
It is also the intention of this book to create a standard set of rules for 3-D Chess. Before this game came on the market in 1967, there were as many different sets and versions of rules to the game of 3-D Chess as there were people who played it.
3-D Chess has been in existence for many years but seldom seen or played by the general public mainly because of its complexities. Reasons for the complexities in the United State’s versions were because everyone thought that because it was 3-D Chess, it had to be complicated so they created the complexed rules.
Dimensional Games, Inc. was previously known as 3-D Chess, Inc. when the author lived in Florida. It was founded by the author after developing and marketing the first really playable game of 3-D Chess. It is this game that is looked upon as the official 3-D Chess game and is playable by everyone capable of learning games of strategy which is what chess is all about. It is also this game that is recognized as the first 3-D Chess game placed on the commercial market.