Chess Variants (idea)

This node has done an excellent job of detailing most of the variants of intellectual chess play. There is however one variant that is missed. It adds an edge to any chess game and can inject a heavy dose of mirth and merriment into an otherwise somber game. That variant is Cocktail Chess!

OK, so I admit that I got the idea from walking through a Restoration Hardware store the other day, but there is no reason to give your hard-earned cash to a yuppie store when you can easily assemble your own Cocktail Chess board. You'll need a rather large board; paper is the most obvious choice as it's easy to draw squares on and you can throw it away if you spill to much of the game contents on the board.

Easy enough. Just get all of the same small glasses for the pawns, and then unique pairs for the rook, knight and bishop characters. Lastly, the king and queen should be as unique and ornate as you can find. Depending on your libation of choice, you may want to use shot glasses for all the pieces, but at the very least they make good pawns. Fill up all the pieces and you're ready to get drunk... err, I mean, play chess!

Like most drinking games, the actual play of the game is wide-open to personal interpretation. Depending on if you view the imbibing of a piece as a punishment or reward, the drink can be given to the attacker or defender when a piece is taken. If the attacker has to drink for every piece taken, the game creates a natural handicap for the more skilled player, as they are going to get drunk faster.

Feel free to add as many variations as the game can sustain.

• Is someone bitching out and not taking their requisite drink? Pound that drink for them and institute a penalty where you get to bring one of your players back to life. Be sure to fill them up with game-juice.



• Use different amounts or just plain different alcohols for different pieces. Soon you'll begin to identify the bishop with red wine and the knight with a frosty ale. Put the best drink in the queen as a further reward for taking the coveted most-powerful piece.



• At every check, when someone castles, or when a pawn makes it across the board, it's drinks for everyone! Enjoy a round before continuing play. Beaten in 5 moves or less? Pound all remaining pawns before the next game. I'll let you decide what to do at the moment of checkmate.