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Martian Chess

Martian Chess

Looney Labs · 1995
2–420 min8+ yrs2.4/5 complexity6.5 BGG#7.219 BGG872Strategy
short answer

How do you play Martian Chess?

Martian Chess is a 2-4 player game that uses Icehouse pieces, requiring one stash per player, and a chessboard. It was one of the games included in Icehouse: The Martian Chess Set and Pyramid Arcade.

To find the best price for Martian Chess, howtoplay.ro compares deals from Romanian shops every day.

Martian Chess box art
official art · Looney Labs

Martian Chess is a 2-4 player game that uses Icehouse pieces, requiring one stash per player, and a chessboard. It was one of the games included in Icehouse: The Martian Chess Set and Pyramid Arcade.

Much like its namesake, Martian Chess is a game of capturing pieces. Like Chess, Martian Chess is turn based, and played on a chessboard. In both games, players move and capture individual pieces, and each type of piece has distinct moving rules.

However, Martian Chess differs from Chess in critical ways:

 Piece ownership is determined not by color but by location.
 Instead of capturing a specific piece, winning is determined by points, making it possible to force the end of the game and still win with no pieces left in that player's control.
 Lastly, Martian Chess easily supports 4 players as well as two, and can also be played with 3, 5 or 6 players if you use geomorphic chessboard sections; see this photo for an example.
game anatomy
Complexity2.4 / 5
BGG rating6.5 / 10
Vibe
Strategy
Language dependence
No in-game text needed
🌐 plays without English
Play time
20 min
Players
2–4
Recommended age
8+ yrs
BGG rank
#7.219
from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1How much does Martian Chess cost?
No store is currently tracking Martian Chess. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q2Where can I buy Martian Chess cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q3How do you play Martian Chess?
Martian Chess is a abstract strategy game, for 2–4 players, taking ~20 minutes, featuring grid movement. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Martian Chess — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q4How many players does Martian Chess support?
Martian Chess is played by 2–4 players.
Q5How long does a game of Martian Chess take?
A game of Martian Chess takes about 20 minutes. (The first game doesn't count. It never counts.)
Q6What age is Martian Chess for?
Martian Chess is recommended from age 8.
Q7How complex is Martian Chess?
Martian Chess has a BoardGameGeek complexity of 2.4 out of 5.
Mechanics & categories

Expansions

Accessories

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