http://english.pravda.ru/science/19/94/377/15586_chess.html
Russian inventor designs chessboard suitable for three players at once
06/03/2005 10:18
Chess pieces sit on three sides of the board
He has been dreaming of building a chessboard for three players ever
since he was a boy. He was always unhappy about a situation when only two
people could play chess. But three was always a crowd for this game. Mr.
Kononov eventually made his dream come true.
He is a radio engineer by profession. He was involved in serious projects
working in that field for many years. He came up with lots of ideas. He was
part of a team that designed an aircraft driven by solar energy, it was
reportedly capable of flying nonstop around the globe.
Having realized that he might spend a lifetime checking calculations and
getting his plans off the ground, he focused on his old dream of a chessboard
for three players.
A wastepaper basket in his office stayed filled to the brim with concepts
and ideas he had to reject while searching for the right design. Finally, he
came up with a chessboard resembling a cloverleaf. Chess pieces sit on three
sides of the board. Alexander showed the invention to his dad, a chess
aficionado. As he watched Alexander arranging neatly three kings on the same
board, his dad could not find the words to express his admiration. Then he
gasped out: "This is a masterpiece!" Alexander, his son and his dad quickly sat
down and put the new chessboard to the test. An extra set of chess pieces on
the chessboard are painted in bright color(blue or pink) to avoid confusion.
Alexander took a patent for his invention from Rospatent. He also
registered his three-way chessboard with the State Register of Useful Models of
Russia. He says the rules of the game equal those of traditional chess. Pieces
can also move along a broken line thanks to design of the chessboard. The game
keeps every participant pretty strung right till the end. A smart player can
win even when his chances are really slim and he has only four pawns and a king
on his side. But he can win by taking advantage of the position of pieces of
his both opponents, according to Mr. Kononov. He admits that a regular game of
chess seems pretty boring and easy after playing a chess game for three.
Alexander lives in a Russian town of Penza. Many residents of the town
took up the new game with enthusiasm. The first Russian three-way chess
tournament was held in Penza. Kids from three local schools took part in the
tournament. Now Mr. Kononov is dreaming of launching an All-Russian tournament.
Read the original in Russian: (Translated by: Guerman Grachev)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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