Solitaire Chess (Review)

Do you like logic games? Would you like your child to learn to play chess? Solitaire Chess is a unique mix of both.

 

The Timberdoodle Company sent us the Solitaire Chess game to try out. The board is a grid of 16 squares.  The game includes 60 puzzles and 10 chess pieces. The chess pieces move according to the usual chess rules, but every move must involve a capture. To play, the pieces are placed as indicated by the game card. The object is to remove all but one piece. The recommended age range is 8 to adult.

Our Thoughts:

1. Our first challenge was simply to remove the game from the box! It took 20 minutes to conquer this task. The cards are conveniently stored in a compartment under the chess board. However, they fit tightly and while they were still wrapped in plastic, were almost impossible to  remove. I wish I’d taken a picture, because it was rather amusing to see us attacking the game with scissors, knife, and screwdriver!

2. Emily (10) really enjoyed the game itself. First, I had to teach her the chess moves for each piece.  Once she had them mastered, she started working through the puzzles. The first few puzzles were very easy. I appreciated that, because it gave her confidence and experience in how to attack each challenge. The intermediate challenges start becoming trickier and can require considerable logic and trial and error to solve. I’m enjoying figuring out the puzzles too!

3. Emily says Solitaire Chess is “fun, challenging, and helps the mind.”  She thinks she’s ready to start playing “real chess.” It will be interesting to see how well the logic challenge of Solitaire Chess prepares her for the thinking challenge of traditional chess.

Timberdoodle  Co. sells a large variety of family and educational games. We own quite a few of them ourselves!

Timberdoodle Co. is currently running a giveaway every day on their facebook page through next Tuesday.

I received Solitaire Chess from Timberdoodle Co. as part of their . Blogger Review Team. All opinions are my own.