Three-Person Chess

Three-Person Chess is a chess variant designed by Sheldon. It utilizes a non-standard, three-sided board with transitional quadrilateral to triangular tessellation to solve the balanced centre combat-area problem, additional (or fairy) pieces, and different rules for capture, move order, and game objective, etc.

Initially, Sheldon invented two new chess pieces: the serpent and the old woman. When the serpent slithers to an opposing player’s piece, that piece is considered poisoned and will die after two more moves. Unless, it gets to the old woman in time, in which case she sucks out the poison, turning her into the Grand Empress, a piece combining the power of the knight, queen and serpent. Sheldon plays this version with imaginary replicas of himself.

Later, he wondered if he should add a third new chess piece: Prince Joey, the King’s feeble-minded but well-meaning cousin. The fun thing about Prince Joey is every time he moves, there’s a one-in-five chance he’ll kill himself.

The final revised game is played by Sheldon, Leonard, and Howard, while Raj waits to play the two victors. In this match, Sheldon employs a catapult to fling his bishop to Howard’s Queen’s Gorilla two. Howard then moves his rook to a transporter pad and comes out at Leonard’s Queen’s Bishop five-and-a-third, placing Leonard in check. After Leonard inquires when a pawn is allowed to use the golf cart (to which Sheldon informs him when it’s done charging or you land on the time machine), Leonard moves his Beekeeper to King 12, capturing Sheldon's Pope and releasing a swarm for a checkmate on Sheldon. Disappointed, Sheldon wishes he had given his Pope a jet pack. (The Wildebeest Implementation)