Lego Chess
{{short description|1998 video game}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Lego Chess
| image = Lego Chess.jpg
| caption = Cover art of Lego Chess
| developer = Krisalis Software
| publisher = Lego Media
| engine =
| platforms = Microsoft Windows
| released = 11 November 1998{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_70_December_1998/page/n25/mode/2up |title=Shorts: Lego Chess |magazine=PC Zone |publisher=Dennis Publishing |issue=70 |date=December 1998 |page=26 |accessdate=20 March 2022}}
| modes = Single-player, multiplayer
| director = Andrew Ware
| producer = Dave Upchurch
| designer = Jeff Rollason
| programmer = Graeme Richardson
| artist = {{ubl|Rob Richardson|Phillip Hackney|Paul Dobson}}
| composer = {{ubl|David R. Punshon|Richard Wells}}
}}
Lego Chess is a Lego-themed, chess-based strategy video game developed by Krisalis Software, published by Lego Media, and released for Microsoft Windows in 1998.
Gameplay
The rules of the game can be changed to cater to many popular variations, though the most common rules of chess are the default rules. During a game, clicking on a piece will show the available places to move to. If a piece is captured, a short video plays showing the captured character being caught, with each different capture having its own video clip. These clips are rarely related to chess. Because each individual piece has a set of separate video clips for catching an opposing piece, there are 60 clips in total.
= Story mode =
In story mode, the player can pick either a western or pirates theme.{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/stream/PCPowerplay-035-1999-04#page/n101/mode/2up |title=Hey! Lego my arm! |magazine=PC Powerplay |issue=35 |date=April 1999 |accessdate=22 October 2017}}{{Cite web |last=Hitchcock |first=John Alexander |date=2022-02-23 |title=5 Classic LEGO Games That Deserve a Reboot |url=https://gamerant.com/best-classic-lego-games-deserve-reboot/ |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=Game Rant |language=en}} After selecting the theme, a three-round chess tournament against the AI opponent begins, with each round featuring a more difficult AI opponent, up to 75% at the third round. When starting a round, a story cutscene plays. In the western theme, a sheriff sets out to capture three bank robbers, and in the pirate theme, a colonial navy officer races against a pirate captain to find buried treasure. At the end of a round, another cutscene plays, depending on whether the player won or lost. Once a full story is completed, a printable certificate is rewarded. The story mode takes around an hour to complete.{{Cite web |title=LEGO Chess |url=https://www.ign.com/games/lego-chess |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=IGN |language=en}}
= Tutorial mode =
The tutorial mode teaches how to play chess, from the basics of movement for the different pieces, to advanced playing techniques. The player is taught by the "Chess King", a king minifigure with an Elvis Presley-esque voice who commands an army represented on the board by the white pieces. The Chess King slightly modernizes the explanations of the pieces. For example, it is said that the reason knights can jump over other pieces is that they ride BMX Motor Bikes. The King on his throne was also a Lego set, packaged with the first release of the game.
= Versus mode =
In this mode, the player can choose the difficulty of the game when playing against the AI opponent. Multi-player mode can also be selected here. Alternatively, the player can watch a simulated game between AI players. In addition, a third, traditional chess set (though still constructed from Lego bricks) can be chosen, and all three sets can be mixed (pirates playing against western, for example), but animations for capturing pieces are disabled when playing with mixed sets. Players can also remove or add pieces from gameplay before or during the game.
Reception
{{Expand section|date=December 2018}}
Lego Chess received favourable reviews from game critics, stating its creative way of using Lego pieces as a "fun" and "entertaining" way of playing chess. Other reviews were not as positive, due to the bland style of the cutscenes and claims that cutscenes featuring the tribal drum noise were "creepy".{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}