The basic setup of the orginal, for those who haven't played it: There is an 8x8 grid, with 32 pieces on it, representing two kingdoms at war. Each piece has a specific way of moving, and the two players take turns, moving one piece of their choice each turn. The winner is he who captures the enemy's king first.

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Kung Fu Chess

You would think that this rule change would eliminate the strategy element of the game, and watching two people play, or playing yourself, would seem to verify that for the inexperienced. But after you gain some skill in it, you'll see that there is a great difference between the new player and the master, just as in the original Chess. The gameplay involves many of the same elements as Chess, but each with a real-time twist. Openings now don't hinge so much on what the opponent does, so you can choose a favorite opening and stick with it. Since you can move many pieces at once, combinations can now be done in a venus-fly trap snapping manner (for example, taking a piece in an exchange and then quickly protecting your capturing piece with a pawn to prevent easy recapture.

There are also other atmospheric touches: the music and kung-fu sound effects, the belt ranking system, the animal-faced avatars, speed and recharge time settings adjustment, and a 4-player mode.

Final judgement: I recommend this game to anyone familiar with Chess and looking for a faster alternative (Kung Fu Chess games often are over within 2 minutes, traditional Chess games can take hours or days). Note: I often play it in the morning, eastern time, so you may be able to catch me there for a few games.

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A Sample Game

Starting a game. Harlock taunts the opponent and starts off his opening with the King's Rook's Pawn.

Harlock's opening is in place, as is my own. Notice the yellow bars under each piece: that is their recharge time; they can move again when the yellow is gone. Also notice that my opening moved pieces other than pawns, whereas Harlock foolishly tries to attack without their invaluable aid.

The result is that Harlock has now lost most of his pieces and is in retreat. He controls the center of the board with his pawns, but that does him no good if he lacks means to promote a new Queen.

Game accomplished.