Star Wars Chess

This article is about a chess video game with a Star Wars theme. For the Star Wars chess-like game sometimes described as the "chess of Star Wars", see dejarik.

Star Wars Chess is a 1993 chess-playing video game developed by The Software Toolworks, based on the Star Wars film franchise and published by Mindscape for DOS, Sega CD and Windows 3.x. A 3DO Interactive Multiplayer version was planned but never released.^[1]

Star Wars Chess
Developer(s)	The Software Toolworks
Publisher(s)	Mindscape
Platform(s)	DOS, Windows 3.x, Sega CD
Release	1993 (DOS) November 1994 (Microsoft Windows)
Genre(s)	Chess
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

The game uses characters from the films in lieu of normal chess pieces, and a short animated battle takes place when a piece is taken, much like in the similar game Battle Chess (which itself was inspired by the holographic chess game shown in Star Wars.

Reception

Computer Gaming World concluded that T2 Chess Wars and Star Wars Chess "are examples of marketing at its best (or worst, depending on your point of view)".^[2]

Mega Magazine giving Star Wars Chess a 60 percent rating stating “The chances are that if you take your chess at all seriously, you wouldn’t really enjoy this.”^[3]

In 1996, Computer Gaming World declared Star Wars Chess the 49th-worst computer game ever released stating: “Proof that there really is no intelligent life (or AI) even in a galaxy far, far away”.^[4]

GamePro magazine however praised the game's action scenes, sound, detailed animation and stating "Chess purists and Star Wars purists alike will enjoy this one. Most impressive!"^[5]