Stealth Chess

Hey PH 👋 I'm excited to hunt Stealth Chess today! I was introduced to Stealth Chess through a friend and then had the pleasure of meeting maker, Chester Aldridge, who's based in the Bay Area and publishes the game under his game designer name, Mr. Chester. Stealth Chess is basically a cross between classical chess and Stratego. So if you enjoy chess, Stratego, poker, or strategy games in general, you're going to enjoy Stealth Chess. I'm intrigued by the 30-year history of the game; the nostalgic, late-90s artwork by legendary artist, Gary Riddell, that is now as contemporary as it is classic; the fact that the game was once protected under US patent; the quality of the game board and pieces; that it's a physical board game; the evergreen-ness about it and the idea that it is being relaunched after so long; and really the whole premise. Play is really quite simple: set up your 16 pieces (all the same pieces as classical chess) in any way you want in the first two rows on your side of the board. The kicker: your pieces are always hidden to your opponent. But because the pieces move like classical chess, you can (try to) learn your opponent's pieces as the game progresses. There's no check or checkmate–the goal of the game is to capture your opponent's King. Mr. Chester says all of this levels the playing–or rather, battlefield–meaning, you don't have to be an expert at chess to win against someone who is, let alone have fun playing. Gameplay lasts, on average, 30 minutes. It's made to be played by 2 players and the recommended age is 8+. Mr. Chester says he has big plans to expand his kingdom. He views Stealth Chess more as a platform than a one-off game. In the future, expect reskins of different eras and kingdoms, limited release pieces, licensing with major studios, as well as web, iOS, Android, and AR/VR apps (Vision Pro anyone?). For now, a limited number of physical board games have been made and will be dropped on Dropday (see the link above) starting today, Halloween 🎃, at 7 AM Pacific to US-based customers, and run through November 6. If you're reading this before 7 AM Pacific on October 31, there's a waitlist you can join on the drop page that automatically puts you in the drop when it goes live. The price is $59.99 with free shipping. There are plans to expand availability to other countries in the coming months.

Thanks, @rueter! I'm really excited to be re-launching Stealth Chess to the community here on Product Hunt. Bringing Stealth Chess back has been a long time coming. There is so much work to still do, but it's a great feeling to have the game in circulation after so many years.

So interesting!!!

Is that digital or are those physical pieces? It looks hella real so if it is digital then wow, that is next level.

great !

The potential for Stealth Chess as a platform is fascinating. Reskins, limited releases, and the prospect of web, mobile, and AR/VR versions sound promising.

WOW! Congrats on your launch