Home Education Magazine
November-December 1998
Rebecca Rupp
Tonasket, WA
USA

Bosworth, "The Game You Already Know How to Play," is a bright-green board game which you already know how to play if you have an elementary grasp of chess. The name comes from the historic Battle of Bosworth, last gasp of the Wars of Roses, in which Henry Tudor (soon to be Henry VII) soundly defeated Richard III, thus starting a whole new chapter in British history. Modern-day players enter the action from one of four "field camps," positioned on each side of the 16-square playing board. Each player is armed with a pack of illustrated cards, consisting of a King, Queen, 2 bishops, 2 Rooks, 2 Knights, and 8 Pawns. The cards are moved across the playing board just like the chess pieces they represent. (The Bishops, for example, move diagonally in any direction for any distance they like.)

Unlike chess, however, there's no checkmate: Players can go right ahead and capture an opponent's King, thus eliminating his entire kingdom and winning the game.

Bosworth, the game, is much more upbeat than its historical namesake. Illustrations are zanily cheerful: The Queen has straight shaggy bangs, the pop-eyed Knights ride hobby horses, and the Pawns are puppy dogs in oversized helmets.

The game is fast, friendly, and fun, and provides all the mathematical benefits of chess at a shorter, simpler level. Each game lasts about 20 to 30 minutes. For 2 to 4 players aged 8 and up.

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