Chess for the Revolutionary War Enthusiast

The American Revolution Chess Set

Love chess? Chess is one of my all-time favorite games - a rich, classy game centered on skill and strategy. If you're in the market for a cool chess set, there are many unique chess sets to make any history lover drool. From the classic, can't-go-wrong medieval chess set to The Civil War Chess Set (which I fell in love with as a young boy) to chess sets featuring dragons and wizards and, of course, to a chess set that honors the most important period in American history (the Revolutionary War), there are plenty of options available.

Revolutionary War enthusiasts will of course enjoy simply playing chess on a Revolutionary War chess set, but there are "get your history on" while playing the greatest board game the world has ever played. Here are a couple...

Teach Your Kid the American Revolution and How to Play Chess at the Same Time!

If you're a parent, a great way to use The American Revolution Chess Set is to ask history questions before allowing any moves. When I taught high school history, I would often do review games in class. One of my standbys was to divide the class into two halves in a Tic-Tac-Toe competition. I'd throw out a question and the students on each side (either as individuals in turn or as a group) would need to answer the question before putting their X or O on the board. The games were fun and it helped the students remember what they had learned. You can do something quite similar with The American Revolution Chess Set.

If your child is older, then you each would make a list of questions for the other player to answer before they can move a piece -- or before they can capture a piece. If your child is younger, then you make the list of questions and, to keep things fair, you can let your child know exactly what you're planning to do game-wise (so there are no surprises for him or her) or you can give him or her the opportunity to move twice in a row (provided of course they answer the questions).

Battle of Revolutionary War History Buffs

If you're playing against a fellow history buff, what you can do is (after playing a regular, standard game naturally) make a list of 10 questions about the Revolutionary War for your opponent to answer. Your opponent will do the same. For each question answered correctly, you get a point. Tabulate your score. Now, when it comes to the game itself, you don't automatically get a queen when you advance your pawn to your opponent's back row. Instead, you assign a point value to each power piece: 10 for queen, 8 for rook, 6 for bishop or knight, and so on. When you get your pawn to your opponent's back row, you have however many points you earned in the Revolutionary War quiz to work with. If you got all 10 questions, you get a queen. If not, well...you get the idea.

These are some cool ways to enjoy the classic game of chess while also testing your knowledge of the American Revolution. Feel free to add any other ideas in the comments.