Paco Sako

Arrived more quickly than expected and far cheaper than I'd seen elsewhere. The board had some slight indentations where some pieces had pressed into it during shipping. Doesn't affect playability, though the indentations are on the top side of the board. The pieces come bagged, but the board is a quarter-fold cardboard tournament-size board that doesn't fit in the bag; a worthy upgrade to ditch the box and make this more portable would be a silicone tournament-size mat (several options are available; the stock board is a roughly 20" class, and while the pieces will fit - barely - on a 16" board, I'd opt for a larger size to get those roomier 2"-2.25" squares). The pieces can be used to play ordinary chess, though the informal mechanic of turning rooks upside down as queens isn't possible here given the unique piece styling. However, the real point and value of the set is in playing the named game. Paco Sako is billed as a chess variant, but while piece movement and about 95% of the rules of the game are identical to Western chess, the difference in the feel of the game becomes clear before you've even finished the opening. The "union" mechanic replacing traditional captures basically means that each piece gets one capture; once two pieces are "dancing" or "hugging" on one square (as the uniquely-styled pieces are designed to visualize), that piece cannot make a further capturing move. The combined piece *can* still move, and in fact each player can move the joined piece by the rules of their color piece (so if the white queen takes the black knight, the combined piece can still move as a queen by White and a knight by Black), but the joined piece cannot capture any other piece. Instead, a "solo" piece of the player's color must capture the union, which frees the piece of that player's color that was previously in the union, and allows that piece (and player) an extra move with the newly-freed piece. This can feel limiting at first, as the board stays fairly congested, even more so when unioned pieces are positioned to "threaten" each other but really can do nothing to each other. However, the "cutting in" of an unjoined piece creates a move-chaining mechanic not seen in vanilla chess, allowing a player to strike in unexpected ways. You can think you're totally safe, with all nearby or otherwise-threatening pieces unioned and unable to actually check ("Sako") your king, then your opponent chains four captures starting from a pawn in a completely unrelated corner of the board, and voila, your king is dancing with the Black Knight. It's a very interesting game that takes a different look at traditional chess, transforming the abstracted event of the game from a battle to a ballroom. Instead of two opposing armies slugging it out, picture the two kings' courts meeting in a more diplomatic venue, neutral territory, with a grand welcoming ball to break the ice. The sides start as wallflowers, avoiding each other, not wanting to be stuck with the wrong partner for the evening, and playing very political moves to "save" their brethren from an unappealing dance card. The player who is first to coerce a dance with the opposing king has the king's ear for the evening, plead their side and gain an advantage in the relations between the two nations.

I almost didn't quite know what to expect when I came across Pako Ŝako, but I was so intrigued that I bought a set to be able to experience it for myself. This game certainly lives up to its moniker as "peace chess," as pieces never leave the board as a result of a capture; instead, the capturing and captured pieces unite as one, both players retaining control of the unified piece, but still controlling it based on the movement of their own color. Thus, you never know whether a piece you're planning on moving is going to instead be moved by your opponent before you get a chance to. Another interesting aspect of the game is the concept of chain reactions, where pieces participate in a ballet of embraces and disengagement, one after the other, in a carefully choreographed flurry of movement that can really turn traditional chess strategy on its head. Word of caution: this game DOES have a learning curve that even experienced chess players will need to spend some time with. Watch videos. Read the manual and online reviews thoroughly. Practice. Experiment. Expect to be frustrated until this new way of doing things really begins to sink in, and be patient enough to understand that it WILL. A plastic set does not need to be a cheap, poor quality one, and this set does not disappoint. I was honestly expecting joined pieces to physically join together, rather than simply being shaped to "coexist" directly beside each other, but that was only my misconception, and, now that I've played the game, I can see how physical interlocking would be a huge impediment to playing the game. Such joined pieces do need to be moved as two separate pieces which happen to be in close proximity, as opposed to one physically connected piece, but, as I said, once you experience the game for yourself you'll understand why it's much better to have the two pieces completely detached from each other once those chain reactions start taking place. This is a game of chess with an enormously creative twist, and one I highly recommend for all chess players of any skill level. Be patient and you WILL be rewarded.

I wish there would be a version of this to play mobile

Priced right for quality. Good to use while learning to play.

This is an amazing entry into the growing range of chess variants. Its pieces are somewhat similar to those for the game Chess Plus, but handle far better and look nicer to boot. (Indeed, with these you can also play by the rules for Chess Plus (like color only pieces combine into one), so it’s kind of two games in one. Box and pieces are very well made. Board is so-so. My only complaint is the pieces are too light and prone to tipping over. Fortunately, they are hollow at the bottom, so I plan to use some epoxy mixed with metal shavings to add some ballast, then cap with felt. The game itself is fascinating, quite challenging, but unlike standard chess it has a REALLY fast and exciting endgame, rather than the usual slow slog across the board when only a few pieces remain (because, though pieces may combine into a single piece - none are ever removed from the board). Also: I suspect this chess variant will make play between players of vastly different abilities (parents & children, for instance) more enjoyable — simply because, even if you don’t win, the weirdly wild and unexpected patterns that emerge from all the recombinatory possibilities are highly entertaining in themselves, even though they may not all lead you to victory. Buy it!

Such a cool game! If you love chess and want to bring it up a notch, definitely check put Paco Sako. A fun, new twist for any avid chess player!

I'm 12 years old and my mom bought this for me, because it's fun, unique, different, and the creativity is really interesting! It would be a challenge to the objective of the game. It also let's you think more often.

An elegant redesign of chess pieces well worth the investment. Individual pieces are easy to identify and intuitive to play with by the usual rules. The magic happens when playing by the Paco Sako rules where pieces dance with the opposing team to try to access the king for a dance. The pieces could also be used to play Chess+ (Another company's variant) where pieces combine with their own team, but not with the king.