MD+F Laser Instructions (Advanced Laser Chess)

The Playing Field

Advanced Laser Chess is played on a 15 by 11 board. The Red and Green players start on opposite sides of the board with the Red player making the first move.

Game Play and Turns

In Laser Chess, players taker turns playing and may make up to three moves per turn. Each of the following counts as one turn:

- Moving a piece one square up, down, left, or right. You can move pieces diagonally if their path is not blocked and if you have the two turns necessary to make such a move.
- Firing the Laser piece. You can fire the laser only once per turn.
- Rotating a piece. If a piece is rotate-able, you can rotate it in 45 degree angles.

You can use your turns to capture other pieces by stomping over them; when using the King or a Block. You can teleport pieces by stepping into their square with the Hypercube. You can rotate the Laser or mirrored pieces to position them for offensive or defensive plays. Or you can fire the Laser, attempting to vaporize enemy pieces.

In order to play the game effectively, you should study and practice with each piece.

The Pieces

	The King is the most important piece in the game. When the king is eliminated, the other player wins the game. Since it has no reflective surfaces, it can be destroyed by a laser beam from any angle. It can also be captured by an opposing piece. It is not totally defenseless however. It can capture any opposing piece by moving onto its square. But it can capture only once per turn.
	The Laser is the second most important piece in the game and serves as your primary offensive weapon. To use it, rotate it in the direction you want and fire. Like all rotate-able pieces in the game, it can be rotated in 45 degree turns. Since the laser has no reflective surfaces and it can not capture opposing pieces, the laser is the most defenseless item you have. You should protect your lasers well since they are essential in a winning game.
	The Stunner is the next most important piece in the game after the Laser and helps you destroy objects protected with mirrors as long as they have a non-protected side. To use it, rotate it in the direction you want and fire. When a stun beam hits a non-reflective surface, it causes that piece to be stunned. This makes reflective surfaces on the stunned piece vulnerable to Laser's beam. Stunned pieces remain stunned for a random amount of time (about 75% chance per turn) so they should be attacked soon after being fired upon.
	The Oneway Mirror is a great companion for the laser and stunner. When they fire a beam, there is always the chance of the beam bouncing back, either because of it hitting a straight mirror, going through a splitter, or being redirected using a Hypercube. Normally this leads to the destruction or stunning of the piece firing but with a oneway mirror in front of it the Laser and Stunner remain safe.
	The Bomb is a piece that deserves respect. You can destroy the bomb and any piece in the surrounding squares by firing into one of the four entry points it has or you can destroy it by firing at it outer shell. You should keep this piece protected from enemy laser fire or if not possible, rotate it so it will vaporize instead of detonate if fired on. And a bomb is the piece that can cause the most damage if you get a lucky teleport. A Bomb can also be used by the Stunner to stun pieces surrounding it.
	The Hypercube is a very unique piece. When attacked, it can be captures like any other piece. When fired upon, it will redirect the laser beam in a random direction. And should you use it on other pieces, it will teleport them to a random location, rotated in a random direction. This can make you very lucky just as easily as it can cost you the teleported piece. The Hypercube can teleport only once per turn.
	The Beam Splitter is the only piece in the game that can create (by splitting) laser beams. When a laser beam hits the splitter at its vertex (the point joining the mirrors) the beam will split in both directions. When struck at 90 degree angles to the piece, the beam will be rotate 90 degrees and exit through the vertex. The back side of the Beam Splitter is exposed and it can be destroyed if struck there. The beam splitter will not effect laser fire which travels along its mirrored surfaces.
	The Stomper (Block) is both an offensive and defensive piece. Like the king, a block can capture any opposing piece by moving onto that piece's square. And with mirror protection on three sides, blocks can be used to bounce back laser beams fired at them. A block can capture only once per turn.
	The Mirrored Stomper (Mirrored Block) is a much more dangerous version of the standard block. It is a perfect defensive piece: It is fully protected against laser beams and it only bounces laser beams back to the source, making it useless to an enemy talented with the Laser. It is also a very capable offensive piece since only the king, other blocks, a bomb, or a hyper can attack it. To many players, this block is as important as the lasers.
	The Triangular Mirror is similar to the diagonal mirror with one exception: It has one side which is useful and one side (the triangle side) which can be destroyed by laser beams.
	The Hyper Hole does not belong to any player. It resided in the middle of the board and effects both laser beams and player game pieces. When a laser beam enters a hyper hole, it is absorbed, making a natural shield out of it. When stepped on, it will act just as a Hypercube would, teleporting the piece to a random location, facing in a random direction.
	The Hole also does not belong to any player. It is simply impassible, making any piece that steps into its square to disappear from the game.

Game Strategy

If you are new to Laser Chess and would like to learn the game, we have the following suggestions:

- If you know a Laser Chess player, ask them to show you the game. Nothing beats this!

- Read the piece information above and start two Laser Chess games. This way, you can play as both Red and Green and you can experiment with how the pieces work. Then, find someone who is also new to Laser Chess and try to learn the game together. It is not that hard and most people love it once they play it. This is why this 15 year old game is still so popular!

- Always use the first few turns to setup a defensive position. Here is what a game in progress looks like, with one of the Green player's lasers firing: