star trek tng 3d chess

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The Franklin Mint 3D Star Trek Next Generation Chess Set TNG

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Released in 1995 Complete set from Franklin Mint. Unlike the relatively easy to find Blue and Clear 3D FM set, this Next Generation (TNG) set is nearly impossible to locate. New set comes with carton box, styrofoam protective shell and paperwork, COA (certificate of authentication), the main board and 6 attacking boards, box with 32 pieces.

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3D chess from Star Trek

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According to the the World Tri Dimensional Chess Federation's rules , the starting positions illustrated here are quite correct. As they were originally created by a military fighter pilot, to help teach aerial combat tactics, in a three dimensional space, aren't they more pertinent to the original idea of 3D chess in Star Trek?

Franz Joseph admitted he wasn't really a chess player, so the Bartmess starting positions lack any real integrity.

I'd be interested in anyone else's thoughts on this.

Thanks for the information. I looked through the scenes in these two episodes, and I found the Gothic set in "The Naked Time," but I could not find any scene with 3D Chess in "Day of the Dove." Curiously, both episodes had Sulu wielding a sword.

Hi There! Ganine's Gothic chess pieces were indeed used on the original series. You can see them in The Naked Time, and Day of the Dove. I believe there may be other instances. I can tell you that Star Trek Continues would never have use Chess pieces that were not authentic. Loved your article. - Doug Drexler

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Star Trek Tridimensional Chess Set

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Estimated delivery date: Sep 07 - Sep 11

PRODUCT DETAILS

Enter an intergalactic chess expedition with the official Star Trek Tridimensional Chess Set. The authentic prop replica of the iconic Tridimensional Chess Set, as seen on Star Trek: The Original Series, includes 32 die-cast pieces that measure approximately 1.5 inches tall. The officially authorized recreation of the iconic game measures approximately 13 inches tall and features translucent acrylic game boards.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

• Includes: 32 retro die-cast pieces, sleek three-dimensional playing board, and gameplay instructions.
• Authentic Recreation: Officially authorized recreation of the iconic game seen in Star Trek: The Original Series.

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Star Trek 3D Chess Set - Build, & Finished

• Thread starter Alan Castillo
• Start date Nov 17, 2011

Alan Castillo

Master member.

• Nov 17, 2011

Michael Bergeron

Legendary member.

That looks great! Always wanted one of those!  

Very creative! Do you know how to play it? lol!  

Spock and Data request coordinates for Beam-Down!  

You did an outstanding job. This is a great prop--looks like it was gratifying to make. I also really like that it's an affordable prop to create--and you showed 'progress' shots. I'll bet you inspire at least a few folk around here to take on a new DIY project. Nice work. The small chess pieces you chose look good too.  

Great build! Especially your work with the acrylic (which I always manage to mess up...) It came out looking perfect.  

Angelus Lupus

Tried one of these years back, may have to give it another go. Nice work.  

That's really awesome work!  

you made it look to easy, with only 6 progress photo's makes it seem like you whipped it up during lunch looks great though, and i didnt know there was different rules for it, i thought it just had different levels to make it look more confusing, spock always made it look simply though  

Very cool piece, great job :thumbsup  

Neat! Very clean build.  

YenChih Lin

• Nov 18, 2011

nice, any dimensions for those, who also want to tackle it?  

25 inches tall? No wonder my Franklin Mint one I shelled out for back when I had money always felt too small (it's only 13"). Inevitably when playing, someone would reach for a piece in the middle of a large board and knock the small board while trying to squeeze their hand underneath. At least it came with a set of rules, though. OK, actually it didn't, I complained, they sent the TOS booklet in German! - I'd bought he TNG board- complained, eventually got the right booklet. BTW I used the exact same mask-and-spray-silver technique (should be able to re-use those boards) together with what looks like the same clear and frosted glass chess set.  

• Dec 19, 2011

That looks great! Very nice job. Incidentally there was once a clear acrylic plate that fit into the hole in the base, with an insignia "etched" on it. Most of the "etched glass" on the show was also paint on plexiglas, like the windows in the doors leading into Ten-Forward.  

Awesome work! and I love your display area.....  

darthgordon

That turned out great. I'm actually surprised that there aren't more replicas of these boards out there. I thought it would be a pretty popular prop.  

Roger Ramjet

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The Noble Collection Star Trek Tri-Dimensional Chess Set - 32 Highly Detailed Plastic Chess Pieces - Officially Licensed Star Trek TV Show Game Gifts

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• REPLICA CHESS SET - A replica of the Star Trek Tri-Dimensional Chess Set first seen in Star Trek: The Original Series of the 1960s. The series created a devoted fan base that has grown in the 54 years the franchise has continued.
• The playing area is spread across seven interconnected acrylic boards, mounted on a Zinc alloy base emblazoned with Starship Duty Insignia, Command Division. Stands 33.5cm in height and 16cm in width with 32 pieces - and comes with a rule book!
• The Noble Collection has gained an international reputation for products with exquisite design and fine craftsmanship; every Star Trek product we produce is officially licensed and is based on the props and designs used in the television series.
• Every one of our Star Trek products is crafted in exquisite quality and makes the perfect gift for any Trekkie or Trekker. Join your favorite characters in the Starfleet with our official props, collectibles, gifts and replicas for kids and adults.
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The Noble Collection presents movie-based creations and artifacts.

Travel through imaginary worlds with The Noble Collection:

You will find official replicas and related products from your favorite worlds: Harry Potter, The Fantastic Animals, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Game of Thrones, DC Comics ... Exception and great loyalty that will make you immerse yourself in the heart of the most beautiful stories.

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Why star trek has 3d chess & how to play.

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Star Trek Has Holodecks But Bad Video Games

Strange new worlds cleverly sets up star trek’s first kirk & spock scene, rings of power season 2 showrunners cautiously address whether tom bombadil is middle-earth's god.

• Star Trek characters relax with 3D chess, poker, Kal-toh, and darts after saving the galaxy.
• 3D chess popularized in Star Trek was based on a game invented in 1907 by Ferdinand Maack.
• Tri-dimensional chess in Star Trek has extra levels, requires complex strategies, and reflects character traits.

Star Trek characters have been 3D chess since the very first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series , so how does it differ from our own two-dimensional version? It's a stressful life being a Starfleet officer, and so it's hugely important to maintain a work-life balance, which is where games can be a perfect way to wind down. 3D chess, poker, Kal-toh, and darts are all games that characters in Star Trek TV shows wind down after a long day saving the galaxy from the Klingon Empire, Borg Collective or Dominion.

Three-dimensional chess was a favorite pastime of the legendary Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his second-in-command, Spock (Leonard Nimoy). In the show's successful pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", the two Star Trek: The Original Series characters are seen playing 3D chess in their very first scene together. While 3D chess was established as a leisure pursuit in the TOS era, the game has appeared in multiple subsequent Star Trek shows.

Star Trek's holodeck seems to have completely taken the place of video games, as every in-universe video game looks like something from the 1980s.

Why Star Trek’s Chess Is 3D

Interestingly, the Star Trek franchise has popularized, not created, three-dimensional chess. One of the oldest versions of a three-dimensional chess game was invented in 1907 by Ferdinand Maack, whose creation is considered as the classic version of 3D chess. Maack called his game Raumschach, which is German for "Space Chess" , making it ideal for inclusion in Star Trek . The seven platformed chess board in " Where No Man Has Gone Before " deviates from Maack's classic Raumschach board, which was made of five, 5x5 checkered boards, essentially a 3D cube sectioned off.

The original prop for Star Trek: The Original Series was built from existing 3D chess boards, and used pieces from sculptor Peter Ganine's 1961 chess set.

In 1907, Raumschach believed that the game of chess had to adapt to reflect modern warfare, meaning that the additional boards represented attacks from the air and from the sea. As a result, the idea of playing 3D chess became a colloquial term to describe situations that required complex thought processes. By including 3D chess in Star Trek , production designers were signposting to the audience that humanity in the 23rd century had evolved intellectually, so they played such a complex game for fun.

How Star Trek’s 3D Chess Is Different From Normal Chess

The tri-dimensional chess board in the Star Trek universe has three levels with smaller secondary and tertiary levels branching off. Rather than moving pieces across a flat board as in regular chess, players of 3D chess would move pieces up and down various levels in attempts to defeat their opponents . Kirk once noted that there are an infinite number of countermoves in three-dimensional chess, emphasizing that it was a far more complex game than its two-dimensional counterpart. Potential moves in three-dimensional chess include:

• Bishop, half level right.
• Pawn to queen four, king's level.
• Pawn to king's bishop three, queen's level.

Typically, for Star Trek 's best Vulcan , Spock viewed 3D chess as a game of logic, which also describes regular chess. Both games rely on each player predicting their opponent's next moves until checkmate. This principal is the exact same in Star Trek 's tri-dimensional chess, only with the addition of extra levels, there are more points of attack for each player. 3D chess was a perfect game for Kirk and Spock to play, as their differing strategies reflected their strongest characteristics. Spock's cold logic vs. Kirk's illogical approach is what made them one of Starfleet's greatest pairings.

Chess isn't the only game that's played three-dimensionally in Star Trek , as crew members can be seen playing 3D checkers in various episodes of TOS and was seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 6, "Trials and Tribble-ations"

James T. Kirk and Spock canonically meet in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which also has a callback to their debut in Star Trek TOS' pilot episode.

How To Play Star Trek’s 3D Chess

3D chess boards have been around for decades, so it's possible to play the game at home. Fans who want the authentic starship Enterprise experience can buy Star Trek branded tri-dimensional chess boards from a number of retailers, including the Star Trek shop . For obvious reasons, the 3D chess board is set up differently from its two-dimensional counterpart. The black and white pieces each have their separate boards where they are arranged at the start of the game . The King and Queen each have their own levels, with the remaining black and white pieces being assembled on the secondary and tertiary levels, respectively.

Aware that Star Trek fans would likely want to play the game themselves, reference books have duly obliged by providing the rules of the game. For example, Franz Joseph's Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual , explained the rules of 3D chess when it was published in 1975. Read Joseph's rules for tri-dimensional chess below:

EACH PIECE MOVES EXACTLY THE SAME AS IN CONVENTIONAL CHESS, EXCEPT THAT SUCH MOVES HAVE TRIDIMENSIONAL FREEDOM TO THE EXTENT OF AVAILABLE CONSECUTIVE SQUARES. 16 OF THE 64 SQUARES ARE MOVABLE IN 4 GROUPS OF 4 SQUARES EACH. THEY MAY BE MOVED TO ONE ADJACENT PIN POSITION AT A TIME PROVIDED THEY ARE EITHER BLACK VACANT OR OCCUPIED BY ONLY ONE OF THE PLAYER'S PAWNS, AND SUCH ACTION CONSTITUTES A MOVE IN REGULAR TURN. AN OCCUPIED ATTACK BOARD CANNOT BE MOVED TO AN INVERTED PIN POSITION.

Therefore, if one is good at two-dimensional chess, then they'll likely be just as good as tridimensional chess, once they've mastered tridimensional movement, that is. While players may have mastered the Queen's Gambit, Star Trek 's 3D chess requires them to couple that with the Aldabren Exchange if they want to checkmate their opponents. By mastering with the tridimensional concepts of chess in the 23rd century and beyond, fans can wind down just like their heroes, Kirk and Spock, after a hard day at work.

Star Trek: The Original Series

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Star Trek: The Original Series follows the exploits of the crew of the USS Enterprise. On a five-year mission to explore uncharted space, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) must trust his crew - Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Forest DeKelley), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) - with his life. Facing previously undiscovered life forms and civilizations and representing humanity among the stars on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise regularly comes up against impossible odds and diplomatic dilemmas.

Star Trek's Tri-Dimensional Chess, Explained

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Star Trek: The Picard Maneuver, Explained

Star trek: 6 best episodes for newcomers to the franchise, dc: 9 strongest versions of superman, ranked.

In the vast reaches of space, where no board game has gone before, there exists a chess variant that challenges even the most logical minds. Enter Tri-Dimensional Chess, or as Captain Kirk might say, "Chess with a side of warp speed."

Hailing from the original Star Trek series, Tri-Dimensional Chess has become a hallmark of intergalactic leisure for the crew of the USS Enterprise. Picture Kirk and Spock engaging in a battle of wits, the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance — well, maybe just the fate of bragging rights on the starship.

Discover the remarkable "save our skins" maneuver within the Star Trek universe, ingeniously devised by the brilliant Captain Picard.

Quick Facts

• Tri-Dimensional Chess is a chess variant featured in Star Trek , starting with the original series (TOS).
• The original prop was crafted by combining elements from 3D Checkers, 3D Tic-Tac-Toe, and the Classic chess set.
• Captain Kirk's "inspired" and sometimes illogical approach to the game proved surprisingly effective.
• Deanna Troi in The Next Generation emphasized intuition as a crucial element in Tri-Dimensional Chess.
• The game's spatial hierarchy and multiple levels add a futuristic twist to traditional chess strategy.
• Movement involves pieces traversing up or down any number of levels during a turn.
• Tri-Dimensional Chess is often referenced metaphorically in real-life contexts, describing a higher-order understanding of complex systems .
• Raumschach, invented in 1907, stands as one of the oldest and classic 3D chess variants.
• Beyond Star Trek , multi-dimensional chess games appear in various fictional works.
• The game's influence extends beyond fiction, with real-life variations exploring three-dimensional and higher-dimensional chess.

Beam Me Up, Chessboard!

Tri-Dimensional Chess, or 3D Chess, made its debut in Star Trek 's original series, becoming a recurring visual feast for Trekkies throughout the franchise. The game's origins are as eclectic as the crew of the Enterprise itself. The original prop, a visual spectacle that rivaled the warp-speed excitement of the Enterprise itself, was a concoction of 3D Checkers, Tic-Tac-Toe, and a futuristic Classic chess set — all sprinkled with a dash of space-age flair. If only the chess sets at our grandmothers' houses had looked this cool!

Captain Kirk's affinity for this variant was apparent, proclaiming in the "Charlie X" episode that he'd "prefer to call it inspired" when Spock raised an eyebrow at his unorthodox moves. Spock, the epitome of logic, noted that Kirk's "illogical approach to chess does have its advantages on occasion." Who knew the final frontier involved strategic moves and witty banter on the chessboard?

In The Next Generation , Counselor Deanna Troi added a layer of mystique:

[3D] chess isn't just a game of ploys and gambits. It's a game of intuition.

The three-dimensional chessboard itself featured multiple levels, each with platforms resembling floating islands, interconnected by "half-levels." Traditional chess pieces could ascend or descend across these levels during a move.

Spock, ever the voice of reason , revealed that the principles of Tri-Dimensional Chess were "basically mathematic." The setup mirrored the chessboard hierarchy, with black pieces predominantly on the secondary level and white pieces on the tertiary level. It's like playing chess in zero gravity — just with more style.

The Extra-Galactic Influence

Tri-Dimensional Chess didn't confine itself to the Star Trek universe. In real life, the term "three-dimensional chess" has transcended the checkered board, symbolizing a metaphorical struggle within complex systems. Describing someone as "playing three-dimensional chess" implies a level of strategic mastery beyond the understanding of mere mortals playing regular chess — a compliment that even Kirk would appreciate.

But Star Trek wasn't the only, or indeed the first, frontier for this variant. The late 19th century birthed three-dimensional chess variants, with Raumschach ("Space chess") leading the charge in 1907. David Pritchard's chess encyclopedia delves into over 50 such variations, extending the game into the cosmos. It's a ballet of bishops and knights , all vying for victory in the expanse of three-dimensional space.

Tri-Dimensional Chess isn't just a phenomenon within the Star Trek universe. It has transcended into other realms of fiction, popping up in various futuristic and sci-fi settings. Doctor Who , the Legion of Super-Heroes , The Lego Movie , and even The Big Bang Theory have all embraced the multi-dimensional allure of this chess variant. It seems the fascination with chess that transcends the traditional 64 squares knows no bounds.

Checkmate: The Final Frontier

Tri-Dimensional Chess is not just a game. It's a representation of intuition, strategy, and a touch of Kirk's inspired chaos . As Trekkies navigate our own three-dimensional landscapes — whether in relationships, politics, or interstellar travel — perhaps fans can take a cue from Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the USS Enterprise. After all, in the chessboard of life, we're all just pawns waiting for our chance to boldly make a move.

Tri-Dimensional Chess represents the boundless imagination of Star Trek , proving that even in the vastness of space, the allure of a checkmate is universal. In the game of Tri-Dimensional Chess, the final frontier is only a move away. Engage!

Viewers looking to dive into Star Trek for the first time may want to start with these episodes.

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Lot #925. The Official Star Trek Tridimensional Chess Set – A Franklin Mint Exclusive Edition

$ 595.00

The Star Trek  Tridimensional chess set from the Franklin Mint. It was first seen in the second episode of the Original Series, Charlie X. The 32 game pieces are precision cast and coated in sterling silver or 24 karat gold. The chess Set does not include the Certificate of Authenticity or other pamphlets shown in the images,

Out of stock. Many of these items on this site are one-of-a-kind Antiques. Once they are gone, that’s it!

Description

Additional information, franklin mint star trek tridimensional chess set.

Since its inception in 1964, Star Trek has captured the hearts and minds of fans eager for a brighter future. The series’ views and ideas have moved beyond the screen and inspired the world outside of Science Fiction.

An example of its influence is this Star Trek Tridimensional Chess Set. It was a major part of the plot of the original series, Season 1, Episode 20, Court Martial.  Here, Captain Kirk is under investigation for the death of a Lieutenant Commander due to his research pod being jettisoned from the ship during an ion storm. Kirk claims this act was necessary to save the Enterprise during “Red Alert”. Unfortunately for Kirk, the computer log says the ship was in “Yellow Alert” at the time of the incident. The clever Vulcan, Mr. Spock, realizes the computer had been tampered with. He came to this conclusion based on the fact that he was able to defeat the computer four times in a game of 3-D Chess, despite the fact that he himself had written the computer’s Chess program and therefore should have achieved no more than a draw. Both Spock and the Chess set save the day!

Since the debut of “Court Martial” fans have been fascinated with the Star Trek Tridimensional chess set featured in the episode. There have been many pop culture references to it, including episodes of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Doctor Who”. The Star Trek Tridimensional chess set is bold, distinctive, eminently logical, and has everything you’ll need to start your intergalactic chess playing expedition.

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Lot #R037. The Franklin Mint Battle of Waterloo Chess Set

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For fans of tridimensional chess who want their own set to play, The Noble Collection has released a new version of tridimensional chess that is quite accurate to the design featured in The Original Series.

The Noble Collection’s tridimensional chess set is not the first set that has been available to fans, of course; The Franklin Mint released two editions of the game in the 1990s (a TOS edition in 1993 and a Next Generation version in 1995). While these sets were highly sought after by fans — the TOS version even got a 50th anniversery re-issue in 2016 — neither of The Franklin Mint’s releases came close to matching the look of the on-screen editions.

New for 2021, The Noble Collection has gone back to the 1960s for their new edition, closely replicating the version of tridimensional chess seen in “Charlie X,” right down to the red-and-clear color scheme — the TFM versions had blue boards — and black-and-white retro-styled game pieces.

This is an impressive set that will be appealing to fans both to play with — and for those of you just looking for a neat Star Trek display piece. The set features three main playing boards at three different heights, as well as moveable “attack boards” that feature one of the biggest innovation of chess’s three dimensional counterpart.

If you have a piece on one of the attack boards, you can move it a nearby peg and relocate your piece around the game board — making every move a chance to physically restructure the shape of the playing field.

When tridimensional chess was included in Star Trek for the first time, it did not have a set of rules attached to it, throughout the franchise, characters have moved game pieces around the boards in all sorts of different ways.

In reality, artist Franz Joseph — best known for his classic blueprints of the original Enterprise and the Star Fleet Technical Manual — actually developed rules for the game, and helpfully they’re included in this set.

The instructions explain how tridimensional chess functions, and the guidesheet can be used as a handy cheat sheet mid-game with any Vulcan science officers. The thoughtful inclusion of the instructions ensures that the game can be played as well as displayed, adding value to the set overall.

The set itself is an impressive size – the game board measures approximately 13 inches tall, and will display extremely well as a centerpiece for any Star Trek collection. The game boards themselves are acrylic, but appear sturdy and not liable to break easily.

The game pieces are presented in an impressive black padded case. Each of the 32 game pieces have a nice heft to them and the case will ensure they remain safe between uses. The game pieces are impressive just on their own, and have a cool 1960’s aesthetic to them that is sure to appeal to any fan of the Original Series.

At $145, the Noble Collection’s tridimensional chess set is not a small investment. However, it’s a great set that closely matches the set as it appears in the Original Series and should appeal to fans of classic Trek , budding tridimensional chess players, and prop replica collectors alike.

And next time you have board game night, who is ever going to expect you to whip out a game of 3D chess? If you’re up for the challenge, you can get your own set at The Noble Collection’s website.

• Star Trek: The Original Series
• The Noble Collection
• Tridimensional Chess

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Published Mar 9, 2016

FIRST LOOK: Tridimensional Chess Set from Franklin Mint

If you've been itching to play some tridimensional chess, a la Kirk and Spock in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode " Where No Man Has Gone Before ," your time has just about come. The Franklin Mint has unveiled the first and only authorized re-creation of the iconic chess set, which will be available in April, with an exclusive pre-order window starting today at www.TheFranklinMint.com and wwwShop.StarTrek.com .

The Official 50th Anniversary Star Trek Tridimensional Chess Set will cost $275.00.

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Thursday 21 October 2021

New star trek 3d chess collection figurines.

• Captain Picard ( TNG  King)
• Captain Kirk ( TOS  King)
• Data ( TNG  Rook)
• Spock ( TOS  Bishop)
• Borg Queen (Aliens Queen)
• Worf ( TNG  Knight)
• Gorn, Enterprise -era (Aliens Rook)
• Xindi Insectoid (Aliens Pawn)
• Tasha Yar ( TNG  Knight)

The board is a full sized replica of the classic TOS design, which makes it an imposing 27 inches tall! There have been other tridemsional chess sets before of course, from The Noble Collection (ad)  and Franklin Mint (ad) , but both were half scaled, so this is the first official chance to get a full sized version of the board.

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Star Trek Tridimensional Chess Set

Board, pieces, and paperwork

Close-up of pieces

50th Anniversary re-release

The Star Trek Tridimensional Chess Set was an officially-licensed release from The Franklin Mint in 1993 . It is modeled on the 3D chess games used aboard the USS Enterprise as seen in Star Trek: The Original Series .

The board – produced in approximately half-scale to those actually used on the show – was styled to match the look of the Star Trek Commemorative Chess Set (also from Franklin Mint) in that the playing surface is clear and blue-tinted acrylic (the Commemorative set's board was made of glass). Unlike the Commemorative set, however, the pieces were made from a sturdier base metal than pewter, but still plated in either 24-karat gold or sterling silver. The pieces were also styled after those seen on TOS and in the Franz Joseph Star Fleet Technical Manual . The supports for the main boards are also gold-plated, as is the classic Enterprise command insignia inlaid in the round base.

The set was issued with an authenticity certificate, a storage case for the pieces, and a rule book for playing the game. The last of these was a duplicate of fan-produced rules first published in 1977 in the Star Trek Giant Poster Book , but with no acknowledgment of the original author.

In 2016, the set was re-released in new packaging as the Star Trek 50th Anniversary Tridimensional Chess Set.

See also [ ]

• Franklin Mint
• Star Trek: The Next Generation Tridimensional Chess Set

External link [ ]

• Rules of the game
• 1 Bell Riots
• 2 Obi Ndefo
• 3 Gabriel Bell

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Unboxing/Review: The Noble Collection Star Trek Tridimensional Chess Set Is Fun For Display And Play

| February 16, 2021 | By: Neil Shurley 4 comments so far

Star Trek baked the Tridimensional chess set into its very fabric. We’re introduced to it in practically the opening shot of the second pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Now there is a new replica from Noble Collection that you can play as a game too. We have a review and full unboxing video below.

“Queen to Queen’s Level Three”

“You play a very irritating game of chess, Mr. Spock,” Captain Kirk says before irritating his first officer with an unexpected move.

After the second pilot, Tridimensional chess went on to play pivotal roles in TOS episodes like “Charlie X” and “Whom Gods Destroy.” The game went on to appear in numerous episodes of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine , as well as Discovery and Picard . Let’s face it – even the general public would recognize a tridimensional chess set as THE futuristic game from Star Trek (sorry, Parrises Squares).

The first appearance of Tridimensional chess, in the TOS episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before”

The replica

The Noble Collection recently released a beautiful new replica , which includes 32 die-cast pieces that measure approximately 1.5 inches tall. The set itself measures approximately 13 inches tall – which is about half as tall as the one seen in TOS – and features translucent acrylic game boards.  At the same time, once you get it out of the packaging, you’re committed. This isn’t like your standard chess set, which you can fold back up into a box and store in a cupboard. The base is one big piece meant for display. And, really, if you are buying this, you are going to want to keep it out. It’s simply gorgeous.

Set up is pretty easy. The bulk of the board comes already attached to the curved metal base. The four Attack Boards come out of the box separately and then easily slot into place – or places, since they’re meant to move during the game. The half-dome baseplate features a nice Starfleet emblem, and it has a felt bottom, so it won’t scratch up your display case.

The individual chess pieces, too, have a soft underside which, combined with their solid, weighty feel, make for satisfying movement across the boards. In design, they look just like the ones featured in “Charlie X” – attractive, minimalist, retro-future.

All in all the Noble Tridimensional Chess Set is a quality replica that looks screen-accurate and also displays well.

But this is not just a display piece, it is also a game. The Noble Tridimensional Chess Set comes with an instruction sheet that details the moves each piece can make. However, it doesn’t go into a lot of detail, especially about the attack boards. I did find this video helpful in getting a general feel for how to play. My son and I found ourselves continually reorienting as we played, standing up so that we could get a bird’s eye view. This helped keep us aware of how the board would look from a more conventional frame of reference. One drawback for this set is that the bishops are essentially identical to the pawns, only slightly taller, so it’s easy to get them confused the first couple of times you use them in gameplay.

After a few games, I’m sure the multilevel play will start to feel a little more natural to navigate. It certainly makes for a great way to surprise an opponent whose pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking. (Sorry I don’t have a photo of my son’s reaction when my bishop slid up two levels to take out his queen.)

Our next step will be to read the “tournament rules so we can get a better handle on utilizing the attack boards and I can then neutralize my opponent and, in so doing, show my son that I AM THE SUPERIOR INTELLECT… Sorry, got carried away there.

Unboxing Tridimensional chess

The following video gives you a closer look at the set, including the pretty large package it will arrive in.

Bottom line

The Noble Collection Tridimensional Chess Set is nice to look at and to feel, and it’s fully functional. Even in a home that doesn’t have a lot of Trek items on display, this would make a great conversation piece – and a thought-provoking pastime.

The board is yours, Reader.

The Noble Collection Tridimensional Chess Set is available now at Amazon for $145 and directly from noblecollection.com .

Find more Star Trek product news and reviews here at TrekMovie.com .

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Looks like a redress of the Franklin Mint set. I have that set and enjoy it quite a bit, although a drawback is that it’s about half the size of the on screen prop, so game play can feel a bit cramped. Still fun though!

I think this is like the old set that the Bradford Exchange offered so many years ago and that is the set I have. Different board colors (clear & blue) and more traditional chess men shapes with a silver/gold finish. While I am a passible normal chess player, I read the rules for TriChess many times and I still don’t get it exactly. I guess I have what Spock refers to as ” two dimensional thinking”. So I have that going for me!