From the introduction:"One Ring Chess is played upon a field of 32 linearly adjacent squares formed into a ring. The game is won by checkmating the opponent King." This is a linear chess variant, played on a half-sized board. The "Lord of the Rings" theme of the game points up the byzantine nature of this circular chessboard. Rooklike moves are translated directly to the board. Diagonal moves are translated as jumps, moving by staying always on the same color and hopping over squares of the other color. A full set of pieces and 4 pawns each, coupled with the board's two 1-square wide avenues of approach, offer a good range of chess tactics.