Jetan

I have two sets created by a sculptor named James Spratt about 10 years ago, one painted and one unpainted. Don't have a board yet (have been meaning to make one for more than 35 years now, well before I even had any Jetan pieces), but have not gotten around to it yet.

Played a few times years back. Not a bad game, but not worth putting a set together and teaching someone else how to play.

I use Looney Pyramids for Jetan pieces, and I have a variant with a hexagonal board from chess wedges. Haven't played since before I started logging here.

Wild chess-like game, but the pieces seem a bit over-powered. Probably best played as a gambling game, as Burroughs intended. There is a very nice discussion of the game spanning several issues of Abstract Games Magazine.

I made myself a Jetan set a few years ago, which is pictured here in the comment section. Would love to find someone with whom to play. Right now, the Chess Variants site is down, so we would have to play using our own sets, or personal diagrams, and algebraic notation. That would be a pain in the buttocks, but if we can find away to do that until Chess Variants come back online, I am game to try.

Very interesting "chess variant," slightly hampered by rule ambiguities in the novel. (The appendix to Chessmen of Mars is not perfectly consistent with descriptions in the text, and several rules are open to interpretation.) I wish someone would make an inexpensive plastic set of pieces.

I have written an analysis of this game at http://www.erbzine.com/mag70/7030.html

Interesting.

I made my own set out of Lego. I personally think it's quite nice. :p

Anyway, as far as chess variants go, it's pretty standard. I do quite enjoy some of the betting aspects of it and playing it the way it's presented in the Chessmen of Mars book. I'm almost always up for a game of this, but it's very hard to convince people to give it a try.