Overview

Paco Sako (Esperanto for “Peace Chess”) is a chess variant designed by Felix Albers where pieces embrace rather than capture. Instead of removing opponent pieces, they form unions that stay on the board. The goal is to embrace the opponent’s King. The game promotes creative thinking and peace, replacing the combat metaphor of traditional chess with one of connection. For 2 players, ages 6+.

Components

• 1 standard 8x8 chessboard
• 32 specially designed interlocking pieces (16 White, 16 Black): King, Queen, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 2 Rooks, 8 Pawns per side

The pieces are designed to physically interlock when forming unions.

Setup

Pieces are arranged identically to standard chess:

• Back row: Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook
• Front row: 8 Pawns

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns (White first). On each turn, make one move following the four basic rules.

Actions

The Four Basic Rules

1. Create a Union: When your piece moves onto a square occupied by an opponent’s piece, the two pieces embrace (form a union) and remain on that square together. The opponent’s piece is NOT removed.

2. Move a Union: When it is your turn and you have a piece in a union, you may move the union. The union moves according to the movement rules of either piece in the union (player’s choice). Your piece separates from the union and moves, leaving the opponent’s piece behind on the original square.

3. Take Over a Union: If your piece (or a moving union piece) lands on a square containing an existing union, your piece replaces the same-color piece in the union. The replaced piece is freed and placed on the square the moving piece came from.

4. Chain Reaction: When a piece is freed from a union (via Rule 3), if it lands on a square already occupied by a lone opponent piece, it automatically forms a new union (a chain reaction). Chain reactions can cascade.

Piece Movement

Individual pieces move as in standard chess (Rooks in straight lines, Bishops diagonally, Knights in L-shapes, etc.). Pieces in unions gain the combined movement options of both pieces.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Win: Form a union with (embrace) the opponent’s King.

There is no checkmate in the traditional sense. The game ends immediately when one player successfully moves a piece onto the King’s square, forming a union with it.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• No captures: Pieces are never removed from the board. All 32 pieces remain in play throughout.
• Unions stay on the board: A union occupies one square with both pieces interlocked.
• A piece in a union can move using either piece’s movement: This creates dynamic, changing movement possibilities.
• Chain reactions can create complex sequences of unions forming and breaking.
• Pawns: Follow standard pawn movement rules (forward 1, capture diagonally 1, optional double first move). Can promote upon reaching the 8th rank.
• No check: There is no concept of check – the game simply ends when the King is embraced.
• King can be in a union: If a King is part of a union, it can be freed or taken over like any other piece.
• The game plays significantly faster than standard chess (10-20 minutes).

Player Reference

Turn: Move one piece (or separate from a union)

Union: Two opposite-color pieces on one square (embrace, not capture)

Moving a union: Use either piece’s movement; your piece separates and moves

Taking over: Replace same-color piece in an existing union; freed piece goes to origin square

Chain reaction: Freed pieces auto-embrace lone opponents on their landing square

Win: Embrace the opponent’s King