Maya Chess

Maya Chess is a strategy board game from Mexico.  Tetrahedrons and pyramids combine to make geometric pieces, called ‘Warriors’, that are moved by flipping them on their edges.  The object of the game is to either get your leader to a ‘Temple’ in your opponents end or catch your opponent’s ‘Leader’ with one of your Warriors. 

On a flat commercially available board, the playing pieces tend to slide around and flipping them on their edges cause them to slip out.  This 3D printed version solves those problems; there are raised centerers to hold the pieces in place and groves in which to rotate the edges.

The board is broken into 8 pieces (small enough to be printed on a Prusa Mini).  The board pieces clip together and also stack neatly.  There's an optional storage case into which all the board and playing pieces fit. (Although, as FrankyD80 noted in the comments, if you print the box at 105% it's easier to fit in the playing pieces).

The board is designed to be printed using 0.35mm layer height and printed using two colours to highlight the Temples and the board edge.  I printed mine with white up to 3.00mm, then black to 3.70mm.  White again to 5.80mm and black to 6.50mm.  The colour changing isn't absolutely necessary but it does make for a more attractive board.  I printed the playing pieces with a variable layer height.  All these layers are detailed in the included .3mf files.

Maya Chess is copyrighted by Gramercy Games so I have not reproduced their game rules or trade marks here.  They do sell an attractive wooden version of the game (the cardboard board and plastic pieces version appears to no longer be available).  To see how the game is played, check out their website: https://www.mayachess.com/

There's a PDF version of the rules here: [Update: this link appears to be broken so I've written my own, concise, version of the rules, below] https://static1.squarespace.com/static/627c3af066af6904868557cb/t/634ef20d2c252e4bdd36ab63/1666118168098/Maya+Chess+Rule+Book.pdf

How to play

Start with the pieces on the board as shown in the last photo.

To win the game you must move your Leader (the small round piece) into either of the Temples (the holes) on your opponent’s side of the board OR land one of your Warriors (the large geometric pieces) on top of the other player’s Leader.  All this whilst protecting your Leader.

No two pieces can occupy the same space on the board, and unlike normal chess, you don’t ‘take’ your opponent’s piece by landing on it (other than landing on their Leader).  The Leaders can only block each other, they cannot land on or take one another. 

A move consists of flipping a Warrior on any of its edges (but not a vertex) into an adjacent space. The Leader simply slides to an adjacent space.  All pieces must stay within the board and cannot overhang the edge. 

In each turn a player must make three moves.  This can be one piece moving three times or three pieces each moving once.  Any combination or Warrior and/or Leader moves is permitted but it must be three moves.  You can also win the game by blocking your opponent such that they are unable make the requisite three moves in their turn. 

Your Warriors are not permitted to enter your end zone (the nine spaces behind their starting point) however they may enter your opponent’s end zone.  A piece may traverse, but must not stop, on any of the Temples.

The game is about blocking your opponent’s moves and protecting your Leader whilst giving it a clear run to the opponent's Temples.  The smaller Warriors are more agile and better for attack, but don’t cover much distance. The larger ones can travel further and faster and are better for defensive blocking.