If you have read "System" you will know that a chess game plays a prominent role. It's not just any old chess game however, but the version which emerged from the complex culture of the novel. Here are the rules of "hexapod chess" as played in the...
The Matriarch (or Queen) can move in the same way as a Hunter or a Scout. In other words, it moves in a straight line in any of twelve possible directions (as shown in the diagram).
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This makes the Matriarch a very powerful piece, but it is also extremely vulnerable.
If a queen is captured, it can be reclaimed if a Sentry (or Pawn) manages to reach one of the five hexes on the opposite edge of the board. At that point, the Sentry is immediately replaced by the captured queen.
In Hexapod Chess, the Matriarch is a highly significant piece and the game often hinges on the way this piece is used.
