Chess, anyone?
For those of you pool players that count yourself among the 500 million+ people that play modern chess, may I introduce you to a billiard ball set and game that has been adapted to the baize: Cuemate.
The brainchild, designer and creator of Cuemate is none other than a gentleman from the Atlanta, Georgia, area that answers to the name of Duane R. Smith. I had the pleasure of meeting up with Duane one evening on a trip I had through the area and we played for a few hours, allowing him to share his story of how the ball set came into being from inception to finally being manufactured for him by VIGMA, the familiar billiard ball giant out of China. Being a collector of billiard ball sets that run the gamut from the usual suspects of Aramith, Albany and Hyatt, I am also drawn to unusual and unique ball designs that reflect a special interest or idea. The Cuemate set that Duane has made available fits the bill of not only being unique but finally allows those with a passion for something different or favor the notion of a more cerebral and strategic game of chess to be played on the pool table.
You will notice there is no traditional "cue ball" amongst the 16 Cuemate spheres, simply because each of a player's object balls can essentially be used as a cue ball - similar to chess where a player may elect to begin play with whichever piece they choose during their turn. And therein lies the beauty of the Cuemate game set: the familiar rules of board-game chess have adapted to each ranking billiard ball and each one has specific shot restrictions and rules, which are quite easy to understand when reading through the rule set - even for those cueists that have no prior knowledge of the traditional chess game. For two examples, the PAWNS cannot be used to shoot any bank or combination and must always move up-table. The KNIGHT can move in any direction and can only pocket an opponents ball by way of a combination - no straight in or banks allowed (for pocketing balls). The ROOK, BISHOP, KING and QUEEN each have specific limitations.
Without further adieu, may I introduce my latest and definitely most interesting of the ball sets I've ever come across. Cuemate.
I will be happy to post pictures of the Official Rules as well as the unique ball rack that Duane created as an accessory for the game (VIGMA also manufactured this rack) in follow up posts if there is interest within this thread.
K.
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