Can Chess, with Hexagons?

Chessagon

Dark Bannana

when is the video for Canadian provincial flags coming out?

Rachel Durkin

Grey: “…uncertain about […] if it deserves to be a real video” Internet: “997,267 views… 1d ago. #12 on trending”

Euro Micelli

How do I know if I'm eligible for a signed hexagon?

Eamon OHuallachain

Please consider us for the a signed hexagon! We love hexagons.

Katherine Aumer

I would love one.

Erik Anderson

I loved it. Only suggestion was playing chess against your self seems a little anticlimactic for the final.

HE DID IT!

Patrick Watts

Old (mostly MMORPG) video game slang.

TheZehn

Buff? Nerf? Are these Magic slang?

Ben Wagner

I wish for IRL! But USA here, let's do a zoom/online/discord/skype hex chess group! Also I'm gay, hope that doesn't mean I'm an invalid hex chess partner :P

YES upload the video to the world!

My brain really wants a hex-chess numberphile/Brady Haran collab, maybe that would make it feel like more of a video?

Friendly reminder that it's NOT normal to sneeze, I have never sneezed.

(Comment for membership. Comment has no content. Please add me to such membership as to allow me to comment on YouTube.)

Mordecai Glicksman

I like the video! It could totally work on its own, totally!! I also love the Pirate videos (since I live on a boat). I wonder if you could set up one side as the Crown and one side as Pirates. Ships as pawns, Captain and Quartermaster as King and Queen, etc. I'm probably off in the weeds here, but you get it.

Michael and Lucy Burgess

You're right. It sure looks like the bishop is guarding the queen, but it's not. In terms of visually scanning the board and seeing moves, having three colors instead of two, and 50% more squares to monitor/consider, this "HexChess" is a clear grade above regular chess in difficulty. It feels like something that wouldn't reach far outside of chess enthusiast circles - but it still looks like a cool diversion/variation, like Fischer random chess (aka Chess960).

Bryan Jay

No youre gay

I enjoyed this video, but agree that it probably wouldn't work on the main channel. As an aside, at the end there, that wasn't checkmate surely? The black queen isn't protected by the bishop (would be if it was a rook instead), so can be taken by the king (or indeed the white bishop). Also I've always thought of the knight move being one straight and one diagonal, which holds in hex-chess too. This always made sense as the origin of the knight to me as chess is all about straights and diagonals, so combining one of each into the knight move makes sense

Zaphod

If I’m donating my money to a creator, my input deserves to be heard

Anthony Moraglia

I suspect that there aren't any championships for hex chess (otherwise there would be boards you could buy and more than one book), but I would be interested to learn if it has more history.

enchantedsleeper

(But if you don't like it, you also don't have to say so)

enchantedsleeper

Are you kidding? It's adorable...

enchantedsleeper

We should set up a tournament!

Eric Chung

I want to support good creators. I just don’t want to be called a dumbass condescending nickname.

Anthony Moraglia

You don’t have to be a patron, sir.

Patrick Watts

I really enjoyed this video (particularly the part where you ordered so many hexagons!). If you were to complete the video I'd look into finding another person to play with (I'm guessing this originally happened near the height of the pandemic?), and there might also be some ways you could simplify the explanation of the pieces.

Brian Love

I enjoyed watching this. Thank you.

I’d definitely be up for trying this - anyone want to start a hex chess group in London?

Holly Smith

Thank you for the excellent video and extension of the great utility of hexagons. The point of this video, is not just that hexagon chess is possible, but in the theme of your past arguments "best". If you do plan on making this a main channel video, that point needs to be clearer. Parts of your end should be at the beginning: setup, unique number of pieces, # of spaces. Punch the humor with spending time, money, and effort into constructing an amazing board only to find one included in your order. Show a little context: history, current championships(?), and why this version of the game isn't as popular as its square cousin. Us Bonnie Bees do love our hexagons, but maybe this version of the game is too hip to be square? Thanks for providing an excellent video and the opportunity to provide feedback.

Katherine Aumer

Eh. I'd recommend cutting the explanation down to under 5 mins (for example, ordering the wrong size hexagons isn't that interesting) and playing against another witty person. Or a famous chess player. Or with stakes that if you lose, you have to show yourself on a video

Are there any implementations of hexchess AI? That sounds like a cool project for a programmer less lazy than me

A Large Adult

Would be a good follow up to hexagons are the bestagons?

Ragged Sunbeam

Buzz buzz

Jeffrey Synn

STOP CALLING US BONNIE BEES! It’s not cute.

Anthony Moraglia

Awesome video! I feel like the inverse of this is Catan with squares lol.

Lucas C

Thanks! Unfortunately, I also lost to myself.

Just wondering if you have tried to get ChatGPT 4 or some another AI to play against you? Also, isn't the game won if the King gets to the center?

DixonLu

Great video for insiders, but probably won’t work well with people who haven’t seen Hexagons -> Bestagons.

This is a great Patreon video but not a main channel vid. Ideally this actually belongs on CGP Plays...r.i.p.

I think this could work as a main channel vid. Just needs some animations for visual aid with the movement of the pieces.

Xavier Gordon

Liked it, but not a main-channel video.

Givesyoufish

Again it is shown that hexagons are the bestagons.

Roland Giersig

Wait how was the final position a checkmate? The neither the black nor white bishop was not guarding the queen, right?

chsgs

I’m afraid I stopped the video around the 6 minute mark (when you’re about to explain hex knights). I liked your mental image of what pawns look like (which is new to me!), and all the many hexagons you bought (new office decoration?) but listening to you describe the detailed mechanics got dull. To me, “How to play chess” feels like widely-available reference material that I’d find it easier to read than watch in a narrated YouTube video. I come to your channel for stuff that _isn’t_ widely available elsewhere.

alexwlchan

On a different note, this kind of video makes me feel grateful I’m able to support on pattern. Regardless of what happens to it, I’m glad I saw it. Made me smile.

Judah Chambers

I showed this to a friend who loves chess, and halfway through he went “this guy kinda sounds like cgp grey”

Judah Chambers

Loved it! Always wondered what the deal was with hex chess and 3-way chess. I think it could work as a main or an in-betweener, as it matches the quirkiness and random curiosity that so many of the videos showcase :)

I thought it was great. I actually liked the physicality of it. It makes it very clear that the video is different from the main videos. I agree with the patron who suggested that it should probably not be a main video, but be published as a light-grey video between two larger uploads. I think your biggest worry should be the clickability, because if people are like me, they are hooked by the quirky grey humour once they are in. Overall I think it would be a shame for it to not be released!

Freddi Dinsen

I agree with those who don’t think it’s great for a main video. I think by the end, many people would be asking “so what?” While this video tickled the (giant) rules pedant in me, I think many people could want it to culminate to some sort of other conclusion.

Eugene Chang

@1:01 "that's a hexcellent question" Underrated joke right there

John Cox

Very interesting! I enjoyed this and learned from it, but I feel the video would be better A) animated, B) shorter and more concise, and C) with better matching music (perhaps something medieval?).

Benjamin D Tibbetts

I found a really cool article about using regex to define abstract chess moves: https://www.boristhebrave.com/2022/10/22/defining-chess-piece-moves-using-regular-expressions/ It's a nice extension to this video, being able to describe how pieces move on weird topologies. Maybe a bit too technical for this audience in general, but a good read for anyone who wants a deeper dive into chess generalization. On another note, you should definitely sign and give away any extra hex tiles to all your paterons. ⬡

edggy

I liked the video..I don’t think it works as a “main” video but perhaps it would work as a mini video in between two larger videos I think it would be fine. As far as production, something about the lighting was very sterile looking and kinda reminds me of like a weird 90’s educational video, probably need to tweak that. I’m not digging the title “Can Chess With Hexagons?” It seems like you’re going for a more upbeat tone in your dictation in your recent videos, and while it works for some idt it works for all of them..this video doesn’t seem like one that it works for

MC

I like that there is a hypothesis, a presentation of evidence, compiled into a comprehensive case study, concluding with a definitive answer. Thanx for not skipping the middle process ^^ I think it might do alright on YouTube - it strikes me as quaint, but would probably bring in quite a few new viewers, since "chess" is probably quite the keyword in the algorithm after over fifteen years (and, I think unique to your catalog). I'm just not sure that it would make it into the channel's top ten - I don't know enough about your metrics, let alone where to start analysis as a non-creator noob. xd

Anonymously_Famous

My honest thoughts are that there is a great core idea here - I feel also this would benefit from being an animated video because visually the movements would be easier to conceptualize in your standard animated medium IMO.

William Jackson

How was the king captured in the example game? It didn't look like the black queen was covered and either the white bishop or king should have been able to take it.

Bi-Dailey

Somebody call the exorcist

_AIRSTAR

Actual zombie

_AIRSTAR

New response just dropped

_AIRSTAR

Holy hell

_AIRSTAR

Google en passant

_AIRSTAR

Enjoyable for fans/patrons but I do not think this is close to ready for prime time. It feels closest to the cousins once removed video, a little too slow but any faster and it’d be muddled.

Tall Jeff

"That's a hexcellent question" is maybe my favorite pun ever.

Cogspace

I think its a great video. But as a CGP Grey fan and patron, I'm probably biased. I don't believe this is a video I'd show to people to get them interested in your and/or your videos. It's like a band's good B side track of a single that was only released in a foreign country. Great for fans, probably not great for the masses.

CCalvinN

Yes yes yes! You do mention about hexagonal boards for games in the Hexagons are the Bestagons video, so maybe it can be a bonus video for that one?

Iam not a chess person, but I liked it

itai

I like it as well, perhaps the new strategies of the game (detailed in the book you bought I assume) can be discussed more, or the game at the end can be expanded on (go more into the application of the rules, play another person, etc.). But overall, very fun, would watch!

Love the fact that you've got a shield and sword in your home. As for the video, you're right, I don't think it's main channel material. But honestly, this video coupled with one of you playing against a mate would be a great addition to your play channel. Also, I'm a game developer with plenty of experience. So, if you'd like to make your own version of hex-chess with bonnie bees instead of the traditional chess pieces and with multiplayer for all the bonnie-bees to play together, I'd definitely be down to have a wee chat about it. (Come on Grey, you know you'll eventually go into game design one way or the other, might as well get started.)

PoutinePapi

There's definitely a good Grey video here! But I agree that it feels quite a bit different from the usual. I loved it immensely, but totally understand your hesitance to upload to the main channel.

Justin Gillman

This definitely feels like a cgpgray video to me. I think there are probably some pacing issues to work out, but there is something there. But it kept me watching the whole time.

Loved the video, agreed a bit long in some parts. Would love to see chess experts tackle it

DankFlamage

Loved this. It definitely deserves to be it's own video. I agree that it would benefit from a bit about basic strategies would cap it off nicely. My thought is that this was developed before you had a dedicated animator? It has the Grey-Goes-Outside vibe instead of of the "explainer" vibe. The only thing that would have made the explanations a bit clearer for me would be some animated follow-through lines during the actual game play to show the from-to locations of the different pieces. Maybe an overlay of some kind to show that.

Catherine Germann

I do like this from the perspective of "Grey Explains". This is a cool, niche thing and the explanation is great. I think others have a point that it's a bit on the long side with a little less "flair" than some other videos. For example, a missing joke in the beginning could be "Or why didn't I just animate this whole thing?" But I'm really glad I get to see it here regardless of whether you post it to the channel!

I think it's a great video but it's missing a bit of a backstory, either at the beginning or at the very end, to explain why if hexagon chess exists since so long ago, no one heard about it. It kinda becomes a bit obvious once you start explaining all the rules, but still, the historical/timeline aspect of it all becomes a bit fuzzy on the video itself.

Tadeo D'Oria

If it gets uploaded to YouTube, the subtitles could use some love. I do appreciate them very much, but they are a bit much at 4:36.

garantiertnicht

The explanation lacks one of Grey's typical, "You think it is this way, but isn't" moments. KINDA gets there on King, but not really. Much like Jonathan, I think the explanation is great for teaching people to play hex chess ... but not interesting enough for the main channel. It really does seem like perfect "bonus content."

Zack Sargent

Brownie points if you can find a company who make hex chess sets and who will sponsor this video. 😃💰

Trevin Beattie

Loved this video!

Bradley Sampson

I agree it’s missing something but I feel differently about the what. I was pleasantly surprised with various moves, the bishops of course, which had me interested along the way, but it was broadly dry and lacking the topic/energy shifts that normally keep you pulled through a normal video. I think it was interesting and I would have watched it through on the main channel but I bet it’s one of those videos only subscribers watch.

Jonathan Sundy

this seems great, it ramps up quickly at the end. a good back pocket video for if a project gets killed last minute and you're looking down the barrel of a long upload gap

Actually please do share it publicly in some way, because I have some friends I need to break their brains with "If diagonals are too hard, you can think of parallel dimensions instead"

Kraken Artificer

I have no idea how it would do on metrics for the general audience, but I found it fascinating. As someone who doesn't really "get" chess, I really appreciated your analysis of what changes and what doesn't, tactics-wise, with the modifications

Kraken Artificer

I really like this, video is great and explanations made total sense to me and were clean. However, I would appreciate more gameplay and thoughts from said gameplay. Yes it can chess, but can it be enjoyable, challenging, is it more/less strategic than normal? Also a downloadable pdf board and/or a website that would allow viewers to try it out would be a benefit.

John Naismith

This is a great Grey vid, don't think otherwise. You just need a worthy opponent!

Michael Poirier

Fun video but not surprised you think it's not ready for production. I think the issue is that I figured out the rules before you explained them and the explanation was pretty long. Also more of a review of playing the game and some basic strategies was where I was hoping the video was going.

Adam Berck

I dont play chess, but I have always wanted to learn. Whenever I think "now's the time!" I load up a yt video explaining the rules and immediately get confused. This video here taught me more, I am less intimidated, and I'm going to actually try!

Interstellargreenbean

Brain = broken after the intro of the third bishop.

This is awesome. I have had the same thought of hexachess. This video is very informative and it makes me want to play it now. I agree with the others here in saying you should post this for the wider audience.

Definitely should share this more widely. Great video.

John Daily

So...did you get a sword and shield just for this video? Do you still keep them around, just in case you need to defend against marauders or something? :P

Sev Coyote

As a lover of both chess and hexagons, this really fits my niche. I say go for it!

Here’s a site where you can test out the rules. Single player only I think though: https://greenchess.net/rules.php?v=glinski

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Besta-Chess! I laughed tool loud at “the dropping of the hex stacks” and scared a cat away. Also reminds me of my childhood of playing chess at the public pool with overly large chess pieces on a ridonculously large board, that I could not oversee completely without climbing onto a bench.

MoeMoep

Great job.

Dark Bannana

great video, honestly

Rok Pušnik

Not but 2 minutes in and I am hooked I have always wanted to know how to play and the logistics of the game in a hexagonal layout, this is perfect…ly suited to distract me from my work!! But I love it!!