3WC-online Theta version (threewaychess.org) Board.   You can use 3WC-online to
see how the pieces move, or actually play a game. Theta version by Dave Pidgeon now installed.       
[Further Board enhancements and testing will be none incrementally during the next few weeks;  (Dec 3-2009)].      

To Learn or Practice:                                                   

Right click on a piece to see where it can move -- cells light up to show you, as follows:
      Dark blue cells are accessible (this player has the current move).
      Light blue cells would be accessible if it were the player's turn to move.
      Yellow indicates a possible en passant capture (if done before that player's next move).
 Left-click-and-drag to move a piece to a new location; if it's an illegal move, or done out of turn, it will be rejected.
 To promote a pawn (when it reaches a live opponent's home row), click its cell until the desired replacement piece appears, then type Alt+p.
  To see the 3WC chess coordinates for any cell, left click on that cell and press the spacebar. (The coordinates are given in all three players' reference frames).
To Play:  General.  Three players (or two or one), sitting around this demo display, can actually play a game by taking turns moving the pieces. This has two benefits:      The computer checks each move to see if it conforms to the rules for that piece. (Sophisticated rules, like king protection, are not yet checked and so must currently be enforced by the players).      The computer also keeps a Game History  which can be displayed at any time by pressing Alt+h. Parts or all of the history can be highlighted, copied, and pasted into a text file to save a personal record of interesting segments of play. (In the future, special History files can be downloaded and subsequently uploaded and input to the Demo Board to recreate games and/or restore board positions.) Stages I & II.  As explained in the rules, players should decide at the start whether their game will be played as First Mate ("First Blood") or Last Mate ("Last One Standing"). A First Mate game is over as soon as any player is defeated** . In a Second Mate game, the remaining two players continue competing until a second player is defeated**. A total of three chess points are awarded in a two-stage game, two for Stage I and the third for Stage II. These points are divided among the players according to their relative accomplishments (see the rules and the supplementary essay on principles). Basically, the effort and accomplishment in a three-player struggle (Stage I) is approximately equal to that of two standard (two-way) chess games, and the remaining battle (Stage II) equals one further standard  game.  The full 3WC game consisting of both Stage I and II is considered the most challenging form of play, requiring the most advanced skill.***      The Demo Board will now switch from three-sided to two-sided play.  After one of the three players is defeated, ending Stage I, the struggle between the two remaining players can now continue as a two-player game (Stage II). If the defeated player's King was captured, this happens automatically.  If the defeated player was checkmated or resigned, the Demo Board cannot yet detect this and must be "informed". This is done by  (a) clicking on the defeated army's King (not Queen), (b) typing alt-r;  this will cause that king and his entire army to "fall" (the icons will be rotated 90 degrees) and the pieces become immobile but can still be captured in the usual manner. Stage II then starts with whichever (surviving) player would have been next to move.**** [A distinction between alt-r for "King Resigns" and alt-m for "King Checkmated" is being implemented. Detailed definitions of resignation, checkmate, stalemate, and two-player ties in Stage I are now covered in the rules, (version 2.1 and later). ]      Making official declarations. We will soon install a mechanism for players to enter official statements into the Game History. This will be used to issue the traditional official warnings ("Check! -- Gray is now in check from White") and official declarations of checkmate ("Checkmate! -- Gray is now checkmated by Black.", or "Checkmate! -- White is now checkmated by Black and Gray acting jointly.").   *  Moves are listed using 3WC chess notation (see Three-way Chess Rules and/or download a small map or large map.)  The history is in 'absolute' coordinates, which are based on White's home row, but the relative coordinates for all three colors can be obtained by clicking on any cell and pressing the spacebar.   ** or there is a tie or stalemate; clarified definitions of tie and stalemate will be provided in version 2.1 of the Rules, currently under review. These should be posted in the next 7-10 days. *** When three players agree from the start to this double depth of confrontation, it deepens their Stage I play by forcing them to think further ahead and make subtler strategic decisions. At its conclusion, it also gives a better indication of the relative strength of all three players. However, it is particularly demanding. Players who complete Stage II must invest a total time and competitive effort approximately equal to three traditional chess games. In this respect, it is more like agreeing to a three-person tournament. But potentially, the heaviest demands are in the level of play required. While 3WC might offer more entertaining interactions when played at a relaxed low level (because of its greater social dimension), its higher levels of play can demand extraordinary cognitive ability and interpersonal subtlety; at the highest levels, it becomes a challenge appropriate for multiply gifted geniuses (see Kinds of Thinking Required). **** It is also possible to remove one of the three kings at the start of a game. It then becomes an isolated Stage II type game. This is sometimes done if only two players are available to play.