Taiki Shinzawa is a well-known figure in the realm of Japanese trick-takers. He’s responsible for a thick catalog of formidable offerings, including American Bookshop, Inflation! and Charms, Maskmen, 9 Lives, and one of my absolute favorites, Ghosts of Christmas.

Tower Chess is not a trick-taking game. It’s a varietal of chess — bet you couldn’t see that one coming — and it’s eminently agreeable.

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