Thank you for watching Better Than Chess? - Paco Sako - How to Play and Review by Board Game Nation. What do you think? Is Paco Sako better than Chess? Video Addendums: Paco Sako Component Specs: Included board is 17.75" sq., each square is 2 1/8", the King is 3 1/8" tall, and the base is 1.5" in diameter (paired or alone). For comparison, the standard USCF tournament set has 2.25" squares and a king's height of 3.75" with a base of 1.75". So, Paco Sako's board is very slightly smaller than the tournament board and the King (and other pieces) are about 1/2" shorter. This is actually a good thing. Because you'll be moving pieces together and apart frequently, the extra space between the pieces will be very helpful. Any bigger and the board would feel very crowded.
@@BoardGameNation I ended up buying a copy from my local Amazon because it was like two bucks cheaper with their current coupon. Thanks for the recommendation.
High quality vid! You're funny, dude! Great editing and content. Knew I could trust you when I saw Azul over your shoulder. I bought Paco Sako at a gift shop because I was high and got super curious 🤣 I'm not great at chess but I love board games, puzzles, and strategy. Can't wait to break this out at the next board game night!
@@PacoPeter61 I get that. We won't be at Origins this year, but we do plan to attend Gen Con. We will keep a look out for the Nutt Heads booth and Paco Sako!
Paco Sako looks like a great game! Chess scares me, but I think I might really enjoy this. Gary has outdone himself with this video. It’s as beautiful and engaging as he makes the game. Great job! Looks like a great game! I mean, who doesn’t love to dance! 😊
My wife and i bought this on a lark. After one night of playing 4 games we determined that neither of us want to play classic chess again. We both envision it as a grand ballroom where the pieces dance with each other, some taking the lead while the king watches, waiting for his true queen to come into his arms. Weather she be a pawn or nobilty doesnt matter. This is a game of love and strategy like no other before. Please. Give this ruleset a chance.
Thanks for sharing, very well explained. What happens when a union moves into a union? for example a white pawn/black pawn union moves diagonally into a white bishop/black pawn union?
If I am understanding correctly, that doesn't sound like a legal move in this game. A player can't move a union into a union. The players piece that is moving would need a piece that was not in a union to "cut in" to the union, freeing up the piece to move into another union or to another unoccupied legal square. Look again at the End Game example in the video that starts at 7:54. You'll notice that the "dance" sequence started with a pawn that was not in a union. I hope that helps! You can find more at pacosako.com. Thanks for watching!
For the most part, that's correct. There are a few details surrounding the en passant rules and I think the explanation of the "dance" ability are also important. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for letting me know. I was curious because I haven't published the video yet. :) While I have you, can you please confirm that I explained all the rules correctly? I want to be 100% certain before I publish the video on my channel.
I'm from the Netherlands, like Felix Albers, who invented this game (and yes, you pronouncedit correctly as 'Patso Shaako'). I'm not familiar with the version of the game you're showing, because down here the retailers sell copies in a small box of a shape, from which you'd expect to only find playing pieces inside, but also inside there is actually a folded board made of tyvek, a synthetic paper-like material. It has it's advantage comparing to the cardboard board you're having because of the slight colored additions on the squares, which gives a little more contrast between the squares and the pieces, but at the same time that's a disadvantage as it distracts players from deep strategic gameplay, just like it would in chess. With contrast in mind, I don't like any retail version of the board as I'd want to, because the squares and the pieces of the basic set fully match in color, and that is not a good thing, as chess players will know and understand. I would have preferred one of them, either the squares or the pieces in the basic set, to be beige and brown, while the others are still black (or gray) and white. There are a number of sets of pieces in other colors available for purchase on Paco Sako's own webstore, but as analytic as I am in this kind of game, I can't really take dominant colors like pink, green, red or yellow very seriously. I have discussed some rules I've had some issues with in the past with the designer himself in person, who admitted that the finer details of rules are still constantly in development. And as a thanks for sharing my thoughts with him he gave me a free wooden Paco Sako board, which is nice, allthough the edges of the pieces tend to scratch the surface a little too much for my taste, which makes me uncertain if playing with it is wise because of some serious possibility of damage to the board and/or pieces. I tend to speak to Mr. Albers more often to discuss some more rules issues I might have, as well as things like how to do notations of chains, how to play with a chess clock without it being unbalanced because of long chains, what specific rules there are for the 'touching is moving' aspect of the game (especially with unions and chains), and if there is some interest in a campaign to introduce this game on a big scale, like what happened to traditional chess (I want to see some championships being held, some masters and grandmasters of chess to be challenged at this game, and masters and grandmasters of this game to rise; seriously, this game has the potential to become a real sport). That rulesheet is not what my copy comes with. Instead, it is a paperback 'blocknote'-like rulebook with an index and only one diagram per page with a visual example of the explanation of a specific rule. It's quite thick for what the game represents, but this version has been cared for much more than the sheet you're showing. Unfortunately,this game is not very well known yet, but it's really very good. I think that the chains make this game even deeper and more difficult to master than normal chess, and that's why I think this could become a sport as well as it's a game. I would really like to see Magnus Carlsen to get a crack at this game; perhaps against Felix Albers himself. That would be really great to see.
I like you. You are like this voice on my shoulder pulling me back to work on the channel. I am working on a number of project right now. Some for BGN, some for clients in other areas. When the 1940 video is ready, I also plan to release a full set of custom designed player sheets. There will be three sets: Europe, Pacific, and Global. Each power will have their own custom sheet with all the info each power will need to keep the game moving smoothly and keep good records of the game they can use for post game analysis. These sheets take a lot of work and play testing. So, I plan to make the different sets available on Etsy as a digital download for a small fee. What do you think?
Good question. I should have included that in the video. I will add the info below to the pinned comment. Check out the exact details below, but you shouldn't have any problem using the Paco Sako pieces on any board that is anywhere close to the standard size. Thanks for watching and for your question! Paco Sako Component Specs: included board is 17.75" sq., each square is 2 1/8", the King is 3 1/8" tall, and the base is 1.5" in diameter (paired or alone). For comparison, the standard USCF tournament set has 2.25" squares and a king's height of 3.75" with a base of 1.75". So, Paco Sako's board is very slightly smaller than the tournament board and the King (and other pieces) are about 1/2" shorter. This is actually a good thing. Because you'll be moving pieces together and apart frequently, the extra space between the pieces will be very helpful. Any bigger and the board would feel very crowded.
Hi, great video. I was wondering. How did you go about with remembering which pawns got promoted to which pieces. I’m assuming that there weren’t any extra queens available. This is my only concern with the game as is. Edit: I just saw the part of your video that showed that in fact it came with an extra queen. Have you ever had a game where there were multiple promotions for one player?
I haven't had that happen to me yet, but I imagine that I would for the same thing do in regular chess. I would grab some other random object (a coin, a meeple, etc) and place it on the board. Thanks for watching!
Hey! Actually, yes! However, I'm not ready to announce anything just yet. We are going to have a bunch of videos coming out soon. They won't be exactly what I was planning, but they are still going to be pretty cool.
I love your interest and commitment! I am working on the 1940 Europe, Pacific, Global how to play video now. It is a big one and is going to take some time. I am hoping to have it ready in a few weeks.
@@BoardGameNation thanks U are a very nice rule explainor I am after ur life since 1 year🤣for rule videos I know all the rules but want to confirm through ur videos
@@BoardGameNation that is great news I have 2 more questions this strategy video is for online one or board game one 2nd question is that when will axis allies global 1940 rule video come
The strategy video will be for both the online and tabletop versions. The 1940 rules video is still coming (it's already mostly written), but production on that is pushed back a bit. A few new sponsors have changed the timeline a bit.
Will you ever do a Axis and Allies 1940 series? Your 1942 series is how I learned the rules quickly and it’s helped me a lot as I recently got 1942 and the 1940 series is on my radar 😄
I picked up copies of both 1940 editions. I'm looking at making a "difference" video comparing 1942.2 and 1940. It would be easier than making a whole new thing. Would that be helpful? Thanks for watching!
I'd love to, but I haven't figured it out yet. As you can see in the background of most of my videos, I have a copy. Sadly, no one in my area plays the game. So, I haven't had a chance to break it out. However, Harsh Rules has made a few videos on the topic that are really good. Here is the link to the first one. ua-cam.com/video/60TyzIXOzZU/v-deo.html Thanks for watching!
Just got this delivered in the mail. It's fine... but the pieces are certainly VERY cheap. Design is super nice! But to say these pieces are as good as any tournament set is, frankly, completely untrue.
I know what you mean. The ones I got felt a little light at first, but then I realized that each piece is ½ of the tournament chess pieces. Put together, they have a similar weight and feel. I should have made that more clear in the video. Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you for watching Better Than Chess? - Paco Sako - How to Play and Review by Board Game Nation. What do you think? Is Paco Sako better than Chess?
Video Addendums:
Paco Sako Component Specs: Included board is 17.75" sq., each square is 2 1/8", the King is 3 1/8" tall, and the base is 1.5" in diameter (paired or alone).
For comparison, the standard USCF tournament set has 2.25" squares and a king's height of 3.75" with a base of 1.75". So, Paco Sako's board is very slightly smaller than the tournament board and the King (and other pieces) are about 1/2" shorter.
This is actually a good thing. Because you'll be moving pieces together and apart frequently, the extra space between the pieces will be very helpful. Any bigger and the board would feel very crowded.
Gary I’m so glad you are back!!!!
Glad to be back! Thanks for watching!
This game looks really fun. Thanks for the review. Can't wait for more videos.
It really is a great game. I hope you'll give it a try.
Thanks for watching! More videos on the way!
I love this game and this video! Board Game Nation for Life!
Haha! Love your dedication!
Thanks for watching!
Interesting take and the piece design is fun.
It is a really good game. Every time I play, it keeps surprising me!
I hope you'll give it a try. Thanks for watching!
You're back! We missed you!
Happy to be back! Thanks for hanging in there with us!
@@BoardGameNation it was worth the wait. This game looks cool.
It really is! I have been playing a ton of it. I hope you'll give it a try.
Thanks for watching!
@@BoardGameNation I ended up buying a copy from my local Amazon because it was like two bucks cheaper with their current coupon. Thanks for the recommendation.
Awesome! After you try a few games, come back and let us know what you think.
Excellent twist on a classic game!
I think so, too. I think it makes it a whole new game!
Thanks for watching!
Loved the video!
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
New upload! Hype!
Thanks for watching! More on the way!
High quality vid! You're funny, dude! Great editing and content. Knew I could trust you when I saw Azul over your shoulder.
I bought Paco Sako at a gift shop because I was high and got super curious 🤣
I'm not great at chess but I love board games, puzzles, and strategy. Can't wait to break this out at the next board game night!
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
Come back and tell us how your group liked Paco Sako!
Glad you are back! So the goal of this game is to hug the enemies king? Interesting....
In a manner of speaking... :)
Good to be back!
@@BoardGameNation which mansion?
Hahaha! You got me!
This weekend (21 june - 25 june 2023) Fellix is at the Origins Game fair in Colombus Ohio. Just for those who want to meet him in real life
Cool! Thanks for letting us know!
Is he planning to be at Gen Con again this year?
@@BoardGameNation don't know yet ..... that depends on holiday planning. Early August is always difficult with family guys.... 😊
@@PacoPeter61 I get that. We won't be at Origins this year, but we do plan to attend Gen Con. We will keep a look out for the Nutt Heads booth and Paco Sako!
Paco Sako looks like a great game! Chess scares me, but I think I might really enjoy this. Gary has outdone himself with this video. It’s as beautiful and engaging as he makes the game. Great job! Looks like a great game! I mean, who doesn’t love to dance! 😊
Very kind! Thanks for watching!
My wife and i bought this on a lark. After one night of playing 4 games we determined that neither of us want to play classic chess again. We both envision it as a grand ballroom where the pieces dance with each other, some taking the lead while the king watches, waiting for his true queen to come into his arms. Weather she be a pawn or nobilty doesnt matter. This is a game of love and strategy like no other before. Please. Give this ruleset a chance.
I love this! What a wonderful testament for this amazing game! Thank you for sharing your story!
Thanks for sharing, very well explained. What happens when a union moves into a union? for example a white pawn/black pawn union moves diagonally into a white bishop/black pawn union?
If I am understanding correctly, that doesn't sound like a legal move in this game. A player can't move a union into a union. The players piece that is moving would need a piece that was not in a union to "cut in" to the union, freeing up the piece to move into another union or to another unoccupied legal square.
Look again at the End Game example in the video that starts at 7:54. You'll notice that the "dance" sequence started with a pawn that was not in a union. I hope that helps!
You can find more at pacosako.com.
Thanks for watching!
1:40 - Paco Sako is the same as regular chess except for these changes
For the most part, that's correct. There are a few details surrounding the en passant rules and I think the explanation of the "dance" ability are also important.
Thanks for watching!
Very useful, thanks
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I say let's play a game shall we?
Happy to! May I ask how you got this link?
@@BoardGameNation Felix has posted it on the official Discord server. Nice review!
Thank you for letting me know. I was curious because I haven't published the video yet. :)
While I have you, can you please confirm that I explained all the rules correctly? I want to be 100% certain before I publish the video on my channel.
I'm from the Netherlands, like Felix Albers, who invented this game (and yes, you pronouncedit correctly as 'Patso Shaako'). I'm not familiar with the version of the game you're showing, because down here the retailers sell copies in a small box of a shape, from which you'd expect to only find playing pieces inside, but also inside there is actually a folded board made of tyvek, a synthetic paper-like material. It has it's advantage comparing to the cardboard board you're having because of the slight colored additions on the squares, which gives a little more contrast between the squares and the pieces, but at the same time that's a disadvantage as it distracts players from deep strategic gameplay, just like it would in chess. With contrast in mind, I don't like any retail version of the board as I'd want to, because the squares and the pieces of the basic set fully match in color, and that is not a good thing, as chess players will know and understand. I would have preferred one of them, either the squares or the pieces in the basic set, to be beige and brown, while the others are still black (or gray) and white. There are a number of sets of pieces in other colors available for purchase on Paco Sako's own webstore, but as analytic as I am in this kind of game, I can't really take dominant colors like pink, green, red or yellow very seriously.
I have discussed some rules I've had some issues with in the past with the designer himself in person, who admitted that the finer details of rules are still constantly in development. And as a thanks for sharing my thoughts with him he gave me a free wooden Paco Sako board, which is nice, allthough the edges of the pieces tend to scratch the surface a little too much for my taste, which makes me uncertain if playing with it is wise because of some serious possibility of damage to the board and/or pieces. I tend to speak to Mr. Albers more often to discuss some more rules issues I might have, as well as things like how to do notations of chains, how to play with a chess clock without it being unbalanced because of long chains, what specific rules there are for the 'touching is moving' aspect of the game (especially with unions and chains), and if there is some interest in a campaign to introduce this game on a big scale, like what happened to traditional chess (I want to see some championships being held, some masters and grandmasters of chess to be challenged at this game, and masters and grandmasters of this game to rise; seriously, this game has the potential to become a real sport).
That rulesheet is not what my copy comes with. Instead, it is a paperback 'blocknote'-like rulebook with an index and only one diagram per page with a visual example of the explanation of a specific rule. It's quite thick for what the game represents, but this version has been cared for much more than the sheet you're showing.
Unfortunately,this game is not very well known yet, but it's really very good. I think that the chains make this game even deeper and more difficult to master than normal chess, and that's why I think this could become a sport as well as it's a game. I would really like to see Magnus Carlsen to get a crack at this game; perhaps against Felix Albers himself. That would be really great to see.
I love all of it! Thanks for watching and for sharing your insights!
You're welcome. I've been a club chess player in the past, so I know some things about issues with color combinations.
Gary how many days to wait for ur new video
I like you. You are like this voice on my shoulder pulling me back to work on the channel. I am working on a number of project right now. Some for BGN, some for clients in other areas.
When the 1940 video is ready, I also plan to release a full set of custom designed player sheets. There will be three sets: Europe, Pacific, and Global. Each power will have their own custom sheet with all the info each power will need to keep the game moving smoothly and keep good records of the game they can use for post game analysis.
These sheets take a lot of work and play testing. So, I plan to make the different sets available on Etsy as a digital download for a small fee. What do you think?
@@BoardGameNation will these custom sheets be visible in ur video
@@aadityatrikha2733 - I will show them briefly to explain their purpose and then direct folks to the Etsy store for a closer look.
@@BoardGameNation Garry just testing ur memory
Guess I am from which country😂😂
@AADITYA TRIKHA - Without looking, I think it is India.
How big are the squares on the included board? Just wondering if it’s feasible to use the pieces with a wooden board I already have.
Good question. I should have included that in the video. I will add the info below to the pinned comment. Check out the exact details below, but you shouldn't have any problem using the Paco Sako pieces on any board that is anywhere close to the standard size.
Thanks for watching and for your question!
Paco Sako Component Specs: included board is 17.75" sq., each square is 2 1/8", the King is 3 1/8" tall, and the base is 1.5" in diameter (paired or alone).
For comparison, the standard USCF tournament set has 2.25" squares and a king's height of 3.75" with a base of 1.75". So, Paco Sako's board is very slightly smaller than the tournament board and the King (and other pieces) are about 1/2" shorter.
This is actually a good thing. Because you'll be moving pieces together and apart frequently, the extra space between the pieces will be very helpful. Any bigger and the board would feel very crowded.
I really want to make a computer version of this game with a really over-the-top combo counter
Check out Pacoplay.com!
Hi, great video. I was wondering. How did you go about with remembering which pawns got promoted to which pieces. I’m assuming that there weren’t any extra queens available. This is my only concern with the game as is.
Edit: I just saw the part of your video that showed that in fact it came with an extra queen. Have you ever had a game where there were multiple promotions for one player?
I haven't had that happen to me yet, but I imagine that I would for the same thing do in regular chess. I would grab some other random object (a coin, a meeple, etc) and place it on the board.
Thanks for watching!
Gary I am back any update on axis allies video
Hey! Actually, yes! However, I'm not ready to announce anything just yet. We are going to have a bunch of videos coming out soon. They won't be exactly what I was planning, but they are still going to be pretty cool.
Gary when will New video on axis allies come
I love your interest and commitment! I am working on the 1940 Europe, Pacific, Global how to play video now. It is a big one and is going to take some time. I am hoping to have it ready in a few weeks.
@@BoardGameNation thanks
U are a very nice rule explainor
I am after ur life since 1 year🤣for rule videos I know all the rules but want to confirm through ur videos
@@aadityatrikha2733 - I appreciate that. Making some progress everyday, but quality takes time. :)
Can you plss make a comparasion between Axis and Allies 1942, 1941 and 1940 global.
I'm working on something very similar now! I hope to have them out soon.
Thanks for watching!
Garry any update on axis allies
Yes! We should have our first Axis strategy video for 1942.2 coming out next week. It should be fun!
@@BoardGameNation that is great news
I have 2 more questions this strategy video is for online one or board game one
2nd question is that when will axis allies global 1940 rule video come
The strategy video will be for both the online and tabletop versions.
The 1940 rules video is still coming (it's already mostly written), but production on that is pushed back a bit. A few new sponsors have changed the timeline a bit.
@@BoardGameNation ok I hope that video will also come soon
U are a very good explainor of rules and a very nice person
Very kind.
Will you ever do a Axis and Allies 1940 series? Your 1942 series is how I learned the rules quickly and it’s helped me a lot as I recently got 1942 and the 1940 series is on my radar 😄
I picked up copies of both 1940 editions. I'm looking at making a "difference" video comparing 1942.2 and 1940. It would be easier than making a whole new thing.
Would that be helpful?
Thanks for watching!
@@BoardGameNation that sounds cool, love your videos 👍
I'm on it. Thanks!
Garry can u send me link for axis allies 1939 version rules
Yup. Here you go!
boardgamegeek.com/thread/1586468/axis-and-allies-global-1939-variant-setup
Apologize if it's been asked, but what happens if a union enters the space of another union?
That would not be possible. Only solo pieces can dance into a union.
Thanks for watching!
Gary waiting for axis allies global 40 rules
I'm working on a "difference" video between 1942.2 and 1940.
@@BoardGameNation wow so when can we expect difference video
That is a good question. Some time in the next few weeks is my goal.
Board game nation explain war room board game rules
I'd love to, but I haven't figured it out yet. As you can see in the background of most of my videos, I have a copy. Sadly, no one in my area plays the game. So, I haven't had a chance to break it out.
However, Harsh Rules has made a few videos on the topic that are really good. Here is the link to the first one. ua-cam.com/video/60TyzIXOzZU/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching!
Just got this delivered in the mail. It's fine... but the pieces are certainly VERY cheap. Design is super nice! But to say these pieces are as good as any tournament set is, frankly, completely untrue.
I know what you mean. The ones I got felt a little light at first, but then I realized that each piece is ½ of the tournament chess pieces. Put together, they have a similar weight and feel. I should have made that more clear in the video.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts.
So where's the AI to play against?!😂
I see what you did there! 😂😂
I don't know about AI play, but you can play here with other folks: pacosako.com/pacoplay
Thanks for watching!