The conceit of this story is that a chess game is not always just a chess game. Here, it’s a massive space operatic effort with ships in the shape of chess pieces flying at each other and causing destruction on an unimaginable scale. The story bounces back and forth between operations on the chess piece ships and the machinations of the people playing the game, to the detriment of both aspects of the narrative. Great concept, great art, middling execution.

(Heavy Metal issue #30, September 1979 – Page 73 Only Connect: The Spirit of the Game by Alias)