
- BGG rank
- BGG #464
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Chess
- 2 players
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 1475

2017
Rules assistance for Colour Chess + Lure
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Colour Chess + Lure is a board game released in 2017 for 2 players, 20–60 minutes per game, and ages 9 and up. It was designed by Tom Norfolk and its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Tile Placement, and Square Grid.
An abstract strategy game that sees you not only controlling your own pieces, but also determining a lot of your opponent's piece movements through the control of colors. Colour Chess + Lure are played on the same board but with different pieces and goals. Or you can combine the two! Lure is a game of blocking, manipulation and capture that can be played with a different combination of pieces to change up the strategy. Colour Chess keeps the standard rules of chess but adds a second layer of strategy based on the board's colors. This removes a lot of the standard openings of chess and means you have to adapt your strategy to the board each time you play. Colour Chess won a Family and Education Award from Imagination Gaming and has an annual World Championships as part of the Mind Sports Olympiad in London. There is also a free mobile app available. Chess Grandmaster Matthew Sadler on Colour Chess: "Loving it! Very interesting problem to get your pieces developed efficiently while trying to inconvenience your opponent! Lots of fun!"
Colour Chess + Lure supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Colour Chess + Lure is 20–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Colour Chess + Lure for ages 9 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Colour Chess + Lure has a complexity rating of 3.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Colour Chess + Lure belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Tile Placement, and Square Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Colour Chess + Lure are: Tom Norfolk. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Colour Chess + Lure as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.