I invented Chesters at the North Collins Chess Club. I was the odd man out and was tired of losing at chess, so I started thinking about how checkers could be played with chess pieces. Realizing that there are eight pawns for each color, I asked myself, "How could we play checkers with 8 men per side?" A few club participants joined me (after begging them to try my new "variation of checkers" out). The rules evolved with virtually every move. What I wound up with was a great game!
The first problem we had was what to do for kings. It is hard to stack two pawns on top of each other! So, I soon determined that if you get to the other player's first rank, you win the game. However, that was too plain for my liking. I wanted this game to be unique and different.
So, I thought, "How can I make this game something more than 'Checkers Lite'?" Eventually, unique jump rules evolved. Soon after, I thought, "What if you lose all your men? Well, obviously, you should then win the game!" The game wound up with two quasi-opposite ways to win: by reaching the other end of the board... or by losing all your men!
While not loved by everyone at the chess club, Chesters definitely has its fans. It is clearly more than a variation of checkers!