User summary
Laser Chess was published as type-in source code in Compute!'s Atari ST Disk & Magazine magazine as Modula-2 source code, written by Mike Duppong, intended for an Atari ST computer. It was the grand prize winner of a programming competition. Combined BASIC and machine language source code listings for a variety of other platforms subsequently were published in Compute! Issue 85, June 1987.
Players take alternating turns. Players control multiple pieces on a chessboard (the pieces do not move as in traditional chess). Most pieces have a "laser" on one side and mirrors on the other sides. Special other pieces act as "teleporters". On each turn, each player can make two "moves" - moving a piece one square, rotating a piece ninety degrees, or firing a laser. The laser is capable of destroying a piece but also is subject to being reflected (along pathways that can become quite complex).
The game was quite popular and spawned multiple (unofficial) ports, imitators, and variants.