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MekoMole

Chess

A no tricks level involving moving large free draggables in white space. Long slow level requiring patience and dexterity. LBot only.

Chess
MekoMole, Aug 24, 2025
delator77 and MekaSage like this.
    • MekoMole
      Assemble the chess pieces as you would on a conventional chess board. Be aware that the pieces are very heavy, even top heavy, in Mekorama terms. Also the pieces have to be lined up and locked together accurately to avoid bots falling off the path or refusing to proceed further.
      The objective of the game is to take all stars and win block using ONE Lbot only.Note that the win block and a percentage of the stars can be taken without assembling the whole lineup. A deliberate shortcut. I am painfully aware of the frustration in having to build the whole lineup to restart, having had to do so scores of times while testing.

      Another MekoMole 'folly' but that's what I do.

      My grateful thanks to Ridgerunner for casting his expert eye over the level, encouraging me to resume posting levels and identifying a careless error on my part which would have caused me serious embarrassment.


      The layout is standard chess, Lto R from front, Rook, Knight, Bishop, King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook. However the pieces are position specific and designed to fit in only one pisiton. The King is fixed. From the back row, looking at back of thr King, move the Rook and the Knight to the right of the King. Move the Bishop to the right of the King looking from the back. Move the bishop to slot with the king then position the Knight and the Ròok. Position the remaing pieces to the right of the King looking from the front.
    • Rating:
      5/5,
      ridgerunner
      This is the first time i have played a fully completable version of the level and it was satisfying getting everything linked and the stars collected. The pieces do look big and imposing when all lined up. I played twice without knocking any pieces over. Great example of Meko art.
    • Rating:
      5/5,
      oiiiriei
      The idea is really cool!:thumbsup:Although it's a bit difficult to control.
    • Rating:
      5/5,
      Denis Nazin
      Beautiful chess:thumbsup:! Thank you my friend ;)
    • Rating:
      5/5,
      delator77
      An excellent level, as you've accustomed us to. The design of the pieces is spectacular. But I have to admit that the main challenge of the level for me was keeping my patience while handling the pieces, which would wobble or move out of their formation at the slightest touch, forcing me to start over. I was on the verge of giving up, but my stubbornness and perseverance paid off in the end. The only thing that puzzled me, and why I had to watch your video to see if I was doing something wrong...
      was that I thought that once I had the pieces formed, all I had to do was free L and enjoy his path, but of course, I saw that was impossible. And that's when I realized that I had to move the pieces to create L's path. And that made the game more challenging.
      By the way, before taking on the level, I happened to read Stefan Zweig's short novel "A Novel of Chess" (entertaining and highly recommended), so this afternoon was perfect.Thank you my friend @MekoMole ;) great job!
    • MekoMole
      Thank you @ridgerunner for your patience over the saga of this level. I'm glad you liked the design of the pieces.
    • MekoMole
      Thank you very much @oiiiriei for kind comments and rating. Your assessment of level of difficulty interests me and thank you for your perseverance despite control difficulties. I had reservations about publishing this level but your review makes me glad I did.
    • MekoMole
      @Denis Nazin Thank you Maestro. I know you are always pressed for time so your response to a long experimental level is very welcome.
    • MekoMole
      Thank you @delator77 for your morale boosting review. I was conscious that this level might test the patience of even the most dedicated players but as always my three Musketeers have risen to the challenge and demolished my efforts. The level is not intellectually challenging but does require patience and a measure of dexterity. I'm delighted that you persevered but also conscious that I have taken up a lot of your time and patience.
      Early versions did have a straight LBot run but I decided that was too boring hence the sliding chess pieces.
      I will look out for the novel you mentioned. Still working spasmodically on Don Quixote. Undecided whether to depict in satirical or heroic mode. Given my advancing years I think he was heroic?
    • delator77
      @MekoMole A mix of both. "Don Quixote" is a hero... in his own way, jajaja. I read it in the original Spanish in which Cervantes wrote it in the 17th century, and obviously it was a difficult read until I began to familiarize myself with the terms of that era. Then I understood why it's a classic. One of the best novels I've ever read, and certainly the one I laughed the most at. Alonso Quijano (Don Quixote's real name) is a man with a big heart who went mad from reading so many novels about knights. And these are his adventures alongside his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, to whom he promised an island in payment for his loyalty. It's a story that is both endearing and tragic. It should be essential reading in a person's life.:)
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  • Album:
    MekoMole
    Uploaded By:
    MekoMole
    Date:
    Aug 24, 2025
    View Count:
    586
    Comment Count:
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