“That is why we must not fail to get to the Viceroy. Everything depends on it.” - Padmé Amidala, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace

Negotiations between Naboo and the Trade Federation have collapsed, and the Galactic Senate is unable to intervene. Out of options, Queen Amidala takes matters into her own hands in Star Wars: The Queen’s Gambit! In this game, players juggle four simultaneous battles that reenact The Phantom Menace’s epic conclusion:

• In the fields far from Theed, the Gungans fight a war of attrition against the Trade Federation’s army of infinite battle droids
• In the palace energy reactor, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi duel with the sinister Darth Maul for the fate of the galaxy
• Meanwhile, Padmé and her guards infiltrate the palace to capture the Trade Federation viceroy.
• And up in space Anakin must navigate a swarm of Droid Starfighters to destroy the Droid Control Ship and deactivate every battle droid in the system

Despite the chaos, Queen’s Gambit is easy to learn and enjoyable for Star Wars fans of all ages. And its three-story palace board is quite a spectacle! Sadly, this game has been out of print for decades, which means that playable copies are few and far between. If you plan to compete in the tournament, PLEASE be sure to bring a copy if you have one.

Tournament Format:

During the Heats, if there are insufficient copies of the game, priority for play will go first to those who have brought a copy of the game, and second to those who have not played in any previous Heat. From there, a die roll will determine which players get to play. Once again, PLEASE bring a copy of the game if you have one!

Players may opt to defer their Heats to a more convenient time later in the week by checking in with the GM at the first Heat to pick up a score sheet. No player may play more than three deferred Heat, and each Heat must be against a different opponent. All score sheets must be returned to the kiosk by 11 PM on the night of the final scheduled Heat.

The tournament will use the Heats Winners Only format. Players may compete in as many Heats as they wish, and all winners will advance to the single-elimination bracket. The bracket will be seeded based on each winner’s total advancement points accumulated in the Heats:

• 4 points for a win in the 1st Heat entered
• 2 points for a win in the 2nd Heat entered
• 1 point for a win in the 3rd Heat entered.
• Players who bring a copy of the game with them receive a 0.25 point bonus to any heat entered, win or lose

Advancement point ties will be broken by number of previous Star Wars: Queen’s Gambit championships won, and then by random die roll. If an odd number of players advance, the highest seeded player(s) will receive a bye to the next round.

Game Format

In all rounds, the players may select sides by mutual agreement. If the players cannot agree, they will proceed to bidding.

If both players wish to play the Naboo, they will be required to bid away 0-5 Palace Guards to acquire the Naboo side. Each player will conceal a six-sided die, select a number of Palace Guards to forfeit, and then both players will reveal their bid simultaneously. Selecting “6” on the die constitutes a bid of “0”. The player forfeiting the most Palace Guards will be the Naboo player. In case of a tied bid, both players will repeat the process with the opportunity to change their bid. If the bid remains tied, one player calls odd or even while the other player rolls a six-sided die. The winning player will play as the Naboo and will remove any palace guards according to the tied bid number.

If both players wish to play the Trade Federation, they will be required to bid away 0-5 Battle Droids on the first floor of Theed Palace to acquire the Federation side. Each player will conceal a six-sided die, select a number of Battle Droids to forfeit, and then both players will reveal their bid simultaneously. Selecting “6” on the die constitutes a bid of “0”. The player forfeiting the most Battle Droids will be the Trade Federation player. In case of a tied bid, both players will repeat the process with the opportunity to change their bid. If the bid remains tied, one player calls odd or even while the other player rolls a six-sided die. The winning player will play as the Trade federation and will remove first floor battle droids according to the tied bid number.

Star Wars: Queen’s Gambit Games usually finish in less than 2 hours, but they can run longer if both players are unlucky. In the unlikely event that the game is not finished with 15 minutes remaining in the round, the players will finish the current round of actions and then the GM will adjudicate based on the board state and the cards in players’ hands. The GM also reserves the right to rule against players who have been stalling or otherwise dragging the game out. If the GM is still unable to come to a decision, the decision will go in favor of the player who owns a copy of the game. I cannot stress this enough, PLEASE bring a copy of the game if you are able.

Rule Clarifications:

1. Card instructions always supersede the rule book
2. Captain Panaka always moves four on a "Rush"
3. Palace Guards always move eight on a "Rush"
4. If the true Queen Amidala is dead, the movement rates of the Decoy Queen and Captain Panaka are not reduced to two - only palace Guard movement is affected
5. Window Ledge movement is possible from the second to the third floor, and vice versa, at both ends of the palace
6. Palace Guards, Queens and Panaka are not required to start on a window ledge to use window ledge movement
7. There are many card interactions during play. All card actions must be completed unless the player declares a pass, in which every action on a particular card must be passed
8. The die roll for a "Riposte" must be rolled. A "Riposte" cannot be blocked. On a Darth Maul "Rage" or a Jedi "Fury," the character may move up to 12 and use three attack dice and then move up to 12 and use three attack dice a second time
9. On a "Use the Force" play, a player may discard any number of cards desired. The new replacement cards drawn must all come from the same deck. When Droids are transferred from the Battlefield to Theed Palace, they must all originate in the same Battlefield hex. If there are insufficient "Staging Zone" spaces on the first floor of Theed Palace to accommodate all the Droids leaving the Battlefield hex, the excess Droids are eliminated
10. When Battle Droids or Destroyer Droids transfer to Theed Palace, they may be placed in any vacant hex in the "Staging Zone" regardless of the location of other Trade Federation or Naboo pieces
11. When Battle Droids or Destroyer Droids transfer to Theed Palace, they may not shoot after they are placed
12. New Battle Droids or new Destroyer Droids may not shoot on the turn they are deployed from an MTT
13. AAT and MTT may never enter a "Gungan Shield" hex, regardless of whether it is a split shield hex or a full shield hex
Catwalk Movement - see page 10 of rules: Jedi/Maul may move from the center catwalk square that borders each catwalk to any of the four adjacent squares and vice versa. They may only change catwalks by passing through the center square first,/li>
14. A unit on a staircase may ONLY attack: (a) an opposing unit on the staircase space either above or below the attacker or (b) an opposing unit in the adjacent palace floor hex. Similarly, a unit on a staircase may ONLY be attacked by (a) an opposing unit on the staircase space either above or below the attacker or (b) an opposing unit in the adjacent palace floor hex. Standing in a staircase blocks line of sight across the palace floor as if there were a door between the staircase hex and the adjacent hex

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