Spice is the first expansion pack to Chess. Released in Fall 2003, the initial Wave 1 pack included tarragon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Mechanics[]
Spice allows Food to be imbued with new flavors for a number of different effects. Enterprising players can also establish trade routes across the board to gain points toward an Economic Victory.
20th Anniversary Edition[]
In Fall 2023, a 20th Anniversary Edition rerelease of the Spice expansion pack was released. Fan reaction was generally mixed. Many players were happy to finally be able to use the Spice pack in Chess gameplay, since its price had over time substantially risen on the secondary market, while others decried the devaluation of the expansion.
Twitter controversy[]
On September 23rd, 2023, the official Chess account on Twitter posted the following:
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Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Spice pack with the 20th Anniversary Edition rerelease! 🫚🫚🫚👏 What's YOUR favorite Chess spice? ❓#SpiceInChess |
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— @OFFICIALCHESS21 on Twitter, Sep 23, 2023
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In response, user bulgflip2k14, who had previously made posts endorsing the price drop and criticizing resellers, posted:
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the SALT 😂😂😂😂😂 |
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— @bulgflip2k14 on Twitter, Sep 23, 2023
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This reply unleashed an unprecedented torrent of furor and debate. Many Chess critics considered it a timely and well-aimed response to resellers' complaints, while others objected to its characterization of salt as a spice rather than a mineral. The situation was ultimately resolved when Twitter user @elonmusk weighed in with a reply of "lol", which everyone agreed killed the mood rather quickly.
Other games[]
- In 2004, The Game of Life introduced a similar mechanic known as Variety.