Tomello Visello
United States
Reston
Virginia
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The rules sheet with the Whitman (1965) publication is written by "Sidney Sackson", who says this in the Introduction:
FOCUS is a new game of skill invented by the author. It can be played by two persons, or by four persons playing as partners.
Why, the reader may ask, do we need a new skill game when we already have Chess, Checkers, and others? A good question.
First of all, FOCUS is not Chess, or Checkers, or a cross between them. FOCUS is a new game with a flavor, a feeling, and a method all its own.
FOCUS is much easier to learn than Chess. All the rules can be learned in five mintues. Mastery of the strategy can take a lifetime. But who would want it otherwise?
FOCUS is a fast-moving game. Contact with opponent's playing pieces is immediate, and at the end of the game a small superiority in power can bring about a speedy conclusion. While a draw is a theoretical possibility, the author has not seen one in hundreds of games.
FOCUS can actually be played and enjoyed by four players. Dozens, probably hundreds, of partnership Chess and Checker variations have tried to accomplish this, but they have yet to be successful.
And lastly, FOCUS is, in the completely biased view of the author, a lot more fun to play than any board game of skill that has preceded it.
The Author
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