A strange little side quest
Necrochess belongs to a much longer story of play than a browser tab might suggest. The word 'checkmate' is linked to the Persian expression 'shah mat', used when the king was trapped. A second detail makes the picture even better: In 1958, Tennis for Two used an analog computer and an oscilloscope to turn simple physics into a playable tennis-like demonstration. That history is one reason familiar mechanics can still feel new when they are recombined well.