Make your move — this is Check from the Spanish manufacturer Recel, an electromechanical two-player wrapped in a chess theme, one of the European makers whose machines form a fascinating chapter of pinball’s global story. With reel scoring, it’s an intriguing continental machine with a genuinely drop-heavy playfield and a distinctly European flavor.
The layout is defined by an impressive complement of drops: two flippers, two pop bumpers, an eight-bank of drop targets, and a six-bank of drop targets. That combination of an eight-bank and a six-bank is the machine’s calling card — fourteen drop targets in all, giving a sharp-shooting player a formidable and deeply satisfying set of objectives to clear, a real test of accuracy fitting for a game about the strategic battle of chess. The two pop bumpers keep the ball lively up top, all in service of the cerebral chess theme. It’s a target-rich design that rewards precise, methodical shooting, mirroring the calculated play of the board game it celebrates.
This Recel Check is a fine example of the broader, international sweep of pinball history beyond the familiar American names — and it’s worth noting the maker produced a closely related four-player machine titled Check Mate, so collectors should mind which version they’re chasing. Recel built games with real character, and this chess-themed two-player carries the European flipper tradition with its own distinctive flavor, right down to that big pair of drop banks. For the collector who appreciates the global corners of the hobby, it’s a worthy find. Clear those fourteen drops, ride the bumpers, and win the match. The far corners of pinball history hold plenty of well-built surprises, and this Spanish chess machine is one of them. Make your move and drop a coin.