About Chess
Play chess on a warden’s war-table. Face a keeper, share the board with another player or solve a fixed trial. Castling, en passant and promotion are included.
How to play
- Goal
- Checkmate the other king.
- How it ends
- A game is won by checkmate or resignation; stalemate, repetition, fifty moves and too little material to mate are draws. In a Trial, mate within the count.
- Record
- Each Trial keeps the fastest first solve; each keeper keeps your fewest moves and fastest win.
- Tap a piece, then one of the marked squares. A pawn reaching the far rank asks what it becomes.
- Keepers: choose one and a colour, then Play. Undo takes back your move and the keeper's answer, but the game then no longer counts for your best. Leave keeps the game for later.
- Trials: find the forced mate in the moves given. The clock starts when the position appears and does not stop, even if you leave.
- Endgames: mate the lone king within the count. A move that is still winning but too slow is refused, with the count it would have needed.
- Two players: both sides on one device, with the board turning each move if you want it to.
Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Click · Tap | Choose a piece, then a square |
| ↑ ↓ ← → | Move between squares |
| Enter · Space | Lift or place a piece |
| U | Take back a move |
| F | Turn the board |
| Escape | Put a piece down, or leave the table |
| R · New game (press twice) | Set out the opening position again; in Trials it is Restart |
Good to know
All 220 Trials are re-proved by the release build's independent check; the keepers' ladder is measured and committed. The game in hand, your solves and keeper bests stay in this browser; the fastest time on each Trial is shared with every player.
