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Chess Duel

How to Play

Classic chess movement rebuilt as a tactical battle.

Chess Duel keeps familiar chess movement, then adds HP, attack, piece stars, survival after attacks, and skill timing.

First Game Checklist

If this is your first battle, focus on three things: select a piece, read its badges, and attack only when the trade is worth it.

  • Heart badge is current HP. If HP reaches 0, the piece dies.
  • Sword badge is current ATK. This is how much damage the piece deals.
  • Star badge appears after kills. Stars unlock special powers.
  • Click a piece during battle to see its movement, combat role, and skill details.

Win Condition

Checkmate is not the win condition. A king must actually be defeated, or the round limit decides the result.

  • Defeat the enemy king to win immediately.
  • If max rounds are reached, remaining piece value and HP ratio decide the winner.
  • If material is tied, higher king HP wins. Equal king HP is a draw.

Turn Flow

Each turn starts with the chance to use a skill. Once a piece moves or attacks, active skills are locked for that turn.

  • Normal order is Skill -> Move -> Attack -> End Turn.
  • You may skip skills and move immediately.
  • King resurrection ends the turn immediately.
  • In AI Battle, the opponent responds automatically after your action resolves.

Combat

Capturing is no longer automatic. An attack deals damage, and the defender may survive.

  • Attacker reduces defender HP by ATK.
  • If the defender survives, the attacker returns to the original tile.
  • If the defender dies, the attacker occupies the target tile.
  • Queen one-shots non-king pieces, but deals normal damage to kings.

What Is Different From Chess?

The board and movement feel familiar, but the goal is closer to a tactics battle than classic checkmate chess.

  • A threatened king can keep playing until its HP reaches 0.
  • Pieces can survive attacks, so not every capture removes a piece.
  • Kills build stars on the killing piece, creating stronger future turns.
  • Skills must be planned before movement, so timing matters.

Stars

Stars are tracked per piece. The piece that lands the kill gains the star.

  • Kills grant 1 star, up to a maximum of 3.
  • Stars unlock promotion, healing, fortify, resurrection, and Queen relocation.
  • Knight uses stars passively as bonus attack.

Piece Skills

These same details are shown in battle when you click a piece.

♙

Pawn

Frontline piece that can become a Queen.

MovementMoves like a standard chess pawn and attacks diagonally.
CombatBase stats are 2 HP / 2 ATK.
SkillAt 3 stars, can instantly promote to Queen before moving. Instant promotion ends the turn.
  • Normal promotion still happens when a pawn reaches the final rank.
♘

Knight

Jumping attacker that grows through kills.

MovementMoves in the standard L-shape and can jump over pieces.
CombatBase stats are 3 HP / 3 ATK. Stars add attack only.
SkillPassive only: gains +1 ATK per star. At 3 stars, after the next attack, stars reset to 0.
  • Knight stars do not increase HP.
♗

Bishop

Diagonal support piece with healing.

MovementMoves diagonally when the path is clear.
CombatBase stats are 3 HP / 3 ATK.
Skill2 stars: heal self. 3 stars: heal self and cross-shaped adjacent allies.
  • Healing is active and must be used before movement.
♖

Rook

Durable line piece that can become a fortress.

MovementMoves horizontally or vertically when the path is clear.
CombatBase stats are 5 HP / 5 ATK.
Skill2 stars: become immobile, gain one-time invulnerability, and limit attack range to 4. 3 stars: same effect with unlimited rook attack range.
  • Fortify is strongest after the rook already controls an important line.
♕

Queen

High-threat finisher with a kill follow-up.

MovementMoves like a standard Queen: straight or diagonal when the path is clear.
CombatBase stats are 6 HP / 6 ATK. One-shots every non-king enemy piece.
SkillAt 3 stars, killing an enemy opens optional relocation. The Queen may move up to 3 squares along a legal Queen line. Relocation cannot attack. Staying keeps the stars.
  • Against the King, Queen deals normal ATK damage instead of one-shotting.
♔

King

Core piece. If it dies, the game ends.

MovementMoves one square in any direction.
CombatBase stats are 12 HP / 3 ATK.
SkillResurrection must be used before movement and ends the turn. Costs: Pawn 1 star, Knight/Bishop 2 stars, Rook/Queen 3 stars.
  • The King cannot revive another King.
  • Revived allies must spawn in an empty tile within 1 tile of the King.
  • The King gains 1 star every 5 completed turns.