Rules
How to play
It is chess. Every rule you know still holds. On top of it, each turn you hold a hand of cards that can move, strike, shield or rewind.
Your turn
Three beats, then your opponent gets a chance to answer.
- 1DrawDraw 1 card. Behind by 4 or more material? Draw 2.
- 2PlayPlay up to 2 cards you can pay for. Optional.
- 3MoveMake one legal chess move. Not optional.
- !ReactYour opponent may answer with a Reaction or Finale.
- Cards are optional. The chess move is not.
- Your turn ends once your move resolves.
- White moves first, as in chess.
Command & Guard
Two pools. Spending on offense now means less defense on your opponent's turn.
Command
- Starts at 2 and grows by 1 every turn, up to 6.
- Refills at the start of each of your turns.
- Pays for Action, Movement, Trap and Passive cards.
Guard
- +1 at the start of your turn, plus all the Command you didn't spend.
- Never more than 4.
- Pays for Reaction and Finale cards on the enemy turn.
Watch the rival's Guard. Zero Guard means no reaction is coming.
Playing cards
Two cards per turn
Play up to two cards in your main phase, as long as you can pay for them.
Movement is your move
A Movement card such as Step 2 is your chess move for the turn. Play your Actions first, then the Movement card last.
Burn
Once per turn, discard a card from your hand for +1 Command.
Comeback draw
Fall 4 or more material behind and you draw an extra card each turn.
Suits
Every card belongs to one of four suits. Each suit has a personality.
Storm
Movement and chaos. Extra steps, sideways pawns, dizzy pieces, mass marches.
Blade
Aggression. Marks, snares, stolen moves, captures through lines.
Crown
Defense. Shields, traps near your King, denials, King saves.
Clock
Tempo. Card draw, delays, rewinds and second chances.
Timings
The timing on a card says when you can play it and which pool pays.
| Timing | When | Paid with |
|---|---|---|
| Action | Main phase. It resolves, and then you still make your chess move. | Command |
| Movement | Main phase. It counts as your chess move, so play it last. | Command |
| Trap | Set it now. It fires later, when its trigger happens. | Command |
| Passive | A lasting effect that holds for a few turns. | Command |
| Reaction | On the enemy turn only, in a reaction window. | Guard |
| Finale | King saves: answer a check or a checkmate. | Guard |
Royal Escape, Pocket Shield, Shield King and Reverse Time can answer a check, not only a checkmate.
Fair play
The guard rails that keep cards from deleting chess.
- No card can capture a King. Checkmate has to be earned on the board.
- Step cards stop as soon as they capture or give check.
- Multi-piece cards move each piece one square and stop on check.
- Rare and stronger cards can't target squares next to a King.
- Crownfall can take any piece except the King and the Queen.
- Rollback cards are limited per match.
The deck
Rarer cards appear less often. When your deck runs out, the discard pile is shuffled back in.
| Rarity | Copies | After use |
|---|---|---|
| Common | ◆◆◆ | Discard pile |
| Uncommon | ◆◆ | Discard pile |
| Rare | ◆◆ | Discard pile |
| Epic | ◆ | Discard pile |
| Legendary | ◆ | Banished |
| Ultra Legendary | ◆ | Banished |
Winning
Checkmate wins
Checkmate the enemy King. The defender gets one last Finale window first, so a mate is only final once they can't answer it.
Draws
Stalemate, insufficient material and the fifty-move rule are draws, exactly as in chess.
Playing online
- Create Room. Open Online Match and choose Create Room. You get a room code.
- Share the code. Send it to your friend however you like.
- Friend joins. They paste the code into Join with a code. The match starts.
No port forwarding or router setup. Windows and Mac players can play each other.
The fastest way to learn is the 12-step tutorial inside the game. Ready?
Download free beta