SHADOW CHESS

THE OBJECTIVE

Lead the human warriors against a dark elf general. Pick one of four generals, each with its own openings and fighting style, and a skill level from Squire to Grandmaster. Every capture is a duel: the attacker strikes and the defender falls. Checkmate the Dread Lord for a big bonus; win faster for more.

HOW TO SCORE

• First choose your foe: one of four dark elf generals, and a skill level from Squire (1) to Grandmaster (5). The level multiplies every point you score. Then tap a warrior and tap one of the glowing squares, or drag it there. Red rings mark pieces you can take.
• You lead the humans (white) and move first. Normal chess rules apply: castling, en passant and promotion (you choose the new piece). Checkmate wins; stalemate, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule or bare kings draw. A battle that passes 150 enemy moves ends in a truce. You have an hour on your own clock (top right): it runs only while it is your move, and stops for battles, check pauses and the general's turns, so animations never cost you time. Running out of time loses.
• Every capture is a duel: the attacker strikes and the defender falls. Tap to skip a battle, or switch to Quick fights to see the duel on the board. Hint shows a strong move for a small cost.
• Points, multiplied by the level: 100 a footman, 300 a knight or priest, 500 a bastion, 900 the sorceress, 50 a check, 300 a promotion, 5,000 for checkmate plus 50 for every move under 80, and 1,500 for a draw. A loss keeps what you took. The four generals are original characters, each with its own opening book and style.
• Ranked play is rated like real chess: the leaderboard ranks Elo ratings, not points. Everyone starts at 1200. Each general has a measured rating at every level (Squire 280–380, Soldier 730–940, Captain 1190–1270, Warlord 1450–1490, Grandmaster 1730–1820), shown on the level buttons. As under FIDE rules, you may challenge any general rated up to 400 above your rating (stronger ones unlock as you climb; practice is always open), and a gap over 400 counts as 400. Each win, draw or loss moves your rating by up to 32. Ending a battle early with End & save counts as resigning.

CONTROLS

Read the SHADOW CHESS strategy guide ↗

Click a piece, then a square (or arrows and Enter) · 1–4 promote · H hint (costs points) · Space skips a battle

Tap a warrior, then tap a glowing square. Drag works too.

Controller: A / × selects · X / □ hint · Y / △ quick battles · shoulders / triggers promote 1–4. Start / Options pauses or resumes. Release held controls after pausing.

Use a controller with a standard browser mapping. Press and release a button to connect; A / × or Start plays. Keyboard and mouse remain available.

P / Escape pauses the game. Switching tabs or windows pauses automatically. Rounds start, and resume, after a 3-2-1 countdown.

The daily starting seed resets at 00:00 UTC. Pausing stops the game; End & save on the pause screen banks an endless run. Ranked rounds must finish saving within 2 hours of starting.

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