CHESS VARIANTS / BEGINNER’S GUIDE
Chess with HP
Familiar chess moves. Pieces that can survive a hit. A king you defeat in battle, rather than checkmate.CritChess is currently in closed beta. Reading this guide is open to everyone; playing requires a tester code.
What is chess with HP?
In CritChess, every piece has health points (HP) and a damage value. An attack subtracts damage from the target’s HP. Unlike a capture in classical chess, a hit does not always remove a piece: if the defender survives, both pieces stay on their original squares and the turn passes.
A finishing blow is different. When a target reaches zero HP, it leaves the board and the attacker takes its square. Damage lasts between turns, so several pieces can work together against one defender. Movement still uses the familiar 8×8 board, including the knight’s jump, sliding pieces, pawn promotion, castling and en passant.
The goal is to reduce the enemy king to zero HP. There is no check or checkmate, and kings can approach and attack each other. This is a combat chess variant, not a mode for learning the check restrictions of classical chess.
An attack is not always a capture
Imagine a white pawn on d4 attacking a black rook on e5. The pawn deals 1 damage; a fresh rook has 5 HP.
| Moment | Rook HP | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Before the attack | 5 | Pawn d4; rook e5 |
| After the pawn hits | 4 | Pawn d4; rook e5 |
| Later: a bishop hits the rook at 3 HP | 0 | Bishop takes e5; rook removed |
The final row is a later position, not an immediate second turn. Your opponent gets a turn after the pawn’s attack and may move the wounded rook, strike back or create another threat. Before committing to a hit, ask what your opponent can do with that extra chance.
Piece health and damage
These are the current Standard stats. Choosing a different army or board changes the artwork, never these numbers.
| Piece | HP | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn | 2 | 1 |
| Knight | 3 | 2 |
| Bishop | 2 | 3 |
| Rook | 5 | 2 |
| Queen | 4 | 4 |
| King | 8 | 3 |
Three habits for your first battle
- Count damage before attacking. Compare the target’s current HP with your damage. A non-finishing hit leaves your attacker in place, so it cannot open a line or escape by taking the target’s square.
- Use wounded pieces as pieces, not casualties. A damaged rook still blocks lines and deals its normal damage. Low HP does not reduce attack strength, but it does make a finishing blow easier.
- Coordinate threats. Two attackers can put pressure on one tough defender. Yet every hit costs a turn: moving to a better square can be stronger than dealing damage immediately.
Play the way you prefer
Play against the computer at easy, medium or hard difficulty without a clock. Casual online play can be timed or untimed. Ranked games use mandatory clocks, and private friend rooms let the host choose the time control.
For a different rhythm, try Counterstrike outside ranked: a defender that survives may immediately hit back if its normal attack reaches the attacker’s square. Read the Counterstrike rules before choosing it.
CritChess runs in a browser on desktop, iPhone and Android, with 2D and 3D views. Cosmetics do not grant combat advantages. See the complete rules for draws, special moves and match clocks.