HOW TO PLAY
Battle rules
CritChess keeps the movement and board geometry of classic chess, then replaces instant captures with persistent damage.The five rules that matter
- Move as in classic chess. Pawns, knights, bishops, rooks, queens and kings keep their familiar movement. Castling, promotion and en passant are supported.
- Attacks remove HP. If the defender survives, neither piece changes square and the turn passes.
- A finishing blow captures. When HP reaches zero, the defender is removed and the attacker occupies its square.
- Defeat the king directly. There is no check or checkmate. Victory comes when the enemy king reaches zero HP.
- Kings cannot become adjacent. A king may never move next to the opposing king, preserving the classic restriction against king pressure.
Unit balance
| Piece | HP | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn | 2 | 1 |
| Rook | 5 | 2 |
| Knight | 3 | 2 |
| Bishop | 2 | 3 |
| Queen | 4 | 3 |
| King | 8 | 2 |
Modes and rewards
AI battles award a small number of War Marks. Casual online victories award more, ranked victories award the most, and friend matches award none to prevent farming.
Armies, boards and avatar frames are cosmetic. They never change HP, damage or legal moves.
Plan an attack, not just a capture
A pawn deals 1 damage. Attacking a fresh rook with 5 HP leaves it on its square with 4 HP, while the pawn stays in place and the turn passes. A bishop deals 3 damage: if it later attacks that rook at 3 HP or less, it finishes the rook and occupies its square.
Health persists between turns. Coordinate several pieces against a target, watch which squares a wounded defender still blocks, and remember that a failed finishing attempt gives your opponent a turn to respond.