Chess Arena
Climb a ladder of eight computer rivals in full-rules chess, from a queenless beginner to a deep-searching champion. Earn stars for quick checkmates, or play a friend on one device.
Chess Arena is a complete chess game with every rule in place: castling, en passant, promotion with a piece picker, check, checkmate, stalemate, the fifty-move rule, threefold repetition and insufficient material. You face a ladder of eight named rivals on a warm walnut and maple board, with smooth sliding pieces, a move list in standard notation, last-move and legal-move highlights, and a satisfying thunk on every capture.
The arena starts gently. Pip plays without a queen and picks moves almost at random, Nell gives rook and knight odds, and Bramble spots you a knight. From Rowan onward the games are even and the computer looks deeper: lower rungs add deliberate noise and the odd blunder, while Quill, Vex and the Grand Owl run a timed alpha-beta search with quiescence that punishes loose pieces. Beating a rival unlocks the next one, and a quick checkmate earns up to three stars per opponent. Undo and three hints per game are there when you need them, but they shave points off your score.
It suits newcomers learning how mates work as well as club players hunting for all 24 stars. Tip: against the odds rungs, trade pieces early, because every swap brings you closer to a simple winning endgame. Switch to 2 Players for pass-and-play chess with a friend.
How to play
Pick an unlocked rival and press Play. You are white. Click or tap a piece to see its legal moves, then click a highlighted square, or drag the piece there. Checkmate the computer to win and unlock the next rival; faster wins earn more stars and a bigger score. Draws and losses let you rematch. Undo takes back your last move and Hint shows a suggested move, but both reduce your score.
Controls
- Mouse / tap: Select a piece, then a highlighted square (or drag it)
- Arrow keys + Enter / Space: Move the cursor and select or move
- U / Z / Backspace: Undo
- H: Hint
- Q R B N or 1-4: Choose a promotion piece
- P / Esc: Pause
- M: Mute
- R: Restart after a game
Category: Board games
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