What you are sitting down to
- The opponent
- A man in a fedora, a pinstriped coat and white gloves. The brim keeps his eyes in shadow. When a piece is taken, a red ring flashes on the square for a moment.
- Three levels
- Easy plays like a beginner. Medium looks four moves ahead. Hard searches up to eight moves when it has the time. Change the level any time from the controls at the bottom.
- The room
- A walnut board with a brass border and different wood grain on every square. You hear the knock of each piece, the rustle of his sleeve and a clock ticking somewhere behind you.
- Any screen
- Play with a mouse or a finger. Raise or lower the camera with the slider at the edge of the screen. Nothing to download.
How to play
- Pick a white pieceYou always play White and move first. Tap a piece and its legal squares light up.
- Choose a squareA blue dot is a quiet move. A red ring marks a piece you can take.
- Wait for himHe thinks, lifts a piece and puts it down. Use the speaker button to mute, and New game to start over.
Questions
Does it cost anything?
No. Dark Room Chess is free to play.
Does it need an internet connection?
Yes, when the game loads. It fetches its 3D library from the web, so open it online at least once. Your browser may keep that library afterwards, but offline play is not guaranteed.
Which chess rules are included?
Standard moves, check, checkmate and stalemate. Castling and en passant are not included yet, and a pawn that reaches the last row always becomes a queen.
Can I play Black?
Not at the moment. You play White and the stranger plays Black.
Why is there no sound at first?
Browsers block audio until you touch the page. Tap or click once and the room comes alive. The speaker button mutes everything.
Which browsers work?
Recent versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge on desktop and phone. The game needs WebGL, which they all provide.
Hear about the next game
Leave your email and I will write when Dark Room Chess gets new levels, or when there is a new game. Nothing else, and you can leave any time.
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