Pixel Chess
Friendly chess with tiny heroes who bonk each other.
▶ Play Pixel ChessFree · plays in your browser on phone, PC or Xbox · no ads in the game
What is Pixel Chess?
Pixel Chess is regular chess with a playful look. The pieces are tiny animated heroes, and when one captures another they stage a short cartoon battle. Underneath the fun it's a complete chess game with all the standard rules, a strong computer opponent and a steady supply of puzzles.
Ways to play
Play a friend online: create a game, choose white, black or random, and pick a chess clock of 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes (or none). Share the link or room code with a friend. Others can join to watch. During a game you can offer a draw, ask for a do-over, resign or start a rematch with colors swapped.
Play the computer: choose your color and one of 5 difficulty levels. The opponent is a lightweight version of the open-source Stockfish engine running in your browser.
Puzzles: solve the daily puzzle or play endless puzzles from the free Lichess puzzle database. Use Hint if you're stuck, or Show solution to learn the idea.
Settings
Choose Heroes (the animated characters) or Classic plain pieces, turn capture battles and checkmate finishers on or off, and switch sound on or off. Your battle style is just for you, so your opponent sees their own choice.
Controls
Desktop: click a piece, then click where it should go. Touch: tap a piece and tap its destination. The board resizes to fit phones and small laptop screens without full screen.
Strategy tips
- Control the center. Pawns and pieces on the middle four squares give you room to move and limit your opponent.
- Develop before you attack. Get your knights and bishops out and castle early, before chasing pawns.
- Check every capture. Before each move, ask what your opponent can capture next, which catches most blunders.
- Use puzzles to train patterns. Daily puzzles build the habit of spotting forks, pins and mates.
- Climb the levels slowly. Beat a computer level a few times in a row before moving up.
A short history of chess
Chess grew out of a game played in India around the 6th century, spread through Persia and the Arab world, and reached Europe about a thousand years ago. The modern rules settled around the late 1400s. Computers changed the game in the 20th century, and today free open-source engines play far stronger than any human. In the late 1980s, computer chess games began animating captures as little fights, an idea Pixel Chess brings back with its own original characters. Pixel Chess isn't affiliated with any other chess product.
Developer's notes
We wanted chess that kids and casual players would enjoy without losing anything serious players need. The battles can be turned off, the engine is genuinely strong at the top level, and the puzzles come from an openly licensed database. The engine credits and licenses are listed in the game.
Recent changes
- Added five computer difficulty levels.
- Added daily and endless puzzles.
- Added a Classic pieces option and battle-style settings.
- Added draw offers, do-over requests and rematches in online games.
- Added the ✎ button for suggesting changes.
If you like this, try these free classics
These link to our Free Classics page, where each game points to its official free source.