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Mini ChessBoard & Card · Two Player
How to play Mini Chess
Mini Chess is chess on a five by five board. You get the same pieces (king, queen, rook, bishop, knight and pawns) and they move exactly as in chess, but there is less room, so ideas arrive fast and a game takes minutes. Pawns step one square at a time, there is no castling, and a pawn that reaches the far rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight of your choice. Checkmate wins; stalemate, threefold repetition, fifty quiet moves or too few pieces are draws.
Play against a bot with four levels (Rookie, Club, Sharp, Master), or pass and play with a friend. A move list, undo, hints and a check highlight help you learn. A puzzle mode has 40 mate-in-one and 40 mate-in-two positions, each with one winning move.
Stats, puzzle progress, settings and your unfinished game are saved on your device, so you can close the tab and come back later. The game runs in the browser with no download and no account.
Controls
Click a piece, then a highlighted square. Arrow keys + Enter also work. U undo, H hint, N new game, M sound, Esc menu.
Tap a piece, then a highlighted square. Buttons below the board: Undo, Hint, New game, Menu.
FAQ
How does Mini Chess differ from normal chess?
The board is five by five. Pieces move as in chess, but pawns step one square only, there is no castling and no en passant. Promotion gives a queen, rook, bishop or knight of your choice.
How strong is the bot?
There are four levels. Rookie plays at random-ish depth one, Club looks two moves ahead, Sharp four, and Master searches up to eight moves deep. Master is a real test but can be beaten.
What are the puzzles?
Eighty positions: forty mate-in-one and forty mate-in-two. Each has exactly one winning first move. Wrong moves are taken back and the Hint button shows the winning move.
Is my game saved?
Yes. Your stats, puzzle progress and an unfinished game are saved on your device, and you can continue from the menu.
Is Mini Chess free?
Yes. It is free to play in your browser, with no download and no account.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. It runs on phones, tablets and computers. Tap a piece, then a highlighted square. Buttons below the board: Undo, Hint, New game, Menu.