Setup
Base rules: chess, except where this guide says otherwise. Use the usual 8×8 chess starting position. White moves first. Kings are ordinary capturable pieces.
Antichess
Win by losing your pieces. Capturing is compulsory whenever a capture is available.
No one is playing yet0 waiting rooms
Moves and captures
Pieces move as in chess, but every turn with a possible capture must be a capture. Choose freely between available captures. There is no check, checkmate or castling.
Winning and draws
You win when you have lost all your pieces, or when it is your turn and you have no legal move. A player may claim a draw after the same position occurs three times, or after 50 moves by each side without a capture or pawn move. Neither rule ends the game automatically.
Special rules
A pawn reaching the last rank may also promote to a king. The king has no royal safety restriction.
Read the full guide
Board setup, special rules and winning conditions for Antichess.
If a pawn can capture diagonally, you cannot choose a quiet rook move instead.
A quick guide to Antichess
Read the Antichess rulesWhat is Antichess?
Antichess, also called Losing Chess, is a chess variant in which the goal is to lose all your pieces. It starts from the normal 8×8 position and White moves first. Capturing is compulsory whenever possible, and there is no check, checkmate or castling. The king is an ordinary piece, and you win when you have no pieces or no legal move left.
Is capturing compulsory in Antichess?
Yes. If any capture is available, you must make a capture, including en passant. When several captures exist, you may choose any of them. Only the board moves you are allowed to make are highlighted, so a quiet move is not offered while a capture is possible.
Can a pawn promote to a king in Antichess?
Yes. Because kings are ordinary pieces in Antichess, a pawn reaching the last rank can become a king, queen, rook, bishop or knight, and the promotion panel offers all five. A side may therefore have several kings, and any of them can be captured.
What happens if you have no legal move in Antichess?
You win. In Antichess, being unable to move on your turn is a win, just like losing all your pieces. This is the opposite of normal chess, where stalemate is a draw. Draws by threefold repetition or the 50-move rule happen only if a player claims them.
How can I play with a friend?
Share one device for a local game, or choose the friend option above to create an online room and send its invitation. Online games need an internet connection. Local games are saved in this browser.
Play Antichess on one deviceWhich rules apply here?
Antichess. Read the setup, legal moves, special rules and end conditions before starting. The guide describes the variant used on ChessPlayX, including differences from other versions where relevant.
Read the Antichess rulesCan I play against AI?
Choose AI mode to practice at your own pace. Start with a lower difficulty while learning the moves, then increase it when you can spot threats and plan your replies.