Setup
Base rules: chess, except where this guide says otherwise. Use the usual 8×8 chess starting position. White moves first.
Atomic Chess
Captures explode nearby pieces. Win by destroying the opposing king or delivering atomic checkmate.
No one is playing yet0 waiting rooms
Moves and captures
A capture removes the capturing piece, the captured piece and all non-pawn pieces on the eight adjacent squares. Adjacent pawns survive. Other movement follows chess.
Winning and draws
Exploding the opposing king wins immediately. Checkmate also wins. Stalemate is a draw, and king against king is drawn automatically. 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 king can never capture, and no capture may explode your own king. When the two kings stand next to each other, neither king is in check. Exploding the opposing king wins even if your own king is in check.
Read the full guide
Board setup, special rules and winning conditions for Atomic Chess.
Capturing a piece beside the enemy king explodes that king, provided your own king is outside the blast.
A quick guide to Atomic Chess
Read the Atomic Chess rulesWhat is Atomic Chess?
Atomic Chess is a chess variant in which every capture causes an explosion. Exploding the enemy king wins. The capturing piece, the captured piece and all non-pawn pieces on the eight surrounding squares are removed. The game uses the standard chess setup, and checkmate also wins. A move may never blow up your own king, so the two kings can stand side by side.
Which pieces are destroyed by an explosion in Atomic Chess?
Every capture removes the capturing piece, the captured piece and all non-pawn pieces of both colours on the eight surrounding squares. Pawns on those squares survive, but a captured pawn and a capturing pawn are always removed. Kings inside the blast are destroyed too.
Can the kings stand next to each other in Atomic Chess?
Yes. While the two kings touch, neither king is in check, because a king can never capture and any capture next to the enemy king would also blow up your own. To win from there you must separate the kings or explode a piece next to the enemy king while yours is outside the blast.
Can you win while your king is in check in Atomic Chess?
Yes. A legal capture that explodes the opposing king wins immediately, even if it does not answer a check against your own king. The capture must not destroy your own king, and your king itself can never make the capture.
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 Atomic Chess on one deviceWhich rules apply here?
Atomic Chess. 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 Atomic Chess 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.