Setup
Base rules: chess. Ten pawns face ten pawns. The back rank is rook, knight, bishop, queen, chancellor, king, archbishop, bishop, knight, rook. White moves first.
Gothic Chess
A 10×8 chess variant with an archbishop and a chancellor.
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Moves and captures
The archbishop moves as bishop or knight; the chancellor moves as rook or knight. The king obeys check rules.
Winning and draws
Checkmate wins. Stalemate is a draw. A player may claim a draw after threefold repetition or 50 moves by each side without a capture or pawn move. If neither side has enough material to checkmate, the game is drawn automatically.
Special rules
Castling places the king on file i or c when the usual safety conditions are met. Pawns promote on the final rank and may become an archbishop or chancellor.
Read the full guide
Board setup, special rules and winning conditions for Gothic Chess.
A chancellor may move along an open file or jump like a knight in the same position.
A quick guide to Gothic Chess
Read the Gothic Chess rulesWhat is Gothic Chess?
Gothic Chess is a chess variant on a 10×8 board with ten pawns per side. It adds the archbishop and the chancellor. The archbishop moves as a bishop or knight, and the chancellor as a rook or knight. Its back-rank order differs from Capablanca Chess. Castling puts the king on the c or i file, pawns may promote to either new piece, and checkmate wins.
What is the difference between Gothic Chess and Capablanca Chess?
Only the starting position differs. Gothic Chess puts the chancellor on e1 beside the queen and the archbishop on g1 beside the king, while Capablanca Chess has the archbishop on c1 and the chancellor on h1. Pieces, castling, promotion and draw rules are the same.
How does castling work in Gothic Chess?
The king starts on f1 and moves three squares when castling: to i1 with the rook going to h1, or to c1 with the rook going to d1. As in chess, the king may not castle out of, through or into check.
How are draws decided in Gothic Chess?
Stalemate is a draw. After threefold repetition or 50 moves by each side without a capture or pawn move, a player may claim a draw; these draws are not automatic. If neither side has enough material to checkmate, the game is drawn automatically.
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 Gothic Chess on one deviceWhich rules apply here?
Gothic 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 Gothic 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.