Chess
Ongoing coverage on Chess.
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Valve's Gambit: Deadlock's chess-playing new hero is its riskiest yet, and it's working
Valve's new hero shooter MOBA, Deadlock, is seeing significant player engagement on Steam, even in its invite-only beta phase, surpassing Team Fortress 2's peak player count. The game's latest character, Solomon, a chess hustler, introduces complex mechanics that allow players to manipulate their team and battlefield using chess pieces, offering a unique and ambitious gameplay experience.
Chessmaster Solomon wins Deadlock City Never Sleeps update's third character vote
Solomon has won the third character vote for the Deadlock City Never Sleeps update. This character utilizes chess-based abilities for defense, offense, and strategic maneuvering. Solomon is now available in Deadlock.
Makruk: Thai Chess - Free Online Browser Game
Makruk: Thai Chess is a browser-based strategy game that offers an engaging experience with no downloads required. It is a Thai board game related to chess, popular in Thailand, featuring an 8x8 board and unique piece movements. The game can be played against AI, locally with another person, or online in multiplayer mode, with the objective being to checkmate the opponent's king.
Pixie Chess Brings On-Chain Strategy to Mobile Browsers, Widening Player Access
Pixie Chess has launched on mobile browsers, allowing players to access the on-chain strategy game directly from their handsets. The game blends traditional chess with collectible piece mechanics, where tournament prize pools are funded entirely by in-game piece sales, which have now surpassed 100 ETH. The game, which previously raised $5.2 million in seed funding led by Paradigm, aims to widen player access and expand its current base of approximately 2,000 active competitors.
Chess With Bombs Hits Twitch: Anichess Books Four Streamers for Sunday Pengu Blast Arena
Anichess is hosting a two-hour "Pengu Blast Arena" event on Twitch this Sunday at 17:00 UTC, featuring streamers Anna-Maja Kazarian, Lile Koridze, ToshQueen, and Afrchess. The event will showcase the "Pengu Blast" spell, which drops up to three bombs across ranks three through six, clearing pieces after three turns. This spell originated from the Pudgy Penguins takeover of Anichess.
Mate’Morphosis – A Clever Twist On Chess?
Mate’Morphosis, an indie puzzle game inspired by chess, has launched for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. The game features a unique mechanic where capturing a piece transforms the player into that piece, altering movement capabilities. Priced at £4.19, it offers 60 handcrafted puzzles with a retro-inspired art style.
Anichess Runs a Nightly $CHECK Tournament All Week, With Four Free Entries
Anichess is hosting daily chess tournaments throughout the week, with four of them offering free entry. The spell format varies each night, ranging from three spells to randomized spells, and a single spell for the entire game on Sunday. The platform, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands and partner of Chess.com, has surpassed 1 million players and features prize money for top performers.
The Sandbox Teams Up With Anichess to Mark International Chess Day With a Voxel Giveaway
The Sandbox has partnered with Anichess to celebrate International Chess Day by offering exclusive voxel chess assets. Players can claim a voxel chess board, pieces, and background by registering on Anichess between July 24 and July 27. This collaboration aims to connect chess fans with The Sandbox's creator community.
The Ouroboros King Is This Week’s Free Mobile Game on the Epic Games Store
The Ouroboros King, a strategic chess roguelike developed by Oriol Cosp, is currently available for free on mobile via the Epic Games Store until July 23rd, 2026. The game, which originally launched in September 2023, features combining chess pieces with fairy chess pieces, collecting relics, and a roguelike structure where defeat leads to a new timeline.
Grab This Chess Roguelike Free on Mobile — Only Six Days Left
The chess roguelike deckbuilder, The Ouroboros King, is available for free on Android and iOS devices through the Epic Games Store Mobile app until July 23. Developed by Oriol Cosp Games, the title has received a 'Very Positive' rating on Steam and offers a unique blend of classic chess strategy with roguelike progression.
I Just Played the Perfect Pacifist Game of Chess
This article discusses a unique game of chess where neither player captured any pieces, resulting in a checkmate in 12 moves without any captures. The author humorously dubs this 'Pacifist Chess' and shares the specific move sequence that led to this unusual outcome.
Once a Pawn a King Released
The full version 1.0 of the chess-inspired roguelike Once a Pawn a King has been released on PC via Steam. The game is available with a 35% launch discount, and a playable demo is also offered.
This week's Epic Games Store freebies are perfect for chess connoisseurs and vehicular combat thrillseekers
The Epic Games Store is offering two free games this week: The Ouroboros King, a chess roguelike, and Warhammer 40k Speed Freeks, a vehicular combat game. Both titles can be claimed permanently between May 11 and May 18. Warhammer 40k Speed Freeks recently received a WAAAGH! update that added crossplay functionality.
Experience Chess Like Never Before in this Asymmetric Roguelike
Clover Bite and indie.io announced that the turn-based strategy roguelike Once A Pawn A King will leave Early Access on June 15th for PC. The game reimagines chess with asymmetric gameplay, dynamic party building, and randomized boards, requiring players to rescue the Black King from the White King.
Roguelike dev makes $220,000 in 3 weeks after blowing up on Steam – and I know you can't complain, but that's his share of roughly $1.8 million in sales
The indie developer behind the chess-themed roguelike Gambonanza has achieved significant financial success, earning $220,000 in three weeks from approximately $1.8 million in sales. The game sold 200,000 copies across PC and mobile platforms, a stark contrast to the developer's previous titles.
10 superb indies to check out in May 2026
This article highlights ten independent games releasing in May 2026 across various platforms including PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. The featured titles span genres from roguelike chess and narrative sims to action RPGs and puzzle platformers, offering a diverse selection for players.
Gambonanza Is a Roguelike Chess-Builder with Gambits, Out Now
Gambonanza, a roguelike chess-builder developed by Blukulélé and published by Sidekick Publishing and Stray Fawn, is now available on Android, Steam, and iOS. The game features over 150 unique Gambits inspired by chess players and series, modified boards, and a reserve system for deploying extra pieces. It also includes mini-games and a pixel art style with a CRT filter.
Gambonanza review – Checkers, not chess
Gambonanza is a roguelike game that attempts to blend chess mechanics with gambling themes, but ultimately fails to deliver a compelling experience. The game suffers from repetitive gameplay, an incompetent AI, and a lack of meaningful innovation on the chess formula. Despite some charming presentation elements, its core mechanics are either too simple or fundamentally flawed, making it a disappointing entry in the genre.
Gambonanza masterfully combines Balatro and chess and it's out now
Gambonanza, a game blending chess with Balatro-inspired mechanics, is now available on PC and Steam Deck. It offers fast-paced, tactical runs on a small board where the objective is to capture all enemy pieces. The game features over 200 synergistic Gambits, a dynamic reserve system for deploying extra pieces, and strategic board upgrades, providing significant replayability with its roguelike elements and increasing difficulty levels.
GAMBONANZA OUT NOW on Steam and Mobile
Gambonanza, a roguelike chess-builder developed by Blukulélé and published by Sidekick Publishing and Stray Fawn, has launched globally on Steam, iOS, and Android. The game features over 150 synergistic gambits, tactical board upgrades, and a dynamic reserve system, all presented in a vibrant pixel art style. It previously saw significant success during Steam Next Fest with over 170,000 demo downloads.