Checkmate Café
By @Luckyleaf
Play a relaxing game of classic chess against a computer opponent in a cozy, animated café atmosphere.
How to play
- Select your preferred difficulty level from the main menu to start the match.
- Tap one of your white pieces to reveal its legal moves highlighted on the board.
- Tap a highlighted square to move the piece and complete your turn.
- Capture opponent pieces to gain a material advantage and clear the board.
- Trap the brown King so it has no legal escape to win the match.
Controls
- Touch
- Tap a piece to select it, then tap a highlighted square to move.
- Keyboard
- Not supported.
- Mouse
- Click a piece to select it, then click a highlighted square to move.
More about this game
Checkmate Café brings the timeless strategy of chess to a warm, relaxing environment complete with animated rain and steam. Your goal is to checkmate the opponent's King by moving your pieces across the 8x8 grid. You can choose from Easy, Medium, or Hard difficulties to match your skill level. The computer takes about 520 milliseconds to think before moving. The run ends when one player successfully traps the opposing King for a checkmate, or if a stalemate occurs when no legal moves remain.
Tips
- Control the center of the 8x8 board early to give your pieces more mobility and block the computer opponent from advancing its pawns.
- Protect your King by castling when the path is clear. You can castle on the King side or Queen side if neither piece has moved.
- Keep an eye on the captured pieces list to track your material advantage. A Queen is worth 900 points, while a Pawn is worth 100.
Questions
What are the difficulty levels?
You can play against the computer on Easy, Medium, or Hard. Easy makes random moves but has a 34 percent chance to capture, while Hard plans ahead using a complex search algorithm.
Can I promote my pawns?
Yes, when a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board, a menu appears allowing you to promote it to a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight.
How does the game end?
The match ends in a checkmate when a King is trapped and attacked, or a stalemate if a player has no legal moves remaining but is not currently in check.