How to play Mystic Chess
Protect your king. Learn your pieces. Choose the right moment for a power.
How do I recognize a piece?
The familiar silhouette identifies a bishop, knight, rook, and so on. The artwork’s crest hints at its power. A small star in the corner tells you how the power works: a gold star is an active power you trigger with “Use power”, a silver star is a passive power that works by itself, and no star means a standard piece or a power that has already been used. White and dark pieces always identify the player.
For example, the Chameleon Bishop keeps its bishop shape. Its split light/dark crest hints that it can switch square colors. Select it to read the exact rule.
I am new to chess. How do the pieces move?
Soldiers move forward and capture diagonally. Rooks move along rows and columns. Bishops move diagonally. Knights jump in an L-shape. Queens combine rook and bishop movement. Kings move one square in any direction. White moves first.
Each side starts with 8 soldiers, 2 knights, 2 bishops, 2 rooks, a queen and a king. A soldier reaching the far end of the board promotes to a knight, bishop, rook or queen.
What happens during a power move?
Select your piece, choose “Use power”, then choose a highlighted target. Unavailable powers explain why they cannot be used. Every power works once per game and then the piece plays as a standard piece. Only the Serial Knight gets a second move in the same turn; if its first hop gives check, the turn ends so the opponent can respond. Powers never let you leave your own king in check, and a power that can get you out of check means it isn’t checkmate yet. If a power’s target is the enemy king (for example a Storm Queen jump or a Guardian King line that reaches it), the piece stays where it is and gives check: on their turn, the opponent must move the king to a safe square. If the king has nowhere safe to go, it’s checkmate. The same happens when the king stands in the path of a power (Phantom Walk, Ghost Step, Straight Jump or Cannon Shot): the power stops at the king and gives check. Cannon Shot hits enemies 3–5 squares away along a rank or file, firing over anything.
Once a power is used, its star disappears and the piece returns to its classic appearance. Protection health is shown separately. Shield Soldier can absorb a capture attempt; Strong Rook specifically survives one standard soldier attack. Always read the selected piece’s rule for its exact protection.
How do the Vault and competition prizes work?
When you register, an army of 16 starter pieces is assigned to your permanent player code. This is your original collection. It is not rerolled when you sign in or start another match.
Winning a Mystic Chess competition earns its designated power piece after the result is verified. The prize stays in your Vault with the competition name and award date. Ordinary friend matches and practice wins do not grant these prizes.
Select an army slot in your Vault to equip an owned piece of the same chess category. You cannot equip more copies than you own, and replacing a piece never removes it from your collection.
Who are the computer opponents?
There are four, and you choose one before the game. Mystic Warden (easy): Plays loosely, makes mistakes and casts a power on a whim. The Oracle (medium): Looks a few moves ahead and saves its powers for when they pay. Archmage (hard): Nearly every piece carries a power, and each one is calculated. The Grandmystic (boss): The strongest army and the deepest calculation. For signed-in players and their Vault armies.
The Mystic Warden, The Oracle and the Archmage can be played as a guest. The Grandmystic is for signed-in players. Every opponent looks ahead and takes your unused powers into account, so check what its pieces can do before you move into range.
Which army will I play with?
Signed in, you always play your own Vault army. Against the computer, its army depends on the opponent you pick: the stronger the opponent, the more of its pieces carry powers. In a friend match, each player brings their own Vault army. As a guest, and on a shared board, both sides are dealt a fresh, balanced, varied army each game.
Each match has a chess clock: 1, 3, 5 or 10 minutes per side, chosen before the game. Only the player to move uses time, and reaching 0:00 loses on time. In practice games the clock starts when you close the army overview.
How does a game end?
Win by checkmate, an opponent’s resignation or timeout, or a power that captures their king. Stalemate is a draw; online players can also agree to a draw from the Options menu. A power cannot legally leave your own king in check.
How do I play with a friend?
For one device, choose “Share a board” and take turns. The board keeps a fixed orientation. For separate devices, sign in, create a room, and share its invitation. Both players mark themselves ready before the host starts.