Chess-ish is a mobile chess game application that offers a unique twist on traditional chess. Play classic chess or try our randomized variants that add excitement and unpredictability to every game.

Game Modes

Classic Mode

Traditional chess with standard starting positions

Shuffled Mode

All pieces randomized within their respective back rows

Chess-ish Mode

All pieces randomly placed anywhere on the board for maximum unpredictability

Play Against Friends or AI

Challenge your friends in 2-player mode on the same device, or test your skills against our computer opponent with six difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert, Master, and Grandmaster.

2-Player Mode: Take turns making moves on the same device. The game automatically alternates between White and Black.

Computer Mode: Choose your color (White or Black) and select from six difficulty levels. The computer uses advanced algorithms including minimax with alpha-beta pruning at higher levels. A progress indicator shows when the computer is calculating its move.

Choose your game mode and opponent

Beautiful dark theme interface

Full chess rules implementation

Privacy-First Design

Chess-ish is designed with privacy as a core principle. The app collects no personal data, requires no user accounts, and stores only your game preferences locally on your device. The app is free to play and supported by ads.

Full Chess Rules

Complete implementation of all chess rules including castling, en passant, pawn promotion, check, checkmate, and stalemate detection. Beautiful dark theme with smooth animations and visual feedback.

Piece Movements: All pieces follow standard chess rules. Pawns move forward and capture diagonally, rooks move horizontally/vertically, knights move in L-shapes, bishops move diagonally, queens combine rook and bishop movement, and kings move one square in any direction.

Special Moves: Castling (king and rook move together), en passant (pawn capture), and pawn promotion (choose Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight when reaching the opposite end). In Crazy Mode, pawns that spawn on the promotion row must be promoted before play continues.

Game Conditions: Check (king under attack), checkmate (king cannot escape check - game ends), and stalemate (no legal moves but not in check - draw). The game highlights valid moves when you select a piece and shows captured pieces above and below the board.

How to Play

Getting started is easy:

1. Select Game Mode: Choose Classic (traditional chess), Shuffled (pieces randomized in back rows), or Crazy Mode (all pieces randomly placed anywhere).
2. Choose Opponent: Play against a friend (2-Player) or challenge the computer.
3. Configure Settings: If playing against the computer, select your color and difficulty level.
4. Start Playing: Tap "Start Game" and make your moves by selecting a piece and then tapping a highlighted valid move square.

The game menu (⚙️) lets you restart, remove ads, restore purchases, or exit to the main menu. Game history is automatically tracked for computer games.