THE RULES

How Capture or Conquer works

All pieces move as in standard chess — pawns, castling, en passant, promotion, all of it. What changes is how games end. There are no checks, no checkmates, and no draws of any kind. Prefer learning by doing? Take the interactive tutorial →

AVictory by Capture

There is no check and no checkmate. The King is still the most precious piece on the board — the crown itself — but he stands in the warzone like every other soldier, and he can be cut down like one. In this battle the enemy announces nothing: no warnings, no "check". They want your King eliminated. Capture theirs first and you win on the spot — and you may march your own into danger freely, at your own risk.

The queen takes the King on h8. Game over — no check was ever announced.

King vs king: While armies still stand, a king may cut down his rival like any other piece. But when the last ally has fallen and the two monarchs face each other alone, neither can land the final blow. Locked in that standoff, they race across the board — and the crown goes to whoever conquers the enemy's far rank first.

BVictory by Conquer

March your king onto the opponent's back rank — the gold-marked line — and hold it. The invasion succeeds only if your king is safe there: if no enemy piece can capture it, you win by Royal Invasion on the spot. Arrive under attack and you win nothing — your exposed king can be captured where it stands. And if the defender steps away instead of striking, the crown is yours the moment your king stands unthreatened.

e8 is safe — landing here wins instantly

b8 is guarded by the b1 rook — landing here invites a Capture

×3

No draws, ever

No stalemate, no 50-move rule, no draw offers. Causing the same position (pieces + side to move) for the third time loses immediately.

What's gone from standard chess

~~Check & checkmate~~ — Kings are simply captured

~~Stalemate~~ — you must move; no legal moves means you lose

~~50-move rule & draw offers~~ — play until someone wins

~~Insufficient material~~ — bare Kings still race to conquer

Everything else is chess

Everything else is normal chess: standard moves, en passant, auto-queen promotion, and castling — even through or out of “check”, since check does not exist.

Play your first game