CHESST
ANCIENT MOAI COOPERATIVE · 2026 · Chess, Strategy, Fantasy, Casual, Cozy
PC
2 user reviews100% · 2
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About CHESST
Open up a CHESST full of magical intrigue and mayhem! Dragons, Unicorns & Sorcerers? Check! Pawns with potent powers? Check! Hand-crafted pixel goodness? Check! Scrapping checkmate & bishops for new victory conditions & unique pieces? CHESST – the sage choice for lovers of fantasy & adventure.
CHESST a magical chess variant
A family-friendly local game for two players — or one player vs. computer.Millions of unique possible starting configurations help to level the playing field, and keep the magic fresh.Finally updated after several millennia:
CHESST is a fantasy chess variant built with warmth, wonder, and real strategic depth — for people who love chess, for people who thought they didn't, and those learning for the first time.
There's no check – no checkmate! Kings can be captured. Rooks can be boarded. And before every match, each player has the chance to equip the chests of up to three pawns with powerful arcane artifacts. Only you know which of your pawns chests are empty -- and which carry mighty magical items. Your opponent is up to the same tricks, tho! Thus, every pawn becomes a riddle to solve.PLAY TOGETHER, OR FLY SOLO
Pass your device. Trade turns. Play CHESST across a couch, a kitchen table, or a quiet café. CHESST is a local two-player game — no logins, no servers, no strangers. Just you and someone you like, sharing a board.Single players face off against a custom AI, featuring three difficulty tiers. Whether you’re a chess veteran or utterly new to the field: prepare to meet your match!FEATURES
- Pawns with magical secrets (hidden items on pawns — charm, bluffing, intrigue, mind games)- Seven magical items with distinct effects- Pre-game Magic Item Mart- New piece types: Sages, Sorcerers, Wizards, Dragons, Unicorns- Rook Express — pawns ride rooks across the board- Two distinct victory conditions- Local two-player pass-and-play — no internet required- Three clever AI difficulty levels for solo play- 20 achievements across Normal, Advanced, and Expert tiers- Lovingly hand-crafted pixel art and custom sound design- Score tracking across matches- Family-friendly — suitable for all agesBrought to you by ANCIENT MOAI COOPERATIVE
CHESST is the debut release from Ancient Moai Cooperative — a small studio thoughtfully making games worth lingering in. Beautiful worlds. Hidden depths. Cozy at cosmic scale.A bespoke fantasy variant of chess for the curious and young at heart, CHESST is for people who enjoy whimsy. For people who play to discover. For people who want to feel, when they pick up a game, that somebody made it with care.Questions? Feedback? Game Guide as a pdf? Reach us at [email protected]
Wishlist now -- unless you’re, like, afraid of Wizards? ;)
Four Basic Must Knows to Play & Win!
I. The Queen's ReachII. No More Twin BishopsIII. Pawn Rules, RewrittenIV. Pawns ReimaginedCHESS vs. CHESST
I. The Queen's ReachStandard Chess = QUEEN range unlimited CHESST = QUEEN range: 5 squaresII. No More Twin BishopsStandard Chess = Two Identical BISHOPS (they are exactly the same) CHESST = Two Unique pieces:Sage and Sorcerer replace Bishops
SAGE (light squares) & SORCERER (dark squares)SAGE moves just like bishop. SORCERER moves diagonally in two modes:1) teleport-capture: to enemy piece at least two squares away --cannot repeat on very next turn/move.2) move: only one square.
III. PAWNS, Reimagined (Rules Rewritten)Standard Chess = en passante, Yes! & all may promote CHESST = en passante, No!PAWNS promotions are item-specific
IV. PAWNS, ReinvisionedStandard Chess = no special abilitiesCHESST = May carry & use a magic item; may board friendly rooks
Want the complete CHESST Guide via pdf?
Email us at [email protected]What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
Fair warning: this is NOT standard chess - it's mischievous fantasy chess with completely different rules. I'm a casual chess player (at best) and this game won me over, but do yourself a favor and read the rules first (linked on the store page). At first, I jumped in assuming standard chess rules and got frustrated. For instance, I completely misunderstood the Bishops being replaced by the Sage and Sorcerer and how it totally changes the game. Once I had a basic understanding, the how-to section made more sense. The ? in the upper nav bar was a lifesaver mid-game while learning the pieces. The gold/blue GO scroll flips color by turn. I figured that out after thinking it was the computer's turn when it was mine. Before each match you arm up to three of your pawns with hidden items. My favs so far are the Dragon Egg (promotes to a dragon) and Bribe (hijacks an enemy piece). Since you have no idea which of your opponent's pawns are carrying what, I spent half a game carefully avoiding a pawn that turned out to be carrying nothing. The pixel art is retro-futuristic-medieval and radiates charm. So much detail! Even a super cute tiny castle takes you to the home/menu. The one thing I…5 found this helpful
With so many Chess variants out there, I was a bit skeptical at first that the space needed another. Boy was I wrong! It's refreshing to see what the folks at what appears to be a brand-new indy-game start-up (gotta love the Moai nod in their name, lol) have achieved with their premiere offering: a genuinely cozy, charming, atmospheric little gem of a game. Is it perfect? Probably not. Chess purists need to apply, likely. But, for my perhaps more whimsical than average taste, CHESST sure beats the vast majority of Chess variants that I have seen hitherto, in terms of of the unique combo of sheer elegant invention and integration of fantasy theme on the one hand, and practical replay-ability depth add that the genius little pawn twist offers up. I can see myself playing this one for quite some time to come. So rock on, Moai people!5 found this helpful
Very fun and creative variant of 2D chess. It can be a little confusing at first if you don't read the rules, but they're easy enough to understand and there is an easy to follow in-game guide with graphics. There are some really fun buffs for pawns that you can choose, multiple ways of winning (and losing) and the buffs don't make it overly-easy because some of your regular chess pieces are also nerfed. The graphics are nostalgic, the audio is chill and regal. Once you understand the rules, this game is really addicting!5 found this helpful
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