Stealth Chess Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Rules of the Game
  • Contents
  • Object
  • Player's Set
  • Game Overview
• Setting Up the Gameboard
• How the Pieces Move
• The Pieces
  • The Rook
  • The Bishop
  • The Queen
  • The King
  • The Knight
  • The Pawn
• Winning the Game
• Optional Rules
  • King Transporting (Super Castling)
  • Super Queen
  • Earthquake Setup
  • Handicapping a Stronger Player
  • Super Bluff
    • Capture Procedure Using Super Bluff
  • Dare to Unmask the Intruder
  • Traditional Setup

Rules of the Game

For 2 Players. Ages 8 to Adult.

Contents

• Gameboard
• 16 Gold Pieces
• 16 Black Pieces
• Two Holding Trays for Pieces
• Rules of the Game / Setup Blocking Screen

Object

Capture your opponent's King.

Player's Set

Each player's set consists of 16 pieces:

• 8 Pawns
• 2 Knights
• 2 Bishops
• 2 Rooks
• 1 Queen
• 1 King

Game Overview

The goal of Stealth Chess is to capture your opponent's King. Each player has 16 pieces and sets them up on the gameboard so that the other player can't see their pieces. The players take turns moving until one of their Kings is captured.

Setting Up the Gameboard

1. Place the gameboard between you and your opponent. Align the gameboard so that there is a white square in each player's lower-right corner.
2. Set up the Setup Blocking Screen (this is what you are currently reading) in the middle of the gameboard between you and your opponent.
3. Place your pieces, with the shields facing your opponent, anywhere you want along the first two horizontal rows (called first and second rank) on your half of the gameboard (see Figure 1). Only one piece can occupy a square. Set up with strategy!
4. Once both players have their pieces set up, remove the Setup Blocking Screen, and begin play.

How the Pieces Move

Gold always goes first. Black moves next, then gold again, and so on. On your turn you must move one of your pieces to an open space, or to a space occupied by one of your opponent's pieces.

The touch-and-move rule applies; if you touch a piece, you must move it unless the piece has no legal move, in which case you must move another piece.

You strike and capture an opponent's piece by moving your piece to the square it occupies. The captured piece is removed from the gameboard, and the attacking piece takes its square. You may keep captured pieces for reference throughout the entire game.

Move in secret! You don't have to strike at every opportunity. But when you do strike, don't reveal which piece was used to make the capture.

The Pieces

Stealth Chess® pieces move just like the pieces in traditional chess.

Each piece has unique movements. No piece can move to a square occupied by another piece from its own army. Only the Knight can jump over other pieces.

The Rook

The Rook can move and strike along any number of horizontal or vertical squares (see Figure 2).

The Bishop

The Bishop can move and strike along any number of diagonal squares. Bishops stay on the same color square throughout the game (see Figure 3).

The Queen

The Queen combines the movement of the Rook and Bishop. The Queen can move and strike along any number of horizontal, vertical, or diagonal squares (see Figure 4).

The King

The King can move and strike one square in any direction (see Figure 5). Note: Castling is not allowed in Stealth Chess®.

The Knight

Knights move in an L-shape: two squares horizontal and one square vertical, or two squares vertical and one square horizontal. The Knight always lands on a different colored square from where it starts. The Knight is the only piece that can jump over other pieces (both yours and your opponent's). It can only capture the piece it lands on, not the pieces it jumps over (see Figure 6).

The Pawn

The Pawn can only move one square directly forward. However, the first time you move a Pawn, you can move it one or two squares forward (see Figure 7). To capture another piece, the Pawn must strike diagonally one square forward to either side (see Figure 8). Note: En passant capturing is not allowed in Stealth Chess®.

When a Pawn reaches the last row on the opposite side of the gameboard (eighth rank), you must promote it to any piece except King. The promoted Pawn can now move and strike as if it were the chosen piece. Do not reveal the promoted piece to your opponent.

Winning the Game

To win the game, capture your opponent's King before they capture yours. There is no Check or Checkmate. You can strike and capture the King without warning! There are no stalemates in Stealth Chess®. If you and your opponent have only a King remaining and neither of you can capture, no one wins.

Optional Rules

You may choose to play with one or more of the following optional rules.

Note: You can't use any of these options in Tournament Stealth Chess®.

King Transporting (Super Castling)

On your turn, you can exchange your King with one of your Rooks anywhere on the gameboard. You can only make the exchange on your turn, and you can only make one exchange per game.

Super Queen

Both Queens gain the power of a Knight. For information on how a Knight moves, see "How the Pieces Move."

Earthquake Setup

After both players set up their pieces, each player can move their pieces anywhere they want within the first two horizontal rows (first and second rank) without looking at their opponent's pieces.

Handicapping a Stronger Player

You can handicap a stronger player in one or more of the following ways.

Method 1: You can expose the stronger player's King by turning it to face the weaker player. Both players decide when to expose the King. It can be before or after setup.

Method 2: You can take away an agreed number of pieces from the stronger player.

1. Both players agree on the number of pieces to remove.
2. Place the Setup Blocking Screen on the gameboard between players.
3. The stronger player sets up their pieces, leaving out the King. The identities of the pieces should be hidden from their opponent.
4. The stronger player removes the Setup Blocking Screen and allows their opponent to remove the agreed number of pieces.
5. Set up the Setup Blocking Screen again.
6. The stronger player puts the King back on the gameboard and rearranges their pieces.
7. Remove the Setup Blocking Screen and begin play.

Method 3: The stronger player must reveal the piece used when making a capture.

Super Bluff

Super Bluff lets you move any piece as if it were another piece. For example, you could move a Pawn like a Queen, or a Knight like a Bishop. But if your opponent calls your bluff, you lose the piece and one additional piece chosen by your opponent (your opponent must not look behind your shields). Once a move is made and not called by your opponent, the move is good. If you call a bluff and are wrong, your opponent gets to remove one of your pieces. If your King is removed, it counts as a capture and your opponent wins.

In Super Bluff, the touch-and-move rule is suspended (see "How the Pieces Move"). This means a move is not official until you let go of your piece on a new square. For example, you could move a Pawn diagonally five spaces and then, without letting go of it, move it back from where it started. Now your opponent might think that your Pawn is a Bishop.

Capture Procedure Using Super Bluff

When striking an opponent's piece in Super Bluff, place your piece in the square occupied by your opponent's piece. Do not remove it from the gameboard. Your opponent can choose to surrender their piece by removing it from the gameboard or call a bluff. The attacking player never removes a captured piece.

Dare to Unmask the Intruder

You can choose to guess an opponent's piece during your turn. If you are correct, your opponent must turn that piece to face you. Any piece may be unmasked, even the King. If your opponent can't remember the identity of the turned piece and moves it incorrectly, the piece must be removed from the gameboard. Beware! If you incorrectly guess your opponent's piece, your opponent can take one of your pieces (without looking behind the shields). If your opponent selects the King, you lose.

Traditional Setup

Play chess with the traditional setup (see Figure 9). This is a great way for the chess player to increase memory and visualization skills.