10 formations, not one opening
Each side can start from a different named back rank, so the position in front of you is rarely the position you rehearsed.
A twisted chess game where enemy pieces switch sides.
It starts with the chess you know, then the Jester changes the strategy as pieces switch sides. Jump an enemy piece and it switches sides, fighting for you from where it stands.
What is What the Chess?
Familiar rules. Pieces that switch sides.
It starts with the chess you know, then the Jester changes the strategy as pieces switch sides. When the Jester jumps an enemy piece, that piece is not captured and removed. It switches sides and fights for you from where it stands.
Your strongest piece can end the turn playing for your opponent.
Jester happens
It looks like chess. Until the Jester gets involved.
Watch a single Jester turn switch four pieces to your side.
A 10x8 board. Familiar pieces, plus two Jesters a side.
Silent 20-second loop. Every move and jump shown is legal under the current rules.
Why it is different
No two games are the same.
Standard chess often rewards familiarity: the same structures, the same well-charted openings. What the Chess? keeps that strategic depth but deliberately puts you in unfamiliar positions and keeps the tactical relationships moving.
Less memorization. More adaptation.
Pieces switch sides
A piece that switches sides is not just material lost. It is a threat that now points the other way, and the tactical picture changes with it.
Adaptation over recall
Chess understanding still helps enormously. What gets tested hardest is reading a new position rather than recalling a known one.
Variety, counted
Good luck memorizing the opening.
These are the real numbers behind the setup screen.
10
named formations
Each one a different back rank, not a reskin.
100
formation matchups
Up to this many, when both sides choose independently among the 10.
24,000
legal ways to build your back rank
For each player, under the Custom Build rules.
576 million
two-player starting combinations
Because both players choose a Custom Build back rank independently: 24,000 × 24,000.
4 of the 10 named formations
Citadel
Watchtower
Crescent
Compass
Every formation is a genuinely different back rank. See how setup works.
Two ways to play
On a screen now. On a table soon.
Play digitally
- Play in the browser right now, no install.
- Play the computer to learn the Jester.
- Play other players.
- Keep a profile with your rating, stats and game history.
Play now
Free in your browser. No account needed to start.
Play it on the table
- The full 10-by-8 board.
- Molded What the Chess? game pieces, including the Jester.
- Alternate formations and Custom Build setup.
- Face-to-face strategy across the table.
Physical game interest
I'd buy a copy
The physical edition is still being prepared. This is not a preorder and no payment is required. Tell us you are interested and we will let you know when it becomes available.
How it plays
If you know chess, you already know most of the game.
One
Choose your starting formation
Choose from the 10 named formations or use Custom Build on the 10-by-8 board.
Two
Play the chess you know
Kings, queens, rooks, bishops, knights and pawns behave the way you expect them to.
Three
Then the Jester jumps
The Jester jumps over an adjacent piece to the empty square beyond. When it jumps an enemy piece, that piece changes allegiance and joins the Jester’s side.