Half-board Chess, Layer by Layer

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About the Game

This is Chess played on half of its usual board - 4 columns and 8 rows.

At the beginning there is a barrier between both 4x4 halves, and no player can look through it. The players are to arrange all the pieces any way they wish. When the board is full the barrier is removed.

The pieces move as in standard Chess but there are no special moves (double pawn move, castling en-passent). The pawn that reaches the last line promotes as usual. To win a player needs to checkmate or to stalemate (!) the other one. If there is a check at the beginning of the play the checked side loses. If both kings are checked at the beginning - there is a draw.

Filed Under

Categories: Abstract Strategy
Mechanics: Grid Movement Secret Unit Deployment
BGG ratings: 8
BGG data: refreshed Aug 20, 2026