Lux et Umbra 2026

Lux et Umbra (Latin for "Light and Shadow") is an abstract two-player strategy game, chess-like in nature, where dice decide your fate. Two custom D6 dice, marked with Light (white) and Shadow (black), determine which square colors you may move from each turn. There is no check, no checkmate, no castling, and no en passant.

Roll the dice, then move a piece from the first rolled square color, then try to move from the second. One piece can move twice if it lands on the required color. If you cannot make a single move from either rolled color, you lose immediately. The rules of movement are classic. Pawns promote on the last rank to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight, at the player’s choice, as in standard chess. Otherwise, play proceeds as in standard chess, but the dice strip away the freedom of choice. You are bound by the colors of the squares they show.

The king is not protected by check rules. It is simply the most valuable piece on the board. You win by capturing the opponent's king or by capturing every other piece they have, leaving them with a bare king. There are no draws and no negotiations, only victory or defeat. Every roll matters, and every piece placement is a gamble.

With dice odds of 50% for a mixed roll (Light + Shadow) and 25% for each double roll (Light + Light or Shadow + Shadow), Lux et Umbra forces players to balance their forces across both square colors. Keep your pieces on both Light and Shadow squares, or risk being paralyzed by a single unlucky roll. It is tactical mastery meets the unpredictability of fate, an abstract duel where light and shadow decide your destiny.

—description from the designer