Field Chess

Field Chess — Rules of Play

Objective

Capture the enemy Flag. You also win if your opponent has no pieces left that can legally move.

The Board

Each side controls the six rows nearest to them. A river divides the two territories and can only be crossed at the three bridges (left, centre, right). Special points:

• Camps (green circles, 5 per side) — a piece resting in a camp cannot be attacked. You may only step into an empty camp; you can never capture into one. Camps connect diagonally to the surrounding points.
• Headquarters (two red posts on each back row) — the Flag starts in one of them. Any piece that enters an HQ is frozen there for the rest of the game.
• Railways — the thick track lines (both side columns and the two rows beside the river). A piece on a railway slides any number of empty points in a straight line, like a rook. The Engineer is special: it may turn corners and travel the whole connected railway network in one move.

Ranks & Special Pieces

When two pieces meet, the higher rank wins; equal ranks destroy each other. Combat never reveals identities — you only learn the result (attacker falls, defender falls, or both fall). Losses go to the captured trays face-down; you always know your own losses, never your opponent's.

The Marshal exception: the moment a side's Field Marshal is destroyed, that side's Flag is immediately revealed to everyone. This is the only piece of hidden information disclosed during play.

• Flag — never moves. Lose it and you lose the game.
• Landmine (×3) — never moves; placed in the back two rows. It destroys any attacker except the Engineer, who defuses it and removes it from play.
• Bomb (×2) — moves like a normal piece but destroys itself and whatever it attacks (or whatever attacks it), regardless of rank. It may not start on the front row.
• Engineer (×3) — the weakest fighter, but defuses mines and can turn corners on railways.

Movement

• Pieces move one step along any drawn line (including camp diagonals) — except on railways, where they slide.
• Crossing the river is only possible over the three bridges.
• The Flag and Landmines never move; pieces inside an HQ are frozen.

Winning

• Capture the enemy Flag, or
• Leave your opponent with no legal moves.

Setup Phase

Before battle, arrange your own side: click one of your pieces, then click a highlighted point to move or swap it. Placement rules are enforced — the Flag must sit in an HQ, Landmines in the back two rows, Bombs off the front row, and no piece may start in a camp. Use Shuffle My Side for a new random layout, then press Start Battle. In a two-player game each side arranges secretly in turn.

Battle Record & Replay

• Every move is recorded in the Battle Record. During play the record is redacted — it shows only coordinates and combat results, never piece identities.
• The moment the game ends, all pieces on the board and the complete record (with every identity) are revealed.
• ▶ Replay Game steps through the entire battle from the starting setup with both armies face-up, so you can study exactly what happened. Pause, step move by move, or exit at any time.

Options

• Enemy pieces stay face-down for the whole game. In two-player mode the screen prompts you to pass the device between turns.
• AI Opponent — North is played by the computer.
• Reveal Enemy (debug) — turns off hidden information, for learning the game.