Study a painting briefly, then restore its nine pieces. Earn Impeccable by placing every piece correctly on the first try. Enjoy the finished artwork and a little of its history. A free daily browser puzzle with Mona Lisa practice.
picklechess
Choose and place your own pieces, then play mini Chess.
Play picklechess on the official site
playpicklechess.com · free, new puzzle daily
Play on playpicklechess.comWhat is picklechess?
picklechess is a chess variant that asks you to build a custom army before a short game. You work within a piece budget, choosing which pieces to buy and where to place them, then try to checkmate your opponent on a mini board. It offers daily and weekly challenges, bot matches, and online play.
How to play picklechess
Before the match, you and your opponent take turns picking pieces and placing them on your half of the board: pawns in the front row, other pieces in the back row. White makes the first pick and the first move; Black loses immediately if setup ends with Black's king in check. After setup, you play a normal chess game, but with mini-chess rules: pawns cannot advance two squares and promotions are limited to pieces you bought during setup.
Tips & strategy
- Spend your budget with balance in mind—an aggressive army still needs enough defensive pieces to protect the king.
- Use the front row for pawns; they move one square at a time here, so plan their support carefully.
- If you plan to promote a pawn, buy a piece type worth promoting to during setup, since only purchased pieces are available.
- As Black, double-check your king's safety at the end of setup; a king left in check loses immediately.
- Try a bot game at an easier level to test a new piece lineup before attempting a challenge.
Frequently asked questions
Is picklechess free?
Yes, it is free to play and runs as a one-person independent project, with optional monthly support for hosting and development.
Do I need to create an account?
No. You can play as a guest, and progress is saved on your device. Creating an account lets you sync progress across devices.
How do challenges work?
There are daily and weekly challenge modes, and past challenges can be practiced. The daily challenge asks you to checkmate with the fewest moves.
What special rules apply in picklechess?
Pawns cannot advance two squares, and pawns can only promote to piece types you bought during setup. Castling moves the king two squares toward the rook, and games draw automatically by threefold repetition or the fifty-move rule.
Can I play with friends?
Yes, you can create a game to get a join code and share it, or enter a friend's code to join their game. You can also play against bots or use matchmaking.
Where to play
Play picklechessplaypicklechess.com · free, new puzzle daily
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