Chesspresso

Place your army in secret... then it's chess.
Chesspresso is chess on a half-size board - 4 columns, 8 rows - with one big twist: before the game starts, both players arrange all 16 of their pieces anywhere on their own half, hidden from each other. When both are ready, the two armies are revealed at the same moment. From then on, every normal chess rule applies. Fully playable in English, Croatian, German, Spanish, French and Italian.

Short, strong and over in minutes - like an espresso. That's where the name comes from: a full game of chess in the time it takes to drink a coffee.

No memorised openings, no long theory - every game starts from a position nobody has seen before. Hide your king in a corner, build a wall of pawns, or set up a knight ambush that can win on the very first move.Real chess - with unicorns.
Turn your knights into unicorns: same moves, no new rules, much more magic. Give each army its own colour, pick from 4 piece sets, dozens of boards and cosy page styles, and make every game look exactly the way you like.Features
Secret setup - both armies revealed at once; every game is a new puzzle

Play online - quick matchmaking with ratings, a leaderboard and your own piece avatar

Play a friend - send a link and play in seconds

8 computer levels - from first steps to a tough, self-trained opponent

Pass & play - two players, one screen

Espresso-fast games - 3, 5 or 10 minutes, or no clock at all

Unicorn knights & full customization - all boards, page styles, 4 piece sets and a colour for each army included

Funny capture sounds - or normal ones, or silence

6 languages - English, Croatian, German, Spanish, French, Italian
Rules in one breath
The king must start in your back two rows. No castling. Pawns move one square and become a queen. Checkmate wins; stalemate, repetition, too little material and the 50-move rule are draws.