Fog of War Chess
Fog of War Chess is chess for 2 players, about 15 minutes, where you see only your own pieces and the squares they can reach. No check: capture the king to win. Free. No account.
Fog of War Chess in 30 seconds
- Set upStart from the ordinary chess position. White moves first.
- What you seeOnly your own pieces and the squares they can move to. Everything else is fog.
- Take turnsMove one piece per turn. Pieces move as in ordinary chess.
- WinThere is no check. Capture the enemy king to win.
At a glance
| Item | This game |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 players |
| Play time | About 15 min |
| Type | Board |
| Ranked play | No |
| Practice against the CPU | Yes |
| Price | Free (no account needed) |
| Rights holder | A public-domain classic game |
| Last updated | 2026-09-25 |
How to play Fog of War Chess online with friends
- Tap "Play with friends"A party is created with a 6-character code. No account is needed.
- Send a link or QR codeShare it on LINE, or just read the code aloud.
- Everyone opens it in a browserOnce 2 players have joined, the host taps "Start".
Rule highlights
Setup, play, winning, and house rules
Setup
- Two players, an 8×8 board, and 16 pieces each in white and black, set up as in ordinary chess.
- White moves first. Most of the board is covered in fog, so you cannot see where the enemy pieces are.
How to play
- Take turns moving one piece. Pawns, knights, bishops, rooks, queens and kings move exactly as in ordinary chess.
- You see only the squares your pieces stand on and the squares they can move to right now. An enemy piece on one of those squares is visible, and you can take it.
- The square straight in front of a pawn is visible when it is empty. When something blocks it, it stays fogged and you only learn the pawn cannot advance. The diagonal squares show only when there is an enemy piece to take.
- There is no check. Your king may move to an attacked square, and it does not have to escape when attacked.
- You may castle whenever the king and rook have not moved and the squares between them are empty, even if the king or the squares it passes are attacked.
- En passant is allowed. On the turn you could take, the pawn and the square it passed are visible to you.
- A pawn reaching the far rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight of your choice. Your opponent cannot see it if it happens in the fog.
- When one of your pieces is taken, the square is marked.
Winning
- Capture your opponent's king to win.
- There is no stalemate. If the king can only move to attacked squares, it must still move.
- The game is drawn when the same position appears three times, when fifty moves each pass with no capture and no pawn move, when only the kings are left, or when a player has no move at all.
- You may resign at any time. The player who resigns loses.
- When the game ends, the fog lifts and the whole board is shown.
House rules
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show legal squares | Mark where the selected piece can go. | On | Yes |
| See in front of pawnsSee in front of pawnsIn fog-of-war chess you only see the squares your pieces stand on and the squares they can move to. A pawn cannot move forward into an occupied square, so normally the piece blocking it stays hidden. With this on, the square directly in front of each pawn is always visible, even when blocked. | Always show the square directly in front of each pawn, even when it is blocked (sites differ on this rule). | Off | Yes |
| Swap who starts | Swap who plays white after each game. | On | Yes |
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FAQ
How many players?
Two. On your own, you can play the computer.
How long does a game take?
About 15 minutes. There is no clock.
How is it different from chess?
You cannot see your opponent's pieces, and there is no check: you win by capturing the king. The pieces move the same way.
Can my opponent see my pieces?
Yes, whenever one of your pieces stands on a square their pieces can move to.
What do spectators see?
Only the squares both players can see. The whole board is shown when the game ends.
Who drew the pieces?
The SVG pieces are by Colin M.L. Burnett, used under the BSD 3-Clause license.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. No app is needed — just open it in a browser. You can join the same party as people on a PC or tablet.
Can two people play?
Yes. This game supports 2 or more players.
Rights holder and physical edition
This is a public-domain classic game. The rules follow the standard reference rules.
Related games
Same type (Board)
Same player count
Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.