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Fog of War Chess Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Fog of War Chess, split into short lessons. Each one reads on its own, and each one comes with a real position: press Try it on the board and you play the move yourself.

Hide your king in the fog

Lesson 1

In Fog of War Chess the screen says nothing when your king is attacked. The moment an enemy piece reaches a square from which it could move onto your king, your opponent can see the king — and may take it next move. Being seen is itself the danger, far more than in ordinary chess.

So castle early. Here castling is allowed even while the king or the squares it crosses are attacked; all you need is an unmoved king and rook with empty squares between them. Once the king sits in the corner behind a row of pawns, there are very few lines left along which an enemy piece could reach it.

In this position a black bishop hidden in the fog is aiming at f1. You cannot see it, and you may castle anyway. Afterwards, leave the pawns in front of your king where they are, so you do not open a line that lets the king be seen.

Always take a king you can see

Lesson 2

In ordinary chess no move ever captures a king: give check and your opponent must escape. In Fog of War Chess nobody is told about check, so your opponent will often play something else without realising the king is attacked.

Whenever the enemy king stands on a square one of your pieces can move to, it is visible on the board, and tapping that square takes it. Taking it wins on the spot, so there is no need to compare it with winning the queen or promoting a pawn. Make it a habit, every single move, to look first for an enemy king on the board.

Here the black king is visible straight up the d-file from your queen on d1. You could also take the black rook, but the king comes first.

Scout with your pawns

Lesson 3

In Fog of War Chess you see only the squares your pieces can move to. From the starting position that is the four ranks nearest you, and you have no idea what your opponent is preparing. The quickest way to see more is to give your pieces room to move.

Pushing a centre pawn two squares opens the diagonals behind it for your bishop and queen, and a whole block of squares comes out of the fog at once. The pawn itself keeps watch too: any enemy piece that steps onto its forward diagonals becomes visible and can be taken. If the square straight in front of a pawn is blocked, though, you cannot tell by what — assume an enemy piece is there and check with another piece.

Here, pushing the pawn from e2 to e4 opens the way for the bishop on f1 and the queen on d1.

Before you take, look for the recapture

Lesson 4

An enemy piece becomes visible exactly when one of your pieces could move onto it, so every piece you can see is one you can take. But if the square is attacked by another enemy piece, you will lose your own piece next move. You cannot know about pieces in the fog, but you can count what the visible enemy pieces attack.

With two captures on offer, compare the squares: is either one covered by an enemy piece you can see? Take on the uncovered square and the material is free. Even when the square is covered, the capture still pays if the piece you take is worth more than the one you risk. As a rough guide: pawn 1, knight and bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9.

Here your knight on f4 can take the pawn on d5 or the pawn on e6. The d5 pawn is defended by the black pawn on c6, which you can see because your bishop on a4 could move there. The e6 pawn is defended by none of the black pieces you can see.

Try it on the board

Pick a lesson and the board starts from that position. Start over as often as you like.

Now put it to work

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Last updated 2026-09-25 · Run by Qdan, Inc.