Offline, against the computer
Pick a side and a level — Easy, Medium or Hard — and play. Undo a move, and come back later: the game is kept in your browser exactly where you left it.
Chess by Vanikar · In your browser
The game of kings, in your browser
Play offline against the computer or online against another player in a timed game with a clock. Seven boards and seven piece sets, in 2D or 3D — and you can change any of them in the middle of a game.
Opens on play.vanikar.games. Sign in with the account you use for Card Games by Vanikar.
- 7
- boards
- 3
- engine levels
- 1–60
- minute clocks
- 0
- ads
What you get
Everything a board should do
The rules are the same on every board. Everything else is yours to change.
Online with another player, timed with a clock
Create a board, choose White, Black or a random draw, and set the clock: a one-minute bullet game, sixty minutes of classical, or no clock at all. Share the code or an invite link. Only the side to move’s clock runs, and a clock that runs out loses.
2D or 3D, with one switch
Lay the board flat or stand it up: the board tilts away from you and every piece rises to stand on its square. Flip it whenever you like, mid-game included.
Seven boards
The classic felt and six eras — Renaissance marble, Stone Age sandstone, Ice Age glacier, Jurassic amber, a Crustacean tide pool and a medieval stone chamber. Switch boards during a game and the position stays.
Pieces to match, or to mix
Every era has a piece set of its own. Choosing a board chooses its pieces, but any set goes on any board — Ice Age pieces on Jurassic amber, if that is how you like it.
The medieval chamber
Torchlight and drifting mist over carved pieces that walk to their squares and strike. A captured piece is smashed to rubble where it stood, the board shakes with the blow, and — sound on — you hear the grind of stone, the crack, and the toll at the end.
The boards
Seven boards, one game
Each era is a material — the squares, the frame and the pieces — with a voice of its own over the board.
Classic
The felt, the Staunton pieces, and the computer across the table.
Renaissance
Carrara marble and a Florentine court. Play as if the Medici were watching.
Stone Age
Sandstone and basalt, ochre on the walls. The oldest game there could have been.
Ice Age
Glacier and frost. Make your move before the thaw.
Jurassic
Amber and fern over old lava. Something large is watching from the trees.
Crustacean
Sand, shell and tide. What the tide takes, it keeps.
Medieval
Command your pieces. What they take, they break.
Try it
Change the board while you play
The same three controls the game gives you. Pick a board, pick the pieces, and stand it up.
Ruy Lopez, after 3. Bb5
One account
Your Card Games account is your chess account
Chess by Vanikar and Card Games by Vanikar share one sign-in. Subscribe to Card Games and chess is included — there is nothing separate to buy.
- Sign in once; the same account works for both.
- A Card Games by Vanikar subscription includes chess.
- No ads — the same promise as every Vanikar game.
Questions
Frequently asked
Do I need an account to play chess?
Yes. Chess uses the same account as Card Games by Vanikar, and you sign in once for both. If you already have a Card Games account, you are ready to play.
Is chess included in my Card Games subscription?
Yes. A Card Games by Vanikar subscription includes Chess by Vanikar. There is nothing separate to buy.
Where can I play?
In your browser, at play.vanikar.games — on a computer, a tablet or a phone. Chess is browser-only for now.
Can I change the board or the pieces in the middle of a game?
Yes. The board picker, the piece picker and the 2D/3D switch all work during a game, and the position stays where it is.
How strong is the computer?
Three levels: Easy, Medium and Hard. Easy is for learning the moves; Hard will punish a careless middlegame. Every level plays by the full rules — castling, en passant and promotion included.
What happens when my clock runs out?
You lose the game, as in over-the-board chess. Only the side to move’s clock runs. Choose “No clock” when you create a board if you would rather play without one.
Is a finished online game kept?
No. A finished board is gone and an old link will not open it. Your offline game against the computer, though, is kept in your browser between visits until you end it.
Your move.
Open a board, pick an era, and play — offline in a moment, or online against another player in a timed game with a clock.
▶ Play Chess Now