Board
- Mystery Chess is played on a 12x12 board.
- Each player uses a normal full chess army.
- White and Black both reveal formations only when the match starts.
Mystery Chess
Rules
The short version players need before entering a real match.
Formation
- Both players place pieces inside their own four-row setup area.
- White setup rows are 1-4. Black setup rows are 9-12.
- Any piece can be placed anywhere inside that player's setup area.
Core Mystery Rules
- No castling.
- No en passant.
- Pawns can move two steps while they are still inside their four setup rows.
Results
- Checkmate, resignation, timeout, and forfeit end the match.
- Mystery Chess has no draw result.
- The opponent wins immediately when the side to move has only king moves, no queen, rooks, bishops, or knights, all surviving pawns are immobile, and the opponent has a mobile pawn that the king cannot legally capture.
- If stalemate happens, material decides the winner. If material is tied, remaining time decides.
Clock
- Formation setup and match clock are separate.
- The match clock starts only after the live board begins.
- Rated matches write rating only after a real completed result.