What is Chess Solitaire?
Chess Solitaire is a single-player puzzle in which every move must capture another piece. The goal is to leave exactly one piece on the board. There is no opponent, check or checkmate.
The pieces use familiar chess movements, but capture order is the puzzle. Taking a piece too early can remove a target or leave another piece unable to move.
Chess Solitaire rules
- Choose a piece and capture another piece using its allowed movement.
- Move the capturing piece onto the captured piece’s square and remove the captured piece. You cannot move to an empty square.
- Keep the path clear for a rook, bishop or queen. Knights can jump over pieces.
- Never capture the king. If a king is on the board, it must be the final piece.
- Continue until exactly one piece remains. Any legal sequence that reaches this position wins.
How each chess piece captures
- Rook: any distance horizontally or vertically, with no piece in the way.
- Bishop: any distance diagonally, with no piece in the way.
- Queen: any distance horizontally, vertically or diagonally, with no piece in the way.
- Knight: two squares in one direction and one square at a right angle. It can jump over other pieces.
- King: one square in any direction. It can capture but cannot be captured.
- Pawn: one square diagonally upwards on the board as you see it. Pawns do not promote on reaching the top row.
Moving pieces and undoing captures
Tap or click a piece to see its available captures, then select a highlighted target. You can also drag a piece onto a target.
Use Undo to take back a capture or Reset to restore the starting board. Neither changes the puzzle or gives you a new one. The How to play button beside Settings includes the piece movements and a replayable tutorial.
Chess Solitaire solving tips
Before taking a piece, check whether another piece still needs it as a target. A capture that is legal now can leave the remaining board impossible to finish.
Look first at pawns and other pieces with few captures. A pawn on the top row cannot capture again, so another piece will need to take it unless it can be the final survivor.
If the board contains a king, plan towards a final king capture. On a king-free board, consider which pieces could make the last capture rather than assuming the queen must survive.
When you reach a dead end, undo enough moves to try a different order. A board with eight pieces needs seven captures, but those captures may need several different pieces to move.
The daily Chess Solitaire puzzles
Boardsmith has daily Easy, Medium and Hard boards, followed by an optional Expert. New puzzles are scheduled for midnight UTC, with the same board for everyone on each date and difficulty.
Easy has five pieces on a 4×4 board, Medium has six on 4×4, Hard has eight on 5×5, and Expert has nine on 6×6. Easy has no king. The other difficulties can have a king or a king-free ending. Harder boards are designed to need more planning between captures, not just more moves.
Every board is built from a winning sequence and checked before publication. You can win with any legal capture sequence, not just the one used to create it.
Any completed Chess Solitaire puzzle counts towards your daily streak and Chess Solitaire play streak. Complete Easy, Medium and Hard to record a game day and unlock the optional Expert bonus. Expert puzzles completed is a separate cumulative total.
For accounts, saved progress, timers and the daily streak, read the daily puzzle FAQs. See the games page for everything available to play.
Chess Solitaire FAQ
Do I need to know how to play chess?
You only need the piece movements listed above. Chess Solitaire has no opponent, check or checkmate, and you do not need to learn openings.
Can I move without capturing?
No. Every Chess Solitaire move must capture another piece. Moving to an empty square is not allowed.
Can the same piece capture more than once?
Yes. There is no per-piece capture limit in the Boardsmith version. A piece can keep capturing while it has legal targets.
Does the last piece have to be a king?
Only if the board starts with a king. The king cannot be captured, so it must survive. On a board without a king, any piece can be the final survivor.
What happens when a pawn reaches the top row?
A pawn stays a pawn; it does not promote. With no upward diagonal square left, it cannot make another capture. It must either be captured or remain as the final piece on a king-free board.
Can a daily board be impossible?
Every published starting board has a winning sequence. Your captures can lead to a position that no longer has one. Use Undo or Reset to return to an earlier position and try another order.
Is there more than one winning sequence?
There can be. Boardsmith accepts any sequence of legal captures that leaves one piece. You do not have to find a particular prescribed order.