Checkmate Challenge

Checkmate Challenge is a chess arcade game in which you play against a chess engine set to maximum strength. You aim to survive as long as possible and score points; each checkmate earns you extra time.

Starting a game

Before play, choose one of four difficulties—Easy, Medium, Hard or Magnus—and a time control of 3, 5, 10 or 15 minutes. Each game begins from a procedurally generated position with a different structure and piece odds, giving you a fair fight against the engine. The odds vary by difficulty: on Easy, you might start with a queen and rook advantage, while on Magnus you might have only a rook against a minor piece.

Changing difficulty

After each win, loss or draw, the game adjusts the difficulty based on the result. The difficulty also increases over time, creating new problems as the clock counts down. You face the engine’s tactics while trying to convert winning endgames under time pressure.