EXPTIME CHESS FREE PDF
OFFICIAL RULES OF EXPTIME CHESS
1. The Essence of the Game
In EXPTIME CHESS, your pieces are driven by aggression. They see a target and are compelled to attack, even if it means their immediate demise.
You do not lead an army to victory — you manage its self-destruction, striving to orchestrate your own defeat one move ahead of your opponent.
2. Equipment and Board
Board: A standard 8×8 chessboard.
Pieces: The game uses 64 pieces — two identical sets of 32 pieces each, visually distinguished by color (conventionally Light and Dark). At the start of the game, each player assumes full control over one set.
Composition of a 32-piece set (per player):
8 Recurser (R)
8 Anglitch (A)
8 Domerror (D)
8 Kernelix (K)
3. Game Preparation: Mirror Setup
The game begins with an empty board. Setup proceeds in eight stages, following this strict sequence:
1. White places any 8 of their pieces on the first rank (squares a1–h1) in any order.
2. Black places the same pieces in the same order on the eighth rank (a8–h8), mirroring White's setup.
3. Black places any 8 of their pieces on the seventh rank (a7–h7) in any order.
4. White places the same pieces in the same order on the second rank (a2–h2), mirroring Black's setup.
5. White places any 8 of their pieces on the third rank (a3–h3) in any order.
6. Black places the same pieces in the same order on the sixth rank (a6–h6), mirroring White's setup.
7. Black places their final 8 pieces on the fifth rank (a5–h5) in any order.
8. White places the same pieces in the same order on the fourth rank (a4–h4), mirroring Black's setup.
Result: The board is fully occupied with 32 pieces of each color. White makes the first move.
Example of a game start after the mirror setup. White to move.
4. How to Make a Move
A. If an Attack is Possible (Mandatory)
An Attack is defined as a piece's ability to move, according to its movement pattern, onto a square occupied by ANY other piece (friendly or opposing).
If at least one of your pieces can perform an Attack, you must choose one such Attack and execute it.
WARNING!
Consequence of an Attack: Your attacking piece is immediately removed from the board. The piece that was attacked remains on its square unchanged (it does not move, does not change color, and does not change ownership).
If multiple pieces can attack, you choose which one to eliminate.
B. If an Attack is Impossible
If none of your pieces can attack any other piece on the board (friendly or opposing), you may make a Standard Move: move any one of your pieces along its standard trajectory to an empty square (without attacking).
5. How the Pieces Move
Each piece combines two types of movement:
Recurser (NN): Moves as a Nightrider – it can make several consecutive knight leaps (2+1) in the same straight-line direction until it meets another piece or the board's edge.
Anglitch (B+NN): Moves either as a standard Bishop (any distance diagonally), or as a Recurser.
Domerror (R+NN): Moves either as a standard Rook (any distance vertically/horizontally), or as a Recurser.
Kernelix (K+NN): Moves either as a King (one square in any direction), or as a Recurser.
5a. The Pieces' Names as Diagnoses of Their Fate
Recurser
A basic scanning process. Its algorithm is depth, recursive traversal.
Anglitch
A data corruption process. Specializes in working with the matrix's angles (diagonals), introducing errors (glitches) into the system's geometry.
Domerror
A dominance process, the system's fatal error. Possesses privileged access (orthogonal + recursion).
Kernelix
The system kernel, execution dispatcher. The only one capable of executing "quiet" system calls (a move to one of the eight adjacent squares) without initiating conflict.
6. Victory Condition
THE OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME is to create a situation where, at the start of your opponent's turn, they have none of their own pieces left on the board. You achieve this by forcing them, through your moves (attacks), to eliminate all their pieces.
In simpler terms: Your goal is to force the opponent to eliminate their entire army with their own moves. The last piece on the board must vanish during the opponent's turn, after which they will have nothing to move.
7. Key Principles (Understanding the Spirit of the Game)
This is not chess of capture, but chess of sacrifice. You do not take the enemy's pieces — you sacrifice your own to provoke them into reciprocal sacrifices.
Power is vulnerability. A powerful piece that "sees" many targets will become your first forced sacrifice. Sometimes, weaker pieces are more valuable.
A quiet move is a respite. If you are permitted to simply move a piece (Rule 4B), use this chance to regroup and create a new, more advantageous configuration of threats.
Setup is decisive. Since pieces perish en masse from their starting positions, the initial mirror setup is already half the battle. Consider which pieces will end up in zones of mutual "annihilation."
