EVERY PIECE
EARNS ITS RANK

A chess variant where you start without Rooks or a Queen. Capture to earn XP, then spend XP to promote your army.

HOW TO PLAY

THE STARTING ARMY

Each player begins with a King, two Knights, two Bishops, one Grunt, and eight Pawns. No Rooks or Queens.

THE GRUNT

A special unit summonable by the King when his forces are battered or he's under attack. Moves forward or backward, captures diagonally.

EARN XP

Capture enemy pieces to earn Experience Points. The stronger the piece, the more XP you gain.

PROMOTION

Spend XP to promote along the chain: Pawn → Grunt → Knight/Bishop → Rook → Queen.

MUSTER

Spend 5 XP to muster a new Grunt onto an empty square adjacent to your King.

CHECKMATE

The goal remains the same: trap the enemy King. But how you build your army is up to you.

MEET THE GRUNT

The Grunt is a mobile infantry that moves one square forward or backward and captures one square diagonally in any direction. Think of it as a Pawn that can retreat.

Each side starts with one Grunt on the board, and when your forces are battered the King can muster fresh Grunts as reinforcements. They also sit at a key point in the promotion chain (Pawn → Grunt → Knight/Bishop → Rook → Queen), making them a stepping stone to your most powerful pieces.

XP Economy

Earn XP

Pawn		2 XP
Grunt		2 XP
Bishop		3 XP
Knight		3 XP
Rook		4 XP
Queen		6 XP
Consolation		1 XP

Spend XP

Pawn → Grunt	→	3 XP
Grunt → Bishop	→	6 XP
Grunt → Knight	→	6 XP
Bishop → Rook	→	6 XP
Knight → Rook	→	6 XP
Rook → Queen	→	9 XP
Muster Grunt	→	5 XP

Starting XP

Black starts with 1 XP (komi). White starts with 0 XP.

In classical chess, White's first-move advantage leads to wins in roughly 54% of decisive games. Black's +1 XP komi brings that closer to a balanced 50/50 ratio.