HEROCHESS THE ARCANA DECK

Herochess — The Arcana Table

The AutomatonCARD-AWARE CPUOBSIDIAN
OPPONENT’S HAND Tap to inspect
YouIVORY · WHITE
YOUR TURN
CARD CHESSChoose a piece · Follow the highlights
ROUND 01

Your hand. Your move.

Choose your spell

Family = purpose · Stars = power

Normal chess move

Move a piece normally, or click a card to activate its power.

One card. One action. A new possibility every turn.
RESHUFFLE THE POSSIBILITIES

Deal a new game.

Replaces your current card match. Both armies use standard pieces.
THE ARCANA DECK · 18 ORIGINAL CARDS

A power for this moment.

The shared deck has 18 different cards, one copy of each. You cannot draw a duplicate of a card already held by either player. Used cards return when the draw pile is exhausted. Normal moves keep your entire hand. Only using a power consumes its card and draws a replacement.
THE FIELD MANUAL

Chess, dealt differently.

  1. Move normally, or click a card for its power. No card selection is needed for a normal move. Both hands are public; the draw pile is hidden.
  2. Clicking a card activates its power directly. Click it again to cancel. Most powers replace your ordinary move. Winter Seal freezes an enemy and also lets you make a normal move. Normal moves keep all your cards. Use “Cancel power” or click the selected card again to return to a normal move.
  3. Select a piece and a highlighted square. For a shield, select the target piece. For Winter Seal, choose the enemy to freeze, then make your normal move. A swap selects two friendly pieces.
  4. Draw back to three automatically. Only a used power card is replaced. The replacement is drawn when that action finishes and is available on your next turn. There is no extra draw on the opening turn.

Temporary powers, standard pieces

A movement card lasts for that action only. A pawn moved like a rook is still a pawn afterward. All leaps ignore intervening pieces; slides require a clear path unless the card explicitly says otherwise. Pawns reaching the opposite back rank promote normally. Kings never receive card powers, cannot be frozen or shielded, and can never be captured.

Check still matters

A card can help escape check, but no action may leave your king attacked by the opponent’s normal piece moves. Held cards do not themselves give check. Frozen pieces still attack; freezing a checking piece does not end the check. Checkmate considers every legal action in your current hand, alongside ordinary chess moves.

Lasting effects

Click a shielded or frozen piece to read its status and expiration. You can inspect either side’s pieces, including during the CPU’s turn.

Glass Aegis prevents capture for one opposing turn. Winter Seal prevents a piece moving for its next turn. Both still block paths and attack normally; effects expire after that turn, even if the player uses another effect card.

Controller play

Connect a Bluetooth or USB controller and press a button. D-pad or left stick navigates; A / ✕ selects; B / ○ cancels. LB/RB switches sections, Start opens menu navigation, and the right stick scrolls. In dropdowns, left/right changes the option. Use a controller recognized by the browser with a standard mapping.

Familiar rules and controls

Castling, en passant, promotion and the 50-move draw remain. Repetition compares the full position, including hands and deck state. In card mode only bare kings automatically draw for insufficient material. Use 2D for keyboard play: Tab or arrows to focus, Enter to select. Rewind Time restores your last turn and the CPU’s reply, including the board, hands and draw pile. You have 3 uses per match and must play another turn between uses. Reloading does not restore charges.

Your match saves locally. This edition starts a fresh card game; old hero saves are kept separately. Inspired by the tradition of card-chess games such as Knightmare Chess; these 18 cards use original names and wording.

Choose your promotion.

Take the table with you.

On Android, open this game in Chrome, open the browser menu (⋮), then choose Install app or Add to Home screen. If you are in an in-app browser, open the link in Chrome first.

Open the game online once and wait for “Ready for offline play” below. Your match stays saved on this device. Offline play includes the CPU and all card art.

Controller controls

Connect a standard Bluetooth or USB controller, then press a button to activate it. D-pad or left stick moves the cursor. A / ✕ selects; B / ○ cancels. LB/RB cycles between the board, your cards, CPU cards, board controls, and menu. Start opens menu navigation. In dialogs, up/down chooses a control; left/right changes a dropdown. The right stick scrolls.

Sound may require a first tap on the screen because of browser autoplay rules.