Shadow Queen Chess

Getting started. How to Play.

🔒 Private Games — play with someone specific
Go to the Private tab and click Create Room as White (the host always plays White). Copy the Opponent Link and send it however you like — text, email, whatever's easiest. Your opponent opens the link and clicks Join; that's what activates the game as Black. Nothing happens on your side until they do. Want a friend to watch instead? Send the Spectator Link — just don't send it to either player, since spectators can see both hidden Shadow Queens.

▶ Public Play — find or host an open game
Go to the Public tab. To host, enter your name, pick a time limit, and click Host Game — your game will show up in the list for anyone else on the Public tab. To join one, enter your name and tap Join next to any open game.

📱 On iPhone: if you opened this site through a link inside another app (like the Google app, Gmail, or Messages), games may not show up properly. Tap and hold the link and choose "Open in Safari," or just type the address into Safari directly.

Rules. Description.

Shadow Queen Chess is standard chess with one secret twist: before play begins, each player secretly designates one of their pieces (not the King or Queen) as their Shadow Queen. That piece moves normally — but can also move and capture as a queen at any time.

Activating Your Shadow Queen

At the start of the game, click the ⬡ Activate Shadow Queen button, then click any of your pieces (except the King or Queen) to secretly designate it. A purple dot appears on your piece — only you can see it.

Reveal Conditions

Your Shadow Queen stays hidden until one of these occurs:

• It moves in a way its original piece couldn't — for example, a Shadow Knight sliding diagonally.
• Its position puts the opponent's King in check via queen-range that the original piece couldn't explain.

Upon reveal, the piece permanently converts to a queen on the board.

Special Rules

• The King cannot walk into a square the Shadow Queen could attack — this protection is silent (no reveal).
• A Shadow Queen moves as its original piece without triggering a reveal. It stays hidden until it makes a move its original piece couldn't make but a queen could — the moment that move is confirmed, it's revealed as a queen and plays as a queen for the rest of the game.
• Spectators can see both Shadow Queens from the start.

Time Controls

Each side gets a total time bank — set when the game is created — that only counts down on your own turn. Run it out and you lose on time, same as a physical chess clock.

Increment adds a few seconds back to your own clock after every move you make. It's optional (defaults to 0) and it's what makes fast games actually playable — without it, a low time bank just punishes anyone who pauses to think.

Rough guide if you're picking a Custom time (enter minutes) and Increment (seconds):

• Classical — 180–360 min, 0s increment
• Rapid — 20–60 min, 0–30s increment
• Blitz — 5–10 min, 2–5s increment
• Bullet — 1–2 min, 0–2s increment

Winning

Standard chess rules apply: checkmate, resignation, timeout, stalemate, or threefold repetition. The Shadow Queen adds bluff, deduction, and surprise — your opponent never knows which piece is secretly a queen.