Control · Protection
Freeze
Time stands still.
Your strategy never does.
Freeze a friendly or enemy piece for its next two turns. It cannot move, but cannot be captured either. The king cannot be frozen.
Stop a threat or save your best piece?
Chess.
Meet magic.
Five cards. One duel. Anything can happen.
Planned for late September 2026 iOS & Android
01 / The spirit of the game
You had a plan.
They had a spell.
Take the strategy of chess. Add five secret cards, a little daring, and the move no one saw coming.
Freeze a threat. Open a path. Turn the game around. Still turn-based. Never quite as planned.
Open the spellbook01
Prepare your surprise.
Five cards from ten spells, with duplicates allowed. Your strategy begins before the first move.
02
Catch them off guard.
On your turn, play a spell if you wish, then move a piece.
03
Capture the king.
Here, check doesn’t force you to defend. Capturing the king wins the game.
One crucial detail: after casting a spell, you must wait until your next turn to capture the king.
The powers
10 spells · 5 cardsThe right spell.
At the worst time for them.
Ten ways to break the routine. Each card can be used only once, so save the right one for the decisive moment.
Mobility · Acceleration
Potion
One little pawn.
One great escape.
This turn, your pawn can advance up to three squares if it has never moved, or two otherwise. The path must be clear; it still captures diagonally.
Reach the ground your opponent thought was out of reach.
Secrecy · Ambush
Trap
That square looked
so inviting.
Place a temporary trap, hidden from your opponent, on an empty square. A piece landing there is immobilised for its next two turns and can still be captured. Even kings and your own pieces can fall into it.
Offer an opening. Keep the surprise.
Terrain · Disruption
Tornado
The position was stable.
Was.
Summon a temporary tornado on an empty square. It blocks that square and straight-line paths through it. After the ordinary move that ends each turn, it moves to a free neighbouring square if it can.
When the ground shifts, certainty goes with it.
Control · Restriction
Fog
Big ambitions
take smaller steps.
Reduce an enemy rook, bishop or queen’s range to one square for its next two turns. The board stays visible: you are limiting movement, not sight.
Take the reach out of the piece that kept you in check.
Forced movement · Lure
Apple
One step too far.
Exactly the one you needed.
Lure a movable enemy pawn one square forward in its own direction, onto a free square, without causing promotion. Then make your normal move.
Move the problem… and open a line.
Mobility · Leap
JumPack
A pawn in your way?
Go over it.
This turn, your rook or bishop may jump over a single friendly or enemy pawn in its path. Other pieces and magical obstacles still block the way.
Turn a blocked line into an unexpected opening.
Forced movement · Push
Jedi
Make a little room
for your next move.
Your pawn pushes the enemy pawn directly in front of it back one square. Both pawns must be movable and the destination must be free and valid, without pushing it off the board. You still have your normal move to play.
Break a stand-off without trading pieces.
Terrain · Obstacle
Swamp
You can land there.
Not pass through.
Place a temporary swamp on an empty square. A straight-line move may end there, but cannot pass through it. The piece can leave next turn; knights can still jump.
Cut off a line, protect a path, reshape the duel.
Mobility · Detour
Skew
The right direction?
The one they don’t expect.
This turn, your pawn may also advance one square diagonally onto an empty square. Its normal moves and captures remain available.
Leave your file. Change your perspective.
Choose a card to discover its power.
03 / The CheckMess league
One rival.
Everything to play for.
Challenge other players. Make your mark in the league.
Matchmaking prioritises opponents near your Elo, widening the search based on waiting time and player availability.
Ranked duelsElo ratingChallenge friends
Notify me Planned for late September 2026 · iOS & Android
Your Elo rating evolves with every duel. Refine your decks, find your style, get ready for the rematch.
04 / Welcome to the Sanctuary
Step through the gates.
Awaken your magic.
Ivory meets obsidian. Gold shimmers against black stone. And in your hands, the power to change the fate of the duel.
Welcome to the Sanctuary. Your next brilliant move starts here.
Artwork from the world of CheckMess.05 / Inside the actual game
A world to discover.
A king to bring down.
From your first card to your last move:
this is CheckMess, in the game.
Actual screenshots of a development version. The game may change before release.
Sharpen your game.
An Academy to learn. Three AI difficulty levels to put your ideas to the test.
Solo & learningChallenge your friends.
The fun of a friendly duel. And that spell you’ll still be talking about afterwards.
Private duelsAim higher.
The ranked arena awaits. Find your style and test yourself against other players.
Competitive arena
Skill comes first
Your greatest advantage?
How you play your hand.
CheckMess is designed for meaningful duels without mandatory purchases. All ten spells are free in the current version. Your greatest resource is still your strategy.
Optional in-app purchases are planned to expand the experience and customisation. They don’t make the same spell more powerful. The goal is a competitive free-to-play experience, where your choice of cards and when you play them make the difference.
Details of free content and purchases will be shared at launch.
The first move is getting closer
Late September.
Your move.
Planned for late September 2026 on iOS and Android.
Leave your email and we’ll let you know when the game launches.
Coming toiOS · App Store
Coming toAndroid · Google Play
Provisional schedule, subject to completion and app store approval.
A thought or a question? Get in touch