Really Bad Chess
Rate itChess against the computer with lopsided, randomised armies.
on puzzmo.com
Really Bad Chess is Zach Gage's chess variant, offered free each day on Puzzmo. The starting pieces are shuffled, so you may have four queens and a row of knights while the computer has rooks and pawns, and the mix is worked out so your side holds the advantage. The job is to turn that into checkmate.
About Really Bad Chess
Zach Gage released Really Bad Chess as a mobile game in October 2016. It keeps the rules of chess but throws away the standard starting position: each side gets a random set of pieces on its back two rows. Puzzmo, which Gage co-founded with Orta Therox, has run a daily version since it opened in October 2023, and its credits list Gage for the design.
On Puzzmo everyone gets the same board for the date. You play white against a computer opponent. The pieces look random, but Puzzmo balances the material so your side has a calculated advantage, and the game is about turning that advantage into checkmate.
Moves follow normal chess rules, so if you know how a knight or a bishop moves you can play straight away. What changes is the planning: you may have no knights and four queens, or pawns that are only one step from promotion. A side panel lists small goals for the day's game, from making any move to capturing a black piece, and ticks them off as you play. Each move is tapped twice, once to pick the square and once to confirm, and Undo and Restart are there if a plan goes wrong.
The daily board is free and needs no account; the free version shows ads. Puzzmo Plus, a yearly subscription, removes the ads and opens the archive of past days.
It suits players who know the moves but do not study openings, and chess players who want a short daily game that is different every time.
How to play Really Bad Chess
- Open today's Really Bad Chess on puzzmo.com or in the Puzzmo app; the board is dated at the top.
- Look over both armies; the pieces on each side are shuffled for the day, with the kings in their usual places.
- Pick a white piece and tap the square to move to, then tap again to confirm the move.
- Answer the computer's moves under the normal rules of chess, ticking off the goals in the side panel as you go.
- Use your extra material to trap the computer's king and deliver checkmate.
Screenshots
Tips
- Count both sides' pieces before the first move so you know where your advantage is.
- Pawns that start close to promotion can turn into queens quickly; check for them first.
- Trade pieces when you are ahead; a simpler board makes your extra material count.
- Keep an eye on the computer's long-range pieces, which can show up in unusual places.
Questions
Is Really Bad Chess on Puzzmo free?
Yes, the daily board is free to play without an account, and the free version shows ads. Puzzmo Plus costs $39.99 a year on puzzmo.com (offered at $19.99 for the first year in October 2026, with a seven-day free trial). It removes the ads and opens the archive of past puzzles.
What time does the new Really Bad Chess come out?
Puzzmo's day turns over at midnight US Central Time, when the whole daily page, this game included, switches to the next date. Everyone gets the same puzzle for that date.
Do I need to know chess?
You need to know how the pieces move. The rules are those of normal chess; only the starting pieces are random.
Who made Really Bad Chess?
Zach Gage, who released it as a mobile game in 2016 and later co-founded Puzzmo.
Ratings and reviews
Games like Really Bad Chess
Really Bad Chess (app)
Zach Gage's original Really Bad Chess app, with random pieces and one shared board each day
Totally Normal Chess
Chess against a bot on a 6x6 board, where new rules drafted every few turns bend the game
Chess Attack
Another daily game of checkmating the computer, on a six by six board in as few moves as you can
ZakuChess
A daily chess battle against the computer with pixel-art troops, won in the turns the scouts predict
Chess.com Daily Puzzle
One chess position a day with standard pieces, from a gentle Monday to a hard Sunday
Lichess Puzzle of the Day
A free daily chess tactic from a real Lichess game, for days you want normal armies
Pile-Up Poker
Puzzmo's daily card game, another score chase on the same page that is not about words
blunder.clinic
Six realistic chess positions a day where the task is simply not to blunder.