The Board
CubeChess is played on six connected 4×4 panels arranged as a cube. Panel 1 is the top face — White's home base. Panel 6 is the bottom — Black's home base. Panels 2 through 5 wrap around the sides.
Pieces move across panel edges as if the board were continuous. A rook sliding off the edge of one face simply continues onto the next. The only barriers are the extended walls — coloured trim along the edges where same-coloured squares meet — which act as boundaries that pieces cannot cross.
Each panel uses rows A–D and columns 1–4. A white dot marks White's corner (1A1); a black dot marks Black's corner (6A1). Rotate the cube freely while playing to see all faces — the game rewards spatial thinking.
Rotation Lock
Rotating the cube and moving pieces use the same touch/drag gesture — which can lead to accidental moves, especially on a phone or tablet. The lock button (🔓/🔒) in the corner of the board toggles rotation lock. When locked, you can spin the cube freely to inspect any face without any risk of moving a piece. Unlock it when you're ready to play your move.
There's a second use that's just as valuable: select a piece first, then lock. The board will highlight all the squares that piece can reach — across every face. Rotate freely to see all the possible moves on all six panels. Once you've decided, unlock and complete the move.
Get into the habit of locking before you study a position and unlocking only when you've decided on your move.
The full rules with diagrams are on the physical game's site — well worth a read before your first game.
The Pieces
All standard chess pieces are used. Their movement extends naturally across panel edges — the cube doesn't change what a piece is, only where it can go.
Moves forward one square (two on first move). Captures diagonally. Promotes upon reaching the opponent's home base rows. Can move sideways along the opponent's wall after certain diagonal captures.
Moves horizontally or vertically any distance, travelling around corners across panel edges. Cannot pass through walls or pieces.
Moves diagonally any distance, including around corners. Stays on the same colour throughout the game.
Moves in an L-shape: two squares in one direction, one perpendicular. Jumps over pieces — but not walls.
Combines rook and bishop movement. The most powerful piece — and on a cube, that's saying something.
Moves one square in any direction. Cannot move into check. Kingside castling only — conditions as in standard chess.
Playing Online
Sign in with your Google account to access the full online experience — your games are saved, puzzles tracked, and your username visible to other players.
The Lobby
The lobby shows all players currently online. Filter by time control — Untimed, Bullet (5 min), Blitz (8 min), Rapid (12 min), Classical (18 min), or Extended (45 min) — then click a player's name to send a challenge. They'll see an incoming challenge popup and can accept or decline.
Private Rooms
Want to play with a specific friend? Create a private room — you'll get a room ID. Share that ID with your friend (via message, Discord, wherever), they paste it in and join. No matchmaking, no strangers — just the two of you.
- Choose your time control when creating the room
- The room waits until both players are present before starting
- Resign at any time with the resign button — a confirmation dialog prevents accidents
Freestyle & Custom Setup
Freestyle
Freestyle randomises the back-rank piece order for both sides — a CubeChess take on the classic Fischer Random / Chess 960 format. Every game starts from a different configuration, eliminating memorised openings and putting the focus entirely on over-the-board thinking.
Custom Setup
Place pieces exactly where you want them before the game begins. Use the board editor to drag pieces onto any square, remove pieces with the eraser, and save the position as your starting point. This is also how you set up positions for puzzle creation.
Customizing the UI
CubeChess is designed to look the way you want it to. Open Settings from the home screen to personalise your experience — changes apply instantly and are saved automatically.
- Choose from a set of preset colour themes for a quick change
- Customise light and dark square colours independently
- Set the background — solid colour or radial gradient with full control over inner, mid, and outer stops
- Adjust the accent and UI colour to match your style
- Live preview updates as you make changes
Game Log
Every move is recorded as you play. The log shows the full move history in notation, lets you step backward and forward through the game, and tracks castling status and piece positions throughout.
- Navigate backward and forward through any point in the game
- Copy the game log to your clipboard
- Save a game to a file and load it back later
- Share a game with someone else by sending them the saved file
Puzzles
Puzzles are one of the best ways to learn CubeChess — they train your eye for the cube's geometry in ways that full games can't. There's a new daily puzzle every day, rated by difficulty and categorised by theme.
Solving Puzzles
Each puzzle presents a position and asks you to find the best move or sequence. Your solve count is tracked — come back daily to keep your streak going.
Creating Puzzles
Found an interesting position? Set up any board position using the Puzzle Maker, define the solution, add a difficulty rating and category, then publish it. Every puzzle gets a persistent link you can share anywhere — Discord, social media, directly to a friend.
- Browse the full puzzle library (sign in required)
- Search by difficulty, category, or creator
- Share any puzzle with a direct link
- Track which puzzles you've solved
Creating good puzzles is a real contribution to the community. If you spot a beautiful position mid-game — save it and turn it into a puzzle.