Royal: the daily chess placement puzzle
Rooks and knights on a board with blocked squares. There are many valid placements: the challenge is finding the one that scores most.
Free, no account needed. A new board every day, the same for everyone, with a daily leaderboard.
How to play
- Each board asks for a number of rooks and knights and has blocked squares.
- Two pieces of the same kind cannot attack each other: two rooks can share a row or column only if something stands between them, and two knights can never be a knight's move apart.
- Pieces of different kinds may attack each other.
- There is a time limit and one attempt per day.
How scoring works
- Each piece scores 1 point for every empty square it attacks.
- A piece or an obstacle in between cuts a rook's reach.
- Seconds left on the clock add a time bonus.
Tips
- A knight between two rooks lets them share a row, but shortens their reach.
- Rooks score most on long, open rows and columns.
- A knight in the center attacks up to 8 squares; in a corner, only 2.