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The 3 best weird-chess games for mobile

Is that a bishop in your pocket?

The 3 best weird-chess games for mobile
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| Chesh

Let's be honest, chess is sort of the boss of board games. It might not capture the imagination like it once did, but there's still something pretty darn cool about it.

It's strict, endlessly replayable, and pits your skills against a foe who's just inches away.

That's all well and good, but mobile gaming offers up some really interesting weird chess games.

Games that take the basic formula, then shake it up, throw some other bits and bobs into the mix, and then see what comes out.

So I figured in this part of our genre round-up, we'd take a look at three of the best weird chess games that you can grab for your mobile right now. You're welcome.

Chesh - buy on iOS

Chesh is a brightly coloured arcade-paced adaptation of chess that takes the basic idea of the classic board game and then goes a little crazy with it.

There are more than 500 different pieces here, and you get a random set of them every time you play. You can change the size of the board as well, and there are three different modes to try and tackle.

There's solo play, and various multiplayer options. It sort of feels like what might have happened if chess had been designed in the final stretch of a game jam when everyone was sleep deprived.

Warhammer 40,000: Regicide - buy on iOS / Android
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Probably the most standard chess experience on this list. This one is chess, but in the grim darkness of the far future. It's space marines versus orks, with all the blood and gore you'd expect from a Games Workshop game.

But you don't have to play it like chess. There's a turn-based, skirmish style reworking of the game. You've got initiative points to spend, moves to make, and different kinds of strategy to employ.

It's chess, but with jet packs, grenades, and screaming chainswords that bite into the flesh of your foes. Deep and engaging, it's definitely worth giving a go.

Really Bad Chess - buy on iOS / Android

Another deconstruction of chess. This one's a little more measured than Chesh, but it still manages to turn a game we all sort of know into something much more interesting.

Here you're given a random allocation of standard chess pieces. You'll always have one king, but you might end up with any combination of the other pieces.

It means you're rethinking your strategy every time you load the game up, and that keeps things fresh and fast. Play quick, chaotic online matches, and prove you're the best at being really bad.

Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.