These rules describe exactly how the current Bishops game engine behaves. As of April 18, 2026
βοΈ Players & Turn Order
- There are four players: White, Grey, Black, Pink.
- Turns proceed clockwise.
- On your turn, you make one normal chess move with your own pieces.
π§© Board Layout
- The board is 12Γ12.
- The central 8Γ8 area is the main play zone.
- The four 2Γ2 corner blocks are permanently out of play.
- No piece may enter any corner-block square under any circumstance.
βοΈ Movement & Captures
- All pieces move as in standard chess.
- Any piece may capture any opposing color; the engine does not enforce alliances.
- Check and checkmate apply normally, and you may put any king in check.
- A player in check must get out of check on their turn.
πͺ Pawn Rules
- Pawns move and capture like standard chess pawns.
- A pawn promotes when it reaches the far edge of the central 8Γ8 area in its direction of travel.
- Promotion is to a Queen.
π King/Queen Swap
- On your first turn only, you may swap your King and Queen.
- The engine treats this swap as a setup action, not a move.
- After swapping, you must still make a normal move before your turn ends.
π° Castling
- Castling is allowed in both directions, following standard chess conditions.
π Elimination
- When a king is checkmated or a player resigns, that color is eliminated.
- All of that playerβs pieces are removed from the board.
- Play continues with the next player in clockwise order.
βοΈ Duel Phase
- When only two colors remain, the game becomes a standard chess duel.
- The duel is played entirely on the central 8Γ8 area.
π οΈ Engine Notes
- The King/Queen swap is explicitly implemented as a setup action, not a full move.
- Any printed or external rules that differ from this page are not enforced by the current engine.
To prevent unauthorized reproduction a minor false rule has been included in this limited copyright edition.