Chess 2: The Sequel

Miserable performance. Keeps faulting with offline message regardless of Steam connectivity.

Magnificent

• The optional winning condition adds an additional layer of strategy that feels like several layers.
  
• The different armies and their special properties feel unique, are interesting to play and to experiment with, and are actually not just for show: You have to adapt and change your playstyle completely depending on which army you chose.
  
• The graphics are quite charming (albeit not customizable in terms of piece color, piece material, or board appearance; but who knows? Maybe there'll be cosmetic DLC some day)...
  
• The awesome piano classical music is not just some stockmusic file loop whatever - that's one of the developers playing! And really well to boot. I wish I had that expertise.
  

• You can't access the manual during a match. Most of the time there's no need for it anyway, but it would be a nice and potentially important option, especially for people new at Chess2.
  
[*]The resign button immediately ends a match with asking for confirmation. I misclicked on it looking for a pause menu and involuntary forfeitted the match.

Otherwise the game is perfect.

the game servers been shut down by microsoft and it doesn't work online you can only play against computer ai

This games online does not work and if you are looking at this game at first sight thinking it would be great to play with a friend like I did then you are wrong.It should really be said by the creator or someone with control over this game but because they don't care for it anymore at all now people who find it thinking it is a great game now see the husk of something that was once supported and great.

I love the creativity of all the different sets you can use and the counter parts that balance out the game. overall an enjoyable experience once you learn the new features like duels and new abilities certain pieces have like the ghost. I feel that I could spend days simply mastering the unique strengths and weaknesses of just a single set only to move on to another. 7.5/10 simply because I cannot play online. I do not know why but I cannot play against other people, removing both that and the aspect of achievements, as they are all based upon pubic matches from what I see, has lowered my overall score.

I really wanted to like this game, but I'm getting a refund as it is missing so many BASIC features of not just a chess app, but a game in general.

- No settings whatsoever, so no way to turn off the sound/music (in case you were wanting to listen to your own music while playing) or take out the bidding system (I can live with it, but really would have preferred this to have been optional)
- Missing basic chess app features like chess notations or ability to save/replay
- AI is pretty dumb, which I guess is to be expected given it has to not just factor in regular chess strategies, but also the various matchups against completely new armies. There's also no way to select which army you want to play against. No idea if it's supposed to randomise or not, but it just threw me against the classic army, which is a bit dull.
- Game locked up whenever I went to quit, giving a "Chess2Client.exe is not responding" error. Only way around it seemed to be to play in windowed mode and then right-click close off the taskbar (Alt-F4, etc. didn't do anything)
- Challenges "coming soon" and has apparently been there since 2014 (8 years as of this review), so is presumably never happening and a real missed opportunity. Having to do chess challenges using the various different armies would've been really interesting.
- Doesn't have a way to view the rules mid-game, such as to double-check how the various armies work
- The animals faction allows you to check-mate YOURSELF, as the elephant and wild horse pieces allow friendly fire. I'm assuming this is an error as the two kings faction specifically stops you from doing the whirlwind move if your other king is in range. Super annoying if you misclick, trying to select the king or forget you can't castle with non-classic armies.

+ It's less than £5 (I think this was something like $25 on launch, which is just ridiculous)
+ The pieces look cool (big fan of the animals set)
+ Armies are interesting variants
+ Some of the basic rules changes are pretty interesting. Getting the king over the midline is an alternate win condition, and there's no stalemate condition.

Honestly, I'd be more inclined to just download the rules and trick some friends into playing the game in person than play this version.

This game does not have any online servers, so multiplayer is impossible now. The steam page itself does not mention this. It would be a pretty good game if the servers were still up. The creator of the game should really say that the servers are not online. It's kind of deceptive.

Chess 2 is a brilliant variant but this app is a hot mess. Here are my major gripes:

- No move history. If you're playing a correspondence game you're better off logging the game yourself (e.g. "1. e4 e5, 2. Nc3 Nf6..." etc) as this game does not provide a move history. This is a baffling design decision since logging each move as it is played does not seem like an ordeal to code-in if you manage to build an otherwise functional chess variant app.

- No audio controls. The game plays an embarrassingly brief sampling of classical music from the moment the app launches. There are no volume controls, nor is there a mute toggle. The only way to avoid hearing this is by disabling your sound, which is unfortunate as sometimes I'll have a correspondence game open and I would like to listen for the wooden clacks to let me know a move has been played without being required to listen to the music as well.

- UI is confusing and buggy. The app sorts your active chess games by games where it's your turn, and games where it's your opponent's. Your past games are also logged separately. From time to time (typically around once per session) the game will forget some past games and put them in my "Your Turn" queue on the last move, prompting me to view the board position and confirm the win or loss in order to remove the game from the queue. Typically the app will forget around 10 games for me to re-confirm at a time.

- The Resign button is right next to the Menu button in the corner of the screen and there's no confirmation prompt to see if you actually wanted to resign. I inadvertently forfeited a ranked match extremely early (like move 3?) this way and felt stupid because of it. Thanks, Chess 2!

I really like the idea of alternative chess armies, but this game falls flat in an unplayable sort of way,

It's next to impossible to find a real opponent, the AI is an unchangeable joke, and I can't find a way to appreciate the new rule about wagering tokens everytime there's a capture.

That said, it's a pretty good game for playing in a drunken stupor. The AI never poses a real challenge, allowing you to basically mess around all over the board in different ways depending on the chosen army.

In the 3 attampts of playing this game, 3 times it has crashed on me due to ingame reasons. Otherwise the game is pretty, it has good sound and has a fairly good gameplay machanics. The new rules are fairly well though out and interesting to play, as long as the game will work for you.

Most of the reviews here were written when the game was $25. Now it's $6, so here's a review at that price point.

It has an online and if you can't find a player (due to low player base) you can play with random people via Correspondence, where you make a move and wait for them to make the next move when they next get online.

It also has a training dummy, but it's REALLY stupid and randomly chooses from 3 of the teams (the ones that play most like normal Chess). Want to practice against the more interesting teams? You'll have to find a real person for that.

There are also no options in this game. You can't even lower the music. You need to mute the whole game if you want to listen to something else.

This game really is the bare minimum. Despite the video game adaption being really mediocre, I'm still giving this a positive rating since the rules of Chess 2 are actually really cool and I want more people to start playing, whether it be through the video game or on a real Chess board. The Steam Version does the job, but you'll need to find another player.

Search for "Chess 2 Sequel Print and Play" if you want to read the rules. You can play with a normal set.

I don't know whether to recommend this game or not. I bought it at the $10 price point, which isn't much I guess. The overall idea is OK, but personally I don't like the betting stones for pieces thing, and I just wish I could turn it off and play `a piece captures a piece` (along with the music- I'm forced to play with no volume).

The worst part is the AI. I read other reviews before purchasing and thought, OK the AI isn't great but it must be playable. Frankly, it isn't. Most games are won in very few moves and the AI is almost unresponsive to threats. Seriously, move a pawn out of the way and march your king/s across the midline, very minimal resistance will be offered, you will win.

So with no viable AI, you will always need an online player.

There's no 2 player option, so at the moment you can't play a friend or family member at home using the same computer. Why is this not an option? It seems like the basic option? Actually this is what tips me to not recommend it, because without this option, there's no viable way to play the game, which otherwise might be entertaining.

after looking through the forums and seeing that the developers no longer plan on supporting or continuing updates with this product....I unfortunately have to not reccomend this, I really like chess, and the idea of this game seemed amazing so I gave it a shot played it for a little bit a long while back against ai to get a hang of the army I wanted to play unfortunately the ai is nothing but a punching bag it can litteraly be beaten just by making moves at random with no thought involved and trying to find an online match is nearly impossible you can however get matches occasionally through correspondence mode if your willing to play a game over the course of a few days but I am hard pressed to reccomend this game

There are no Game adjustments possible (see also critics of several Game Tests). Problem is that there is some classical Music Playing very loud and you cant adjust the Volume. So if you play a Multiplayer Match you cant hear your Oponent conected to Skype.

I like it. A fresh take on chess. Dueling adds complexity.

What the game needs: A live online finder that isn't so bleak and hopeless (you NEVER find a match).
A computer that actually plays well (the computer made stupid moves 50% of the time).
The ability to pick your opponent in single player.
Conditional moves (If they do this, then I do that) AND email alerts in Coorespondance.

I have other suggestions, but they'd be mostly cosmetic (add more boards, more music, though I love the music you picked). Try to partner with Chess.com and really get this online!!! Great game!

This is a truly great game! It has some bugs and is missing some features but the core is great and that is what really matters when it comes to games. Some more options and features would have been nice but it has all the essential pieces and you will certainly be able to enjoy the game for a long time.

It is simple enough that you can get into it fairly quickly but advanced enough so it will feel fresh for a long time and surprise you with new combos and strategies. A must try for fans of the turn based strategy genre or chess fans. If you want a strategy game without luck then this might be the game for you.

The six armies manages to make new games feel fresh and you have to adapt different strategies depending on who you are facing. The mid-line invasion rule makes the games shorter and more intense and often result in heated battles around the chess boards mid-line. The game feels very balanced, there are no best or worst army.

If you don't like chess or think you are bad at it I would still encourage you to try this game, I think it feels different enough that you might enjoy it even if you don't like normal chess. Also, if you are bad at chess you will feel right at home here, we are all starting from scratch and are trying to figure out how to play this game ;) However, I think you get better at normal chess by playing this game so this might be something for someone who want to get better at normal chess as well.

If nothing else I would recommend this game so you can learn the rules and play it with a physical chess against your friends because it is a really fun chess variation when you get the hang of the new rules. I was quite skeptical in the beginning, especially about the bidding and the new armies but it actually works and fits really nice together. So do yourself a favor and try this strategy game, the worst thing that can happen is that you don't like it :)

Rules: 9/10
UI: 6/10
Fun factor: 9/10
Options: 5/10
Graphics: 10/10
Music: 8/10
Game modes: 6/10
Army Balance: 9/10

Score: 8/10

I have been a fan of Chess 2 since I first heard about it and started playing with friends. This version is good but does have some downfalls. First, about 30% of my games end due to losing connection with the server. Troubleshooting tells me that the problem is outside of my network. Second, the game freezes at times when I press the exit button, and I am required to shutdown the computer in order to move on. Third, there is still a small number of users which means you cannot play a competitive game too often when you sign on. Fourth, the lack of a player vs. computer mode makes the game virtually unusable if others are not available to play. I would also like to see a way to easily pair up with your friends, a 2 player one screen mode, a way to chat as you play, and statistics such as win-loss record with each army.

The visuals are solid, the gameplay is great, and I love the game Chess 2. This version is just limiting in the overall enjoyment. Patch fixes and updates would make this a must play for anyone who likes chess or strategy games.

Quick first impressions review: I'm not a huge fan of chess, but the rule changes in this game really spice up the gameplay and give it a new appeal. Having six different chess armies with new pieces and new abilities adds a lot of variety to the game and requires new tactics to win, especially with different army match-ups. I recommend this if you have any interest in chess and fancy a different challenge from the standard game.

I want to like this game so much. The ideas behind Chess 2 seem so good. So far Chess 2 seems like a great Chess variant.

The problem is that this particular implementation just seems unfinished. You can play Chess 2 against a horribly weak AI. You can play live in 25 minutes a side games and you can play Correspondence games. Your rating goes up if you win and down if you lose (presumably based on your opponents rating).

The game looks nice and bar a few crashes, plays smoothly. But there is so much missing that you would normally take for granted.

No rankings ! You can see your opponents rating and yours in game. Out of game you see...nothing. No win/loss ratios. No breakdown of each armies win/loss. No leaderboards!!!!

You cannot challenge a friend. You play against random opponents only.

For a game that's supposed to be all about multiplayer this is just unforgivable.

There are no options. You window resize (unless you edit the game launch properties yourself). The music is nice but you cannot turn it down. You cannot even turn it OFF !

Your games are saved for replay. There's no chess notation. You cannot view your opponents or your own previous moves.

Even the Steam Achievements are just so boring. Again, just ... barely ... there.

Mind boggling. If this was early access I'd give it some slack as the core of the game is there and it is great. But in 2014 the total lack of any features is crazy. Especially when you consider the price.

Hopefully the game can get some much needed support and thrive but we will have to wait and see.

Right now... I would not recommend this to anyone.

The game Chess 2 is very enjoyable; the application Chess 2 is a mess. It feels like very little work was done to port this from Ouya. There are zero options: you cannot adjust resolution, quality, you can't even adjust the volume or turn off the music! The menu's don't seem to like being controlled by mice, you can only click on the deepest "slice" of a menu, even if the other menu options are on the screen.

Online play also has zero options. You search for a game and pick an army, but have no control over who you play or extra rules like the time each player gets. There is no rating system for players, no chat system, no friends system, no ability to start a game with a specific person (!), nothing. This application is missing SO MUCH that paying $20 for it makes me feel ripped off. This is not $20 of quality. This is like $4 of quality. Maybe. I'd pay $5 if I could turn off the terrible music.

In other words: don't expect much.

If you do like chess and agree to pay 25 bucks just for an upgraded chess game buy it. But only for the game... Chess 2 does not have a UI that reflects the price. Moreover it's lack of in-game chat between players, the missing rating and post-game stats and the slow-pace (The graphics seem sloppy, it makes me think twice if I'm clicking the right spot) don't help...

They new rules are indeed genius but it needs much more to get to its actual price. The game just feels incomplete. I really hope they put work on it but in the state it actually is... I do not recommend the game.

EDIT: There are no more future updates (afaik) planned for the game, and IMO its a great game but wasn't fully fleshed out with all the basic features. The population has bottomed out, so if you're buying it for multiplayer then you may be out of luck in finding games. This isn't really the developers fault, as indie games have a hard time in capturing a big multiplayer player pool. It was an interesting take for a chess variant, and I hope more tactics games similar to it come out. I am always looking for that next pvp tactical game.

To Chess Players:

If you're more of a tactics player (short term captures and plans), you'll enjoy this game. Chess 2 (C2) is a much more fast-paced and unpredictable game than traditional Chess. C2 has 6 armies to choose from (there is the classic Chess army, but also new armies with unique units & movesets), and you can face any of them from your opponent, so games will have very diverse matchups each time. There are also 2 ways to win: Getting your king past midline and checkmate. This ensures games are faster and have less draws. But with the midline invasion rule, it is very "race-to-win"; there are less quiet moves, less subtle improving moves to a better position, less strategic play. Rather, its more just a string of tactical plays IMO.

Knowledge of Chess can help you in C2, but it will only help you so far. You can throw most chess rule-of-thumbs out the window, as there are new pieces with new rules. Controlling the center is good, but controlling the sides is also important as the king usually tries to flank to one side to invade midline instead of going into the center where he'll be mated. Castling early and often is actually a bad move. Fianchetto is waste of tempo, as bishops are on a better diagonal from their starting position. Knights are usually better in C2 because its usually semi-closed or closed positions. And because of that, rooks are usually worse pieces because the position is closed, but also because you castle less often providing less exits for your king rook. However, pawn majority in center is still important (if not even more important), and also the knight on the rim is still grim :-)

If you liked Chess because of same teams and starting off on even foot, you might dislike the 6 different teams. They are balanced, but are balanced in a bubble (as in they are balanced with respect to Classic Chess army, but some have advantage/disadvantage versus each other). It's a case of Perfect Imbalance (Two Kings army>Reaper>Nemesis>Two Kings). So you might dislike the fact that your army performs better/worse versus the enemy team, but it is is only slight advantage. But this provides opportunity for each game and opening to be very unique. Another factor in the game is the duel system (betting system). Whenever a piece is captured, you can bet against your opponent for the fate of the unit doing the capturing (that unit will also be removed if you lose the bet). This duel system was implemented for mind games, but it is only wild guessing IMO. It is like rock paper scissors, the player that picks his weapon by thinking 7 moves ahead is just as good as the player thinking only 4 moves ahead or 1 move ahead. Although there are limits to the betting system (you only gain betting stones by destroying an enemy pawn), and it is more complicated than I give it credit for, it is still for the most part an arbitrary system.

Overall, I would recommend C2 to chess players, because of its familiarity to Chess but also because it brings new life and something refreshing to it. The less you think of it as chess + new elements, but rather just a new board game with chess elements, the more you will enjoy the game for what it really is :) GL HF.