Chess at South Parthenon

New to chess?

How the pieces move (quick reference)

Pawn

Forward one square (or two on its first move). Captures diagonally forward.

Rook

Straight lines — horizontal or vertical, any number of empty squares.

Bishop

Diagonals only — any number of empty squares.

Knight

L-shape: 2 squares one way, 1 sideways. The only piece that jumps over others.

Queen

Any direction — horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Most powerful piece.

King

One square in any direction. Never move into danger!

Words you will see in this guide

• Legal move — a move allowed by the rules that does not leave your king in danger.
• Capture — move onto an enemy piece to remove it from the board.
• Checkmate — the enemy king is attacked with no safe escape. You win!
• Pending move — you have right-clicked a destination but have not confirmed it yet.
• Square names — columns A–H, rows 1–8 (e.g. E4 = column E, row 4).

Your first five minutes

1. At the Chess-Stele front: set Level to 0 Practice and Predict to On.
2. Press the green START button (it shows Playing while a game is active).
3. Walk onto a white Pawn or Knight — it turns blue.
4. Look for green dots on the board — those squares are legal moves.
5. Right-click (RMB) a green square to set it as your target, then left-click / fire to confirm.

Recommended learning path

1. Practice (Level 0) — no computer opponent; learn how each piece moves with hints on.
2. Custom → Piece vs Piece — one white + one black of the same type; drill a single piece alone (see Custom).
3. Easy (Level 1) — play a full game against a gentle computer opponent (Leorik).
4. Puzzles — short "win in one move" challenges once you are comfortable moving pieces. Set Predict: Hint for the puzzle coach (see Puzzles).
5. Predict: Off — remove the training wheels when green dots and your own judgment are enough.

The sections below are a full reference for controls, Chess-Stele buttons, and advanced options.

Overview

• 3D play — stand on squares A1–H8, aim with the crosshair, and commit moves with fire.
• Chess-Stele front — Level, Style, Predict, Puzzles, Custom, green START, red Clear.
• Chess-Stele back — puzzle catalog, move History, or Custom layout + FEN editor.
• Practice (0) — no engine; safe space to learn movement and read the hints.
• Easy–Hard (1–4) — Leorik (computer) plays Black.

On the 3D board

The Style setting on the Chess-Stele front switches between two presentations. Standard moves happen instantly with flat circles on the board squares. Wizard animates piece slides (~1 second per square) and adds glowing runic orbs and auras. The legal-move rules are exactly the same either way — Style is purely visual.

Standard vs Wizard — how it looks

Same piece, same legal moves — different presentation. Toggle Style on the Chess-Stele front at any time.

Selecting a piece

• Walk the Game Cage onto the chess board.
• Stand on a white piece with legal moves — it turns blue and green dots appear on every square it can reach.
• Stepping off to any empty square keeps your selection while you aim at a destination.
• Step off the grid (outside A1–H8) to clear your selection and any pending move.

Making a move

• RMB (right-click) on a legal square or capturable black piece — sets the pending destination (orange circle).
• LMB (left-click) / fire — confirms the pending move. Your piece slides to the target.
• Backspace — cancel pending move or clear selection.

• Wizard move — wait for the wizard slide and magic animation to finish before your next input.

Status display

The Tab quick board shows three lines of information — Game Mode, Selection, Position:

Puzzles 1/39 - Easy
Selected: Queen
Position: D3

Pawn promotion

When a White pawn reaches rank 8 (the far edge from White’s side), the move waits until you choose what the pawn becomes. A translucent Chess Promotion Panel appears on the HUD.

When it opens

• 3D board — commit a pawn move onto any square on rank 8 (same RMB → LMB / aim flow as a normal move).
• Chess-Stele back — Immediate mode (RMB drag) or Parthenon mode onto rank 8.
• Piece vs Piece Practice (Custom pawn drill) — same panel when the white pawn promotes.

Choose a piece (D-pad)

Confirm

Press RMB, Space, or gamepad South / East / RB (right bumper). The pawn becomes the selected piece and play continues (Black / Leorik responds as usual).

On-screen hint: W A S D / D-Pad to choose · RMB · Space · or RB to confirm

2D boards

There are four 2D boards in the game, all mirroring the live 3D state in real time. Two are display-only — they show every dot, circle, and badge but cannot be clicked or dragged. Two are interactive — the Tab quick board lets you cycle Predict modes with H, and the Chess-Stele back board lets you drag pieces to make moves.

Main display board

A large 2D board mounted above the outdoor 3D chess grid at South Parthenon. It is display-only — you cannot click or drag anything on it. It mirrors the live board state: green legal-move dots, orange pending circle, tactical overlays, and corner badges all update instantly as you play.

Tab quick board

Press Tab to open the Tab quick board in two locations:

• While standing on the outdoor grid A1–H8 — replaces the weapon Quick Menu.
• While standing in the back stele trigger — open it alongside the back mini board to verify both 2D boards show identical live state and overlays.

The overlay does not pause the game or capture movement input. It auto-closes when you leave both the outdoor grid and the back stele trigger.

Interactive control — H: while the panel is open, press H to cycle Predict intensity: Off → On (purple + tactical) → Hint (tactical + puzzle coach) → On + Hint (everything). Each step briefly flashes Predict: … on screen and refreshes 3D + all 2D boards. This is the only keyboard shortcut active while the Tab board is open.

• Green dots — legal moves to empty squares (always shown). Green diamonds — legal capture moves (enemy piece on that square).
• Blue circle — the square where you are currently standing.
• Tactical overlays (💥/⚠️ badges, yellow/red warnings, purple previews, scout/inspect diamonds) appear when Predict: On or Hint is active.
• Move log stays in sync with the 3D game. Outside the chess grid, Tab opens the normal weapon Quick Menu.

Chess-Stele — front mini board

A compact 2D board on the front face of the Chess-Stele, displayed alongside the settings panel. It is display-only — it shows the same live dots and circles as every other board but has no drag or click interaction. Use it to glance at the board state while adjusting Level, Predict, or Style settings without opening the Tab board.

Chess-Stele — back mini board

A compact 2D board on the back face of the Chess-Stele. This is the most interactive 2D board in the game:

• Custom edit — in Custom mode, RMB drag pieces from the palette onto the board to build any position. See Custom positions.
• Live play (Immediate mode) — RMB drag any White piece to a legal square to commit a move in one motion. Pawn promotion works automatically on rank 8.
• Live play (Parthenon mode) — a multi-step remote control that mirrors 3D selection exactly. See Parthenon mode below.
• Custom Edit only restriction — while building a board layout, pawns cannot be placed on rank 1 or rank 8. This restriction does not apply during live play.

Back mini board — Parthenon mode

Toggle between Immediate and Parthenon modes with the Mode button on the back panel. In Parthenon mode the back board acts as a remote control for the 3D chess game — all visuals, status text, and overlay animations are identical to what you would see standing on the 3D board itself. The Tab quick board (press Tab from the back stele trigger) will show the same state.

1. RMB a white piece with legal moves → the piece and its square turn blue (matching the Tab quick board), green dots and diamonds mark legal squares, status shows Selected: [piece].
2. Move the cursor to the desired destination — a hover cursor highlight follows.
3. RMB on a legal square → orange circle marks the pending destination; status shows Move to X?
4. LMB — commit the move.
5. Backspace at any step — reverts one step (pending → selected → cancelled).
6. Look away from the board — cancels the entire selection.

All tactical overlays (green pathways, purple predict, caution tints, scout/inspect diamonds) pulse and animate on both the back board and the Tab quick board while a piece is selected — the same animations you see standing on the outdoor 3D square. The blue player indicator (GameCage icon) sits on the selected piece's square, matching the Tab board's standing-square indicator.

Overlays & colors

Colored markers — quick reference

All 2D boards share the same visual language. Basic markers show with any Predict setting. Training markers require Predict: On, Hint, or On + Hint and are intended for beginners learning tactics.

Basic markers — always visible

Marker	Visual	Meaning
Green dot		Legal empty move — safe movement, not on an attack ray
Green diamond (small)		Sliding piece only — empty square on an attack ray heading toward a capture
Green diamond (large)		Legal move that captures an enemy piece (actual capture square)
Orange circle		Your pending destination (right-clicked but not yet confirmed)
Blue square		2D boards — the square you are standing on

Training markers — Predict: On, Hint, or On + Hint

Marker	Visual	Meaning
Purple dot		"What if?" preview — where a piece could go after your next move
Red piece tint + 💥	💥	Black piece that can capture your selected white piece right now
Yellow piece tint + ⚠️	⚠️	Black piece that could recapture if you move to your orange target
Blue tint on white pieces		Other white pieces that already attack your orange destination — your backup
Blue square + blue piece tint		Parthenon mode — when you RMB-select a white piece on the back Chess-Stele, the square and piece turn blue, matching the Tab quick board
Red dot (small)		Enemy scout — safe empty square a black piece could reach (no attack ray)
Red diamond (small)		Enemy scout — attack-pathway square (sliding piece's ray aimed at a white piece)
Red diamond (large)		Enemy scout — white piece that black could capture; large diamond above the piece on 2D
Blue dot (small)		Friendly inspect — safe empty square another white piece could reach (no attack ray)
Blue diamond (small)		Friendly inspect — attack-pathway square (sliding piece's ray aimed at a black piece)
Blue diamond (large)		Friendly inspect — black piece that white could capture; large diamond above the piece on 2D
Inspect ring (red / blue)		Bracket ring on the inspected piece's own square — red for a black-piece hold, blue for a white-piece hold

Puzzle coach markers — Predict: Hint + active puzzle only

Marker	Visual	Meaning
Green circle (large)		The square where checkmate happens — solution hint
Red X		Wrong square while you are aiming — never shown outside an active puzzle

Any setting other than Predict: Off enables tactical overlays on both the 3D board and every 2D board (Chess-Stele mini boards and Tab quick board) in all chess modes. With Predict: Off you still see green legal-move markers and the blue standing square — but no warnings, purple dots, scout/inspect holds, or caution badges. Wizard style still animates slides; with Predict Off it shows green/blue/orange glowing markers on the outdoor board. Scout/inspect holds, caution badges, and runic piece auras require Predict: On, Hint, or On + Hint.

Green + purple overlap

On 2D boards, when a square has both a green dot or green diamond (legal move now) and a purple dot (hypothetical next move), they alternate — green fades out as purple fades in, using the same rhythm as orange circles and tinted pieces. Purple dots are the same size as green dots and green capture diamonds. Red and blue diamonds on the same square alternate with purple the same way. Threatened white pieces under a large red scout diamond and threatened black pieces under a large blue inspect diamond pulse with that rhythm. On 2D boards, pieces ghost (alpha-fade) when the diamond is at full brightness. On the 3D board, threatened white pieces glow solid red and threatened black pieces glow solid light blue — pulsing emission in sync with the diamond.

For a full sprite-by-sprite glossary see Colored markers — quick reference above. The sections below explain when each overlay appears and how to read it in play.

When an orange destination is set, yellow / ⚠️ marks black pieces defending that square and blue tints mark white pieces already attacking it — your backup. The piece you are moving is not tinted blue.

Study an enemy piece (hold crosshair ~1 second)

Aim the crosshair at a black piece and hold about one second. Requires Predict: On or higher.

• Standard mode — a red bracket ring appears on the black piece's own square; red dots mark safe empty squares it can reach; red diamonds mark attack-ray squares heading toward a white piece; large red diamonds appear directly above any white piece it could capture. The black piece gets a red tint and a badge on 2D boards when it threatens a capture. Piece Labels (if on) also show the on threatened white name tags.
• Wizard + Predict: On — red glowing auras appear on the hovered piece and all its reachable squares; 2D boards show small red diamonds on every reachable empty square (not just attack rays), matching 3D aura coverage.
• Wizard + Predict: Off — scout holds are fully disabled — nothing appears on 3D or 2D.

Look away to dismiss. Setting a pending move with RMB also clears it.

Study another friendly piece (hold crosshair ~1 second)

Aim at a different white piece — not the one you are standing on — and hold about one second. Requires Predict: On or higher. Your standing piece keeps its own green move dots.

• Standard mode — a blue bracket ring appears on the white piece's own square; blue dots mark safe empty squares it can reach; blue diamonds mark attack-ray squares heading toward a black piece; large blue diamonds appear directly above any black piece it could capture. On 2D boards, threatened black pieces ghost with a light-blue tint. On the 3D board, threatened black pieces turn solid light blue with pulsing blue emission in sync with the diamond. Piece Labels (if on) also show the on threatened black name tags.
• Wizard + Predict: On — blue glowing auras on the hovered white piece and all its reachable squares; 2D boards show small blue diamonds on every reachable empty square (not just attack rays), matching 3D aura coverage.
• Wizard + Predict: Off — friendly inspect holds are fully disabled — nothing appears on 3D or 2D.

Look away to dismiss.

Chess-Stele — front panel

Stand in the front trigger and aim the crosshair at the controls.

Buttons

• Level mode — wheel cycles 0 Practice → 4 Hard. Glows cyan when selected.
• Piece Labels — 3D floating name tags: Name / Name & Position / Position / None. Setting to None hides / caution hints on 3D name tags (2D corner badges also hide); green capture tints still follow Predict. The label on the piece you are standing on is always hidden while you occupy that square — it would obstruct the view.
• Style — Standard (instant moves, flat circles) ↔ Wizard (animated moves + glowing orbs/auras). See On the 3D board for a visual comparison. Independent of Predict.
• Predict — Off / On / Hint. Wheel cycles Off → On → Hint. See the table below.
• Puzzles mode — wheel changes puzzle set: win in 1 / 2 / 3 moves.
• Custom mode — build your own board on the back panel; includes the unique Piece vs Piece drill.
• START / Play / Playing — green button starts the selected mode. Shows Play in Custom edit, START for Level/Puzzles, and Playing while that session is active.
• Clear (red) — resets the active mode only. Label changes by context: Clear game (Level), Clear puzzle or Clear board (Puzzles), Clear board / Restart (Custom). Green button returns to START or Play after clearing.

Predict — who should use which setting?

START, Play, and Clear workflow

1. Select a mode (Level, Puzzles, or Custom).
2. Click the green button — START (Level/Puzzles) or Play (Custom). Button shows Playing while active.
3. Click red Clear to reset that mode only; green button returns so you can start again.
4. Custom only: Shift + Clear while editing loads the standard starting position.
5. Other modes keep their own saved games — clearing Level does not erase your Custom layout.

Leorik tuning (advanced — Easy+ only)

You can skip this section until Level 1 (Easy) or higher. Practice (Level 0) hides these sliders entirely. They adjust the computer opponent (Leorik) — not your hints or overlays.

Aim at a slider on the Chess-Stele front and scroll the mouse wheel.

Temperature (0 – 990)

Higher = weaker and more random opponent. Lower = stronger and more focused. Wheel step: 10.

Movetime (100 – 1000 ms)

How long the computer thinks before each Black move. Wheel step: 50 ms.

Puzzles always use 100 ms for Black's forced replies regardless of the Movetime slider.

Threads (1 – 16)

How much CPU the chess engine uses. Default 4. Only change this if you know you need to. Wheel step: 1.

Chess-Stele — back panel

Stand in the rear trigger. The back panel content changes depending on which mode is active on the front.

• Mouse wheel — scroll the list.
• Left-click a row — jump to that puzzle or history position (History rows play a click sound).
• Aim at a row — highlights in light blue under the crosshair.
• Green row — puzzle solved. Orange row — current selection.
• History controls: Shift + wheel scrolls the log; LMB selects a line; RMB redos to that position (Leorik replies if it's Black's turn); Backspace / Ctrl+Z / MMB undoes the last full turn.

Move log (History)

The History panel lists moves in standard chess notation (short codes like e4). On Practice, Easy, and Beginner, each line also shows plain English in brackets — for example: e4 (E2 to E4 White Pawn). History rows highlight in light blue when you aim at them; left-click plays a click sound.

Puzzles

Puzzle list labels

Example row: 1 Move #3 kingsideAttack • 1546 — puzzle number, moves to mate, tag, and position number.

How to start a puzzle

1. On the front: select Puzzles, then pick a row on the back and press green START.
2. The HUD flashes Chess Puzzle #n; the Chess-Stele shows e.g. Puzzles 1 - Easy.
3. Find the move that puts the black king in checkmate (no escape).
4. On success: PUZZLE n SOLVED! — stand on Any King to load the next puzzle.

Puzzle coach (Predict: Hint)

Set the Chess-Stele front to Predict: Hint before pressing START (or press H on the Tab board). Coach overlays appear only while a puzzle is active — they never appear in Level, Practice, or Custom.

• Green circle — the square that delivers checkmate.
• Red X — you are aiming at a wrong square. Shown on 3D and all 2D boards.

Outside an active puzzle, Predict: Hint gives all tactical training overlays (same as On, but without purple "what if" previews) — the green solution circle and red X never appear outside a puzzle.

Custom positions

1. Front: select Custom — the back board clears for editing.
2. Back: RMB drag pieces from the white/black palettes onto the mini board.
3. Clear Board empties the layout. Set Game loads the standard starting position (where available).
4. Front: press Play when the layout is valid — triggers Piece vs Piece Practice (2 mirrored pieces) or a normal Custom game (3+ pieces with both kings).
5. Ctrl+V paste — advanced: load a saved board code (Custom edit only; multiple pasted lines build a playlist).

Piece vs Piece — example setups

Three common beginner drills.

During live play, the back mini board accepts RMB drag of White pieces to legal squares. When a pawn reaches rank 8, the promotion panel opens automatically — use W/A/S/D to choose Queen, Rook, Knight, or Bishop, then RMB, Space, or RB (gamepad) to confirm. The 3D board is always the primary input; the back mini board mirrors every move in real time.

Custom Edit only restriction: while building a layout, pawns cannot be placed on rank 1 or rank 8. This does not apply during live play — pawn promotion works normally.

Ctrl+C on the layout field copies the current board code. Ctrl+V paste loads a position in Custom edit.

Tips

• Predict: Off = clean pro view (green + blue only). On the Tab board: press H to cycle Predict: Off → On → Hint → On + Hint; mode flashes briefly on screen.
• Predict: On = purple previews + all tactical badges, scout/inspect holds, wizard auras. Predict: Hint = tactical badges (no purple) + puzzle coach (green circle + red X, puzzles only). On + Hint = everything.
• Style = move presentation (Standard instant vs Wizard animated). Predict = training overlays. Wizard + Predict Off still shows glowing green/blue/orange markers on 3D.
• After red Clear, the green button returns to START or Play — it will not stay stuck on Playing.
• 💥/⚠️ caution hints need any Predict setting other than Off and Piece Labels not set to None. Yellow/red black-piece tints and blue backup white-piece tints on 2D follow the same rule.
• Settings persist between sessions: Level, puzzle set, Style, Piece Labels, Predict, Leorik sliders, solved puzzle ★ marks.
• Engine status appears under Level (Engine OK or missing) — only relevant for Easy+ levels and Puzzles.
• For general Escaper movement, weapons, and menus, see the main game guide in the repo.

Appendix — doc screenshots (for authors)

Hotkeys for capturing PNG/JPG assets under images/ while playing: