🎯 Objective

Checkmate your opponent's King — put it under attack with no escape possible. The player who achieves checkmate wins. If neither player can force checkmate, the game can end in a Draw.

♟ The Pieces

⚡ Special Moves

• Castling — The King moves 2 squares toward a Rook, and the Rook jumps to the other side. Allowed only if: neither piece has moved, no pieces are between them, and the King is not in check and does not pass through an attacked square.
• En Passant — If a pawn moves 2 squares forward and lands beside an enemy pawn, the enemy pawn may capture it as if it moved only 1 square. This must be done immediately on the next move.
• Promotion — When a pawn reaches the opposite back rank, it is immediately promoted to a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight. In Neon Chess, promotion is automatic to Queen.

🤝 Draws

• Stalemate — The player to move has no legal moves but is not in check. The game is a draw.
• Insufficient material — Neither player has enough pieces to force checkmate.
• Repetition / 50-move rule — Not enforced in Neon Chess for simplicity.

✅ Check & Checkmate

When your King is under attack, you are in Check — you must get out of check immediately (move the King, block the attack, or capture the attacker). If you cannot, it is Checkmate and you lose.

💡 Tips for Playing Lucile

• Control the center with pawns and pieces early.
• Develop your knights and bishops before moving the same piece twice.
• Castle early to protect your King.
• Keep your pieces active — inactive pieces lose games.
• On Expert mode, Lucile searches 5 moves deep. Good luck. You'll need it.