Spells

Anichess introduces a new concept called spells, which adds an interesting twist and depth to classic chess. Each spell has two attributes: one is the number of mana points required to cast the spell and the other is the maximum number of times the spell can be used per game. These attributes serve as the balancing mechanism for the game. Remember, you earn 1 mana every turn that you do not cast a spell.

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There are 9 spells available in Anichess Alpha

1. Parkour Mech: Permanently transform a piece (except king and queen) into a knight. Casting the spell counts as one move. Cost: 3 Mana | Limit: 2 casts

2. Imposter: Swap a piece with an opponent’s piece of the same type, except for pawns and kings. The spell counts as one move. Cost: 5 Mana | Limit: 2 cast

3. Shot in the Dark: Move (or keep in place) a piece invisibly once, revealing its position on your next turn. Cannot be casted on Queen. Cost: 3 Mana | Limit: 3 casts

4. House Recruit: Create a pawn on an empty square between the 3rd and 6th ranks. The spell counts as one move. Cost: 4 Mana | Limit: 3 casts

5. Bis-Hop 2:0: Leap your bishop over one piece in its path. The spell can be cast to capture the first piece it encounters. Cost: 4 Mana | Limit: 3 cast

6. Queen Time: Allows a knight, bishop, or rook to move like a queen once during your turn. The piece can capture during this move (excluding king). Cost: 7 Mana | Limit: 1 cast

7. Slip: Move a pawn, knight, or rook diagonally to an adjacent square once during your turn, steal one Mana from opponent. It cannot be cast to capture a piece. Cost: 1 Mana | Limit: 5 casts

8. Pengu Dive: Teleport one of your pieces (excluding pawns) to an empty square within a 3x3 area around it. Acts as a turn.. Cost: 4 Mana | Limit: 3 casts

9. Tactical Necessity: Sacrifice a piece to destroy the opponent’s piece of lower rank, except for kings and pawns. Piece ranking is Queen > Rook > Bishop > Knight > Pawn. Cost: 1 Mana | Limit: 3 casts

After completing Scherif’s Introduction, players will start with 5 core spells unlocked: Slip, Parkour Mech, House Recruit, Bis-Hop and Imposter. The remaining 4 spells can be unlocked by completing in-game missions.