Play Hexagonal Chess Against AI
How to Play Gliński Hexagonal Chess
Gliński hexagonal chess sets familiar pieces on a 91-cell hex board. Rooks move on six straight lines, bishops cover the board's three colours between them, and pawns move straight ahead but capture at 60°. Choose an AI level, pick a side, and start playing.
How a Game Begins
The board is a hexagon of 91 cells in three shades. Kings, queens, rooks, knights, and bishops keep their usual roles, but the geometry changes: rooks slide along edges, bishops along vertices, and knights jump to a nearby hex. Each side has three bishops, one on each colour.
Pawns move straight forward and capture on the two 60° forward diagonals. Any pawn still on its starting cell may advance two hexes, and en passant applies after that double step. A pawn that reaches the end of its file promotes to a queen. There is no castling. Checkmate wins; if a player has no legal move but is not in check, Gliński awards the win to the side that just moved.
Opening Files Run Long
Before spending the central pawn's double step, check which colour each bishop controls and which file you are opening. Files run farther here than they do on a square board, so a wasted tempo in the opening often matters more than a quiet trade.
Pawns Capture at 60°
Pawns never move diagonally unless they are capturing. The opening double step is available from any starting cell, not just a second rank. After Black plays c7 to c5, a White pawn on b5 may capture en passant on c6. Promotion comes at the end of the file, and this site promotes to a queen automatically.
Hints Follow Your AI Level
Choose from multiple AI levels, then play as White to open or as Black to answer. Hints use the same level you selected, and undo rolls back both your move and the AI reply. After the game, replay the moment a file opened or the mating net tightened. All AI calculation runs in your browser.
91hex cells
3bishops, one per colour
60°pawn capture angle
Mateends the game
