⚔ Puzzle Battle — Rules & FAQ
Puzzle Battle is a live duel in a Free Play room: you and a friend race the exact same 3-minute puzzle run — identical puzzles, identical order, each on your own clock — and the higher score wins. You watch each other's score tick in real time.
No questions match — clear the filter to see them all.
The run
Q. How does a battle run work?
You get 3 minutes and a stream of mate puzzles served one after another. Solve a puzzle (play the full forced mate) and you score +1 and the next puzzle loads. When the clock hits zero, your run is over and your score is locked in.
Q. What happens on a wrong move?
A wrong move fails that puzzle — no retry — and the next puzzle loads. There's also a Skip button if you'd rather not burn clock on a puzzle (a skip scores nothing, exactly like a miss).
Q. Do the puzzles get harder?
Yes — the run starts with easier puzzles and climbs in difficulty, so early points come fast and late points are earned. Each puzzle's own rating shows in the bar above the board while you play (e.g. "1450 · Hard").
Q. Can I pick Crazyhouse or Standard puzzles?
Yes — whoever creates the room picks the puzzle variant with the ♞ Crazyhouse / ♟ Standard chips on the Free Play lobby (Crazyhouse is the default). The joiner automatically plays the same variant — the whole sequence is drawn from that variant's puzzles. Standard battles play plain chess rules: no pockets, no drops.
Q. What's the pocket / a drop, in a Crazyhouse battle puzzle?
Standard Crazyhouse: a piece you capture goes to your pocket instead of leaving the game, and you can later drop it onto any empty square (pawns can't drop on the first/last rank) instead of moving a board piece. Each puzzle's solution may use drops as part of the forced mate — the pocket strip beside the board shows what's available to drop.
Q. Do battle puzzles count toward my puzzle rating?
Yes — every solve or miss in a battle updates your puzzle rating exactly like a trainer attempt (your local per-variant rating always; your account rating too when you're signed in). A puzzle skipped by a connection hiccup doesn't count against you.
Fairness
Q. Do we really get the same puzzles?
Yes. The sequence is fixed when the room is created and stored with it, so you both race puzzle-for-puzzle the same run — same puzzles, same order. Nothing is random between the two of you.
Q. Can I replay my run to improve my score?
No — each player gets exactly one scored run per race. Want another go? Start a new room.
Q. Who wins?
The higher score. Equal scores are a draw. When both clocks are done, a clear boxed win / loss / draw banner shows both scores.
Playing a race
Q. How do I challenge someone?
On Free Play, pick the Puzzle Battle game square and Create a room, then share the room code (or the invite link) — exactly like challenging a friend to any other Free Play game. The moment your friend joins, both runs start: the same puzzles, each on your own 3-minute clock. No account is needed on either side.
Q. Can I see my opponent's progress during a race?
Yes — a small strip above the board shows their live progress ("Them: 3 solved · puzzle 5/40"). When you both finish, the boxed win / loss / draw result appears with both scores.
Q. What if I close the page mid-race?
A live run can't be paused or resumed — the clock is real time. If you leave, the race simply never resolves and the room expires. Races are casual — they update your puzzle rating per solve/miss, but no battle history is kept.