Chess has been extensively play tested and the balance is peak.
this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2026
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Unpopular Opinion
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It's worth mentioning that white has a small but notable advantage.
They still haven't fixed the board flip glitch or the "look over there" exploit that allows you to rearrange the board if your opponent actually looks.
Not to mention that there's nothing in the rules to prevent you from putting a mirror behind your opponent so you can see the location of their pieces
knights are OP and need to be nerfed tbh
If you think the knights are OP, wait till you find out about the knook!
Technically, chess ends one turn before the king is taken. "Checkmate" basically means, "I can capture your king next turn of I want to and there's no way you can avoid it."
You're not allowed to put your own king in check because, if this were allowed, stalemate wouldn't be possible; the game would always end with the loser moving their king into check and the winner taking it. The rule allows the player of a losing game to still play for a draw, as opposed to simply resigning.
Can you explain how stalemates would be impossible if you could self-check? Functionally I don’t see how that’s any different from resigning.
You could still stalemate by avoiding check and causing threefold repetition.
If you self-check, your opponents next move is always to take the king and win. Check means 'if it's my turn I can capture your king'.
How is that different from resigning?
The player can still draw by refusing to self check, right?
If you refuse to make a move, you resign, you lose.
If you are unable to make a move, it's a stalemate, you do not lose.
It just gives you an extra chance to avoid a total loss by having your opponent make a mistake.
Got it.
A game that would normally stalemate because the only move is self check becomes a loss because you have a self check available.
Had the game not announced this, I wouldn't have known.
Sounds like maybe you need to practice more.
Why, besides supporting your inability to properly apply the rules of chess?
I mean I absolutely suck at chess (lack of working memory), and it's clear to me that you are correct.
You and your friends can set any rules for any games you play, as long as you agree to the rules together. Sometimes it's fun to try and change the rules.