Xi Chess

Chess with a glass set in a quiet, dark studio. Pick up a piece and its moves glow on the polished stone board; put it down and it lands with a soft click and a ring of light. Take a piece and it cracks into glass shards, then waits small on the shelf beside the board. At checkmate time slows, the camera leans in and the beaten king tips over with a chime.

Daily Blitz is the scored game: you play white with 3 minutes on your clock against today's computer, the same opponent for everyone today. Take pawns and pieces, give check, promote, and checkmate with time to spare for a bigger score. Captures in a row without losing a piece multiply your points.

You can also play the computer, as white or black, choosing from nine rated opponents: Beginner (100, 300, 500), Intermediate (600, 750, 900) and Advanced (1000, 1250, 1500). Beginner opponents show a short tip for each piece you pick up, and Beginner and Intermediate let you undo a move or ask for a hint. Pass and play is for two people on one screen; the board turns after every move. Online play has a quick match and room codes for friends, with emotes only and no chat. Online opens as soon as the site switches it on.

Play with a mouse (click or drag), a finger (tap or drag) or the keyboard: arrows move a gold cursor, Enter or Space picks up and puts down. Prefer a flat board? The view button (or V) swings the camera straight overhead and lays the glass pieces down on their sides, so every piece shows its outline like a printed diagram.