# Chessplus > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chessplus > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chessplus.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chessplus > Source revision: 1338328713 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Commercial chess variant Chessplus Chessplus cover art, featuring the knawn, a combination of the knight and pawn, as well as both taglines. Publishers Chessplus Team Years active c. 21st century to present Genres Board game Abstract strategy game Mind sport Chess variant Players 2 Playing time 5–55 minutes[citation needed] Chance None Skills Strategy, tactics **Chessplus** is a commercial [chess variant](/source/Chess_variant) developed by the [Australian](/source/Australia) family business Chessplus Team.[1] ## Appearance Chessplus, as a physical variant, can come in 1 of 3 packages.[2] 1. A bag, containing all the pieces. 1. A box featuring a pawn and knight combining into a knawn. 1. A pseudo-box with a wrap-around board and pieces. As for the pieces, they are designed so players can merge them.[3] ## Gameplay Chessplus gameplay is similar to that of regular chess, but pieces can merge. The only piece that can't be merged with is the [king](/source/King_(chess)).[4] Pieces can only merge with other pieces of their own color. Only 2 pieces can be merged at a time. Pieces may split, in which they use their original move to get away from the merged piece, separating them. ### Castling [Castling](/source/Castling) may be done with a combined [rook](/source/Rook_(chess)). Just like in regular [chess](/source/Chess), the rook must not have previously moved. In other words, if a knight moved to combine with a rook, castling is possible, but if that rook moved to combine with the knight, then castling is no longer allowed for that rook. ### En passant Similar to the castling rules, [en passant](/source/Glossary_of_chess#en_passant) can only be used on a combination of 2 pawns.[5] If the combination is, for example, a biawn, the combination of a [bishop](/source/Bishop_(chess)) and a pawn, then en passant is not allowed. ## Inspiration The game was inspired by an illegal move made by Aimee Simpson, one of the members of the Chessplus Team, when she was playing chess with her father, Christian Simpson. Aimee had moved her rook onto the same square as one of her pawns, confusing him. On Aimee's next move, she promoted her fusion of pieces to a queen while exclaiming that she was going to beat Christian.[6] ## Reception Chessplus received generally positive reviews.[4][7][8] ## Steam release In 2025, the Chessplus team announced that Chessplus would be released on Steam as "Chessplus: Combine and Conquer".[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Noone, Richard (18 May 2017). ["Coastie conjures new form of the ancient game of chess"](https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/coastie-conjures-new-form-of-the-ancient-game-of-chess/news-story/3b86d47cbac712307a1f217007dc087b). *Daily Telegraph (Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate)*. Retrieved 18 Aug 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["The Chessplus Range"](https://web.archive.org/web/20240208132402/https://www.chessplus.com/en-us/collections/the-chessplus-range). *Chessplus*. Archived from [the original](https://www.chessplus.com/en-us/collections/the-chessplus-range) on 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-08. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** The board game itself 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_4-1) ["The Meeple Guild - ChessPlus fun twist to classic favourite"](https://www.sasktoday.ca/central/opinion/the-meeple-guild-chessplus-fun-twist-to-classic-favourite-4143711). *SaskToday.ca*. 2020-01-26. Retrieved 2023-08-04. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_5-0)** ["How to Play"](https://www.chessplus.com/pages/how-to-play-1). *Chessplus*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Our Story - Chessplus"](https://www.chessplus.com/pages/our-story). During a game of Chess with her dad the young Aimee (aged 8) did something not so legal. With a cheeky smile Aimee moved her rook onto the square of a pawn. Her dad looked on puzzled and made a traditional Chess move. With her next move Aimee took both the rook and the pawn to the far side of the board and proudly announced 'I get a queen, I'm going to beat you!' Her dad laughed, then he reflected on her actions and Chessplus was born. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Chessplus | Jim Gamer"](https://www.whatboardgame.com/chessplus). *What Board Game*. Retrieved 2024-03-15. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Chessplus: Combine & Conquer"](https://www.boardseyeview.net/post/chessplus-combine-conquer). *Board's Eye View*. 2022-11-19. Retrieved 2024-03-18. ## Further reading - [https://www.csse.canterbury.ac.nz/research/reports/HonsReps/2020/hons_2002.pdf](https://www.csse.canterbury.ac.nz/research/reports/HonsReps/2020/hons_2002.pdf) - [ChessPlus - A great Christmas gift](https://en.chessbase.com/post/chessplus-a-great-christmas-gift) v t e Chess variants (list) Orthodox rules Different starting position Fischer random chess Displacement chess Transcendental chess Different number of pieces Dunsany's chess Handicap Unorthodox board Balbo's game Circular chess Cylinder chess Double chess Grid chess Hexagonal chess (Cross chess, Masonic chess) Infinite chess Millennium 3D chess Minichess (Los Alamos chess) Rhombic chess Spherical chess Three-dimensional chess Triangular chess Unorthodox rules with traditional pieces Standard 8×8 board Andernach chess Atomic chess Beirut chess Checkless chess Chessplus Circe chess Crazyhouse Cubic chess Dynamo chess Extinction chess Hostage chess Knight relay chess Legan chess Losing chess Madrasi chess Monochromatic chess Patrol chess Portal chess Progressive chess Three-check chess Way of the Knight Multimove variants Avalanche chess Kung-Fu Chess Marseillais chess Monster chess Progressive chess Elements of chance Dark chess Dice chess Knightmare Chess Kriegspiel Penultima Unorthodox rules on an unorthodox board 5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel Alice chess Apocalypse Chad Chessence Congo Diplomat chess Dragonfly Jeson Mor Parallel worlds chess Rollerball Unorthodox rules using non-traditional pieces Standard 8×8 board Baroque Berolina Chakra Chess with different armies Duell Falcon–hunter chess Grasshopper chess Musketeer chess Pocket mutation chess Cheskers Compound pieces Almost chess Capablanca Chess Capablanca random chess Gothic chess Grotesque chess Ladorean chess Maura's Modern chess Schoolbook chess Seirawan chess Univers chess Chancellor chess Grand Chess Embassy chess Janus Chess Maharajah and the Sepoys Modern chess Tutti-frutti chess Unorthodox boards and pieces 2000 A.D. Chesquerque Chess on a really big board Courier-Spiel Dragonchess Gess Omega Chess Stratomic Dekle's triangular chess Wildebeest chess Wolf chess Multiplayer Bosworth Bughouse chess Business chess Djambi Duchess Enochian chess Forchess Fortress chess Four Fronts Four-player chess Gala Hand and brain Quatrochess Superchess Three-man chess Three-player chess Tri-chess Inspired games Arimaa Camelot Jetan Martian Chess Navia Dratp The Duke Chess-related games Historical Chadarangam Chaturaji Chaturanga Courier chess Grant Acedrex Semedo Shatranj Short assize Great chess Tamerlane chess Great chess Completed Turkish Great chess Regional Janggi variants Makruk Senterej Shatar Shatra Shogi Chu shogi Dai shogi Other variants Sittuyin Xiangqi Jungle Banqi Manchu chess Game of the Three Kingdoms Game of the Three Friends Game of the Seven Kingdoms Other variants Software ChessV XBoard Fairy-Max Zillions of Games Related Correspondence chess Fairy chess Fairy chess piece Fairy Chess Review The Chess Variant Pages Checkers --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chessplus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chessplus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chessplus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.