Strategy tips: winning the secret setup

In Half Chess the game is often decided before the first move. These tips come from our computer opponent, which learned the game by playing against itself and keeping the setups that won most often.

New to the game? Read the rules first - it takes two minutes.

Building your setup

1. Put your King on the back row

The rules let the King stand in either of your back two rows, but in almost every strong setup the computer found (98% of its 40 best) the King is on the very last row. One row further back means one jump further away from the enemy knights - and on a board only four columns wide, there is not much room to run later.

2. Watch out for the first-move knight

At the start your half is completely full, so your King cannot step aside. If an enemy knight can jump into your half with check and none of your pieces can capture it, the game is over on move one. Before you press I'm ready, look at every square from which a knight would attack your King and make sure one of your pieces guards it. This matters most for Black, because White moves first.

3. Build a wall of pawns in the front row

The front row is where the two armies touch. Anything you put there can be attacked immediately, so it should be cheap: nearly all of the computer's best setups use four pawns in the front row. A queen or rook in the front row can simply be taken by an enemy pawn on the first move.

4. Heavy pieces at the back, jumpers in the middle

Rooks and the Queen like the back rows: from there they reach the whole board once a column opens, and they are safe from early attacks. Knights work best in the second row, right behind the pawns - they can jump over the wall and are your first attackers. Bishops also like the middle rows.

5. Think about your bishops' colours

In standard chess one bishop always runs on light squares and the other on dark ones. Here you choose - and if both stand on the same colour, half of the board is out of their reach. Most of the computer's strong setups keep them on different colours.

6. Don't always use the same setup

Your setup is secret only the first time. Against a friend or a regular online opponent, a setup they have already seen can be prepared for. Keep two or three favourites and switch between them.

Playing the first moves

Count the trades in the middle

With the armies touching, the first moves are often a series of captures in the centre. Before you start one, count how many of your pieces guard the square against how many of theirs - and who will make the last capture.

Promotions come fast

A pawn in your front row is only four moves away from becoming a Queen. A pawn that gets past the enemy pawns is a serious threat on this small board - push it, and stop your opponent's.

Open columns belong to the rooks

With only four columns, a column without pawns appears quickly. A rook or queen on an open column can reach the enemy back row, where the King lives.