10 Best Games Like Chess for Strategy Lovers in 2026

Beyond the 64 Squares

Chess has been the king of strategy games for centuries. But if you've ever wished the board would surprise you — or that your pieces could gain special abilities mid-game — you're not alone. The best games like chess take that fundamental strategic depth and add modern twists that keep every match fresh.

Whether you're a grandmaster looking for a new challenge or a casual player who finds traditional chess intimidating, these 10 games deliver deep tactical gameplay without requiring you to memorize 50 moves of opening theory.

1. Knight Chase — Chess With Chaos and Power-Ups

Let's start with the most exciting chess alternative of 2026. Knight Chase takes the chess knight's L-shaped movement and builds an entirely new game around it. Every square you leave becomes permanently blocked, creating a shrinking battlefield where positioning is everything.

What makes it exceptional are the power-ups — land on mystery boxes to gain abilities like moving as a Rook (Ruler), Bishop (Compass), clearing blocked areas (Eraser), teleporting anywhere, or freezing your opponent. Add chaos events like Coffee Spill (board shrinks) and Sabotage (random blocks), and you've got a chess variant that's genuinely unpredictable.

Free on iOS and Android with AI, local PvP, online multiplayer, and 40+ adventure levels.

2. Go — The Ancient Art of Territory

If chess is about tactics, Go is about grand strategy. This 2,500-year-old game uses simple rules — place stones to capture territory — but generates more possible positions than atoms in the universe. Where chess rewards calculation, Go rewards intuition and pattern recognition.

Go is the perfect complement to chess: it develops different strategic muscles while maintaining that same satisfying depth.

3. Shogi — Japanese Chess With Reinforcements

Shogi (Japanese chess) adds a mechanic that changes everything: captured pieces can be returned to the board as your own. This means games almost never end in draws, and the late game becomes increasingly chaotic as both players deploy captured units.

If you enjoy chess variants that fundamentally alter the game's dynamics, Shogi is essential.

4. Hive — No Board Required

Hive is a two-player abstract strategy game where the pieces themselves form the board. Each insect-themed piece has unique movement rules, and the goal is to surround your opponent's Queen Bee. There's no board, no luck, and every game feels different.

It's portable, fast, and offers that same chess-like satisfaction of outmaneuvering your opponent.

5. Chess960 (Fischer Random Chess)

Created by Bobby Fischer himself, Chess960 randomizes the starting position of pieces on the back rank. This eliminates opening preparation entirely, forcing players to think from move one. If you love chess but hate memorizing theory, Chess960 is the answer.

6. Onitama — Chess in 15 Minutes

Onitama distills chess into a 5×5 grid with just five pieces per side. The twist: your available moves are determined by cards that rotate between players. You can see exactly what moves your opponent will have next turn, creating a game of perfect information with constantly shifting possibilities.

7. Santorini — Strategy Meets Architecture

Santorini is a gorgeous abstract strategy game where players build towers and try to reach the third level. Simple rules create surprisingly deep tactical decisions. The god powers (unique player abilities) add asymmetric gameplay that keeps every match interesting.

Fans of dynamic board mechanics will appreciate how the board evolves with each move.

8. Tak — The Beautiful Game

Inspired by Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle, Tak is an abstract strategy game about building roads and controlling territory. It's elegant, deep, and the kind of game where you can see your improvement with every session.

9. Arimaa — Designed to Defeat AI

Arimaa was specifically designed to be easy for humans but hard for computers. Using a standard chess set, players push, pull, freeze, and trap opponent pieces. The massive branching factor makes it computationally complex while remaining intuitive for human players.

10. Atomic Chess

Atomic Chess uses standard chess rules with one explosive addition: every capture creates an explosion that destroys all pieces in the surrounding squares (except pawns). This transforms chess from a slow positional game into a wildly tactical experience where a single capture can clear half the board.

What Makes a Great Chess Alternative?

The best games like chess share certain qualities:

• Deep strategy — Decisions should matter and reward thinking ahead
• Low luck, high skill — Outcomes should largely reflect player ability
• Replayability — Each game should feel different from the last
• Accessibility — Easy to learn, difficult to master

Every game on this list hits those criteria while bringing something unique to the table. Whether it's Knight Chase's power-up mechanics, Go's territorial depth, or Shogi's piece recycling system, each offers a distinct strategic experience.

Start Your Strategy Journey

If you're ready to venture beyond traditional chess, start with Knight Chase — it's free, accessible, and delivers that chess-like thrill with exciting modern mechanics. Then explore the complete world of strategy board games to find your perfect match.

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