The upcoming PC strategy game replaces conventional checkmates with army-building, powerful upgrades, consumable items, and boards that actively interfere with every battle.
Chess pieces still move in recognizable ways in Just Chessing Around, but almost everything surrounding them has been designed to disrupt the traditional rules. Developed and published by Belgian two-person studio Cabbage Club, the upcoming strategy game combines turn-based chess battles with the progression and unpredictability of a roguelite.
A free demo is currently available on Steam and is being featured during Six One Demo Days, an indie event running from July 31 through August 7, 2026.
The demo originally arrived on Steam on April 27 and has since received several updates, so the version available during the event is more substantial than its initial release.
Chess Without the Usual Checkmate
Instead of protecting a king and trying to checkmate the opponent, players assemble a small chess army and eliminate the enemy forces positioned across a sequence of increasingly dangerous boards.
The broader objective is to advance through the medieval setting and eventually defeat the Dark King, with new enemy types and more difficult formations appearing as the run progresses.
The familiar movement patterns of pawns, rooks, bishops, knights, and other pieces provide the tactical foundation, but buffs can dramatically alter what each unit is capable of doing. Players have five buff slots that can be filled with upgrades discovered during a run. Some allow rooks to charge through other pieces, while others greatly extend a knight’s movement range or introduce unusual abilities that would have no place in a conventional chess match.
Buff selection effectively becomes the game’s build-crafting system. Because only a limited number can be equipped, players must decide whether to improve several pieces or concentrate their upgrades around one particularly powerful strategy.
Combining complementary effects can transform an otherwise modest army into a force capable of clearing large portions of the board in a few carefully planned moves.
Items provide another way to bend the rules. Up to two can be carried at once and activated when needed, with examples including bombs that damage groups of enemies and potions that summon ghostly pawns.
Minibosses are not restricted to ordinary chess behavior either: enemy armies can receive their own buffs, use special items, and interfere with the player’s positioning.
The Board Is Part of the Battle
The arenas in Just Chessing Around are more than decorative versions of a standard chessboard. Individual tiles can contain hazards or environmental effects that change how information and movement work.
Tall grass can conceal the identity of a piece standing inside it, forcing players to approach without knowing exactly what is waiting.
Quicksand threatens to swallow units that remain in place, while water, spike traps, tornadoes, lightning, and other obstacles can reshape routes or remove pieces from the fight.
Each encounter therefore asks players to consider not only attack ranges and enemy positions, but also how the board itself might change over the next few moves.
These elements push the game closer to a run-based tactical dungeon crawler than a conventional chess adaptation. Recognizing standard piece movements remains useful, but orthodox chess knowledge alone will not account for an upgraded rook, a concealed enemy, or an environmental hazard capable of disrupting an otherwise safe formation.
The pieces also communicate through small emotional reactions. They can respond to the player’s decisions or show distress when caught in dangerous situations such as quicksand, giving the army some personality despite the absence of traditional character units.
What Is Included in the Free Demo
The current Steam demo features 37 buffs, seven usable items, three environments, and one Underling battle. The available locations include grassland, castle, and desert boards, while the playable roster combines familiar chess pieces with an unconventional unit simply named Jerry.
Cabbage Club has continued to expand the build since its April debut. A May update introduced a shop area where players can purchase buffs and items or sell unwanted pieces to a Mimic.
It also added coins, an introductory sequence, revised menus, a redesigned HUD, clearer item ranges, new promotion visuals, and additional reactions for the pieces.
The full version is expected to expand the roster with additional original pieces, including the Plague Doctor, while adding more environments, hazards, minibosses, and larger boss encounters.
Cabbage Club’s August announcement identifies Q4 2026 as the current target for the PC release, although the Steam store still lists the game simply as “Coming soon” and does not provide an exact date. Below is the official trailer.
