Strategy · Locally hosted
Play Chess Against a Fly
Play chess against a fly for free in your browser. You are white, a chaotic fly plays black, and it can block a square or knock a piece off the board.
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How to play
- Tap a white piece, then tap a highlighted square. Only legal moves are shown.
- The fly then moves a black piece. That move is legal chess, even when it looks silly.
- An amber square is blocked for your next turn. A landing on a piece knocks that piece off, unless it is a king.
Helpful tips
- Castle early so one swatted defender does not end the game.
- Knights can jump over an amber square, but they cannot land on it.
- If the fly swats its own piece, use the extra material and keep your queen safe.
About this fly chess game
You play the white pieces and the fly plays black. Tap or click a piece, then tap a highlighted square. Only legal chess moves are offered, including castling, en passant and promotion to a queen. You cannot leave your own king in check. After you move, the fly carries a black piece to a new square. Nothing needs installing, and the board fits a phone.
The fly looks one move ahead, then often ignores that idea and sometimes picks any legal move. It still cannot pass through its own pieces or leave its king in check.
After black moves, the fly may land. An empty square turns amber and is blocked for your next turn. Sliding pieces cannot pass through it. A knight may jump over it but cannot finish on it. The block clears when you move. A landing on any piece except a king knocks that piece off, white or black. No legal move in check is checkmate. No legal move with a safe king is stalemate.
Fly chess means ordinary chess plus this insect. Fruit fly chess is the same idea with a smaller bug. Fly or die chess is the house rule here: a piece dies when the fly lands on it, and an empty landing only blocks one square for one move. The board and the insect are drawn for MiniGames UK.
Castle before defenders start disappearing. Treat an amber square as a one-move traffic cone. If the fly swats its own piece, take the material. Press New game for a fresh board.
Keep playing: Gomoku, all MiniGames UK games.
Questions people ask
What is fly or die chess?
Fly or die chess is the house rule on this page. Legal chess stays the same, but a piece dies if the fly lands on it. Kings are never removed. An empty landing only blocks that square until you move.
What is fruit fly chess?
Fruit fly chess is another name for chess against a tiny insect. Here the fruit fly plays black, makes one legal move, and may meddle with the board afterwards.
Can the fly capture my king?
No. The fly never deletes a king. You lose by checkmate if your king is attacked and you have no legal escape. No legal move with a safe king is stalemate.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. Tap a piece, then tap a marked square. The board scales to the screen, and the full screen button makes the frame larger.