En Prise Chess Cards

En Prise is a card game of chance and strategy that plays just like chess - for two to four players. No separate board or pieces are required as the cards themselves represent squares of a growing board that takes shape as the game progresses. A deck consists of 64 cards. Each player uses 16 cards, matching the pieces and pawns of a standard chess set. They can choose one of four colours (white, black, red and blue).

Cards are dealt, face-up, into shuffled 'Battleplans' from which cards are played, in the shuffled order, into a central playing area. Each card represents a square of a chess board. A square can be occupied (card face-up) or unoccupied (face-down). On each turn, a card is either placed as a piece/pawn or empty square; or moved according to traditional chess movement rules – but they can only move within the board squares already created. When a card is placed (a new square), it must be connected to an existing square of the board. When a card moves, it is swapped with the destination card so the growing board is preserved.

Kings can be placed on any turn where there are at least six empty squares on the board. If a player chooses to do so, all opponents must use their next turn to place their King. The aim of En Prise, like chess, is to checkmate opposing Kings. When a player is checkmated, their board cards are turned over to become empty squares on their next turn. The winner is the last remaining player.

Variations described in the rules include En Prise Casino, En Prise Alliance, En Prise Memory and En Prise Blind.