Frequently asked questions
Is When Kings Fall free?
Yes. You can play against the computer, watch every legendary game and take every lesson for free, in your browser, without installing anything.
Do I need an account?
No. Without an account your rating and lesson progress are saved on your device. With a free account they are saved to your account, so you can continue on any device - and you can play online against your friends.
Are these the real rules of chess?
Yes, all of them: castling, en passant, promotion, check, checkmate, stalemate, the fifty-move rule, threefold repetition and insufficient material. The animations never change the result of a move.
How strong is the computer?
There are eight levels, from Squire (about 400 Elo) to Legend (about 2800 Elo). The opponent is Stockfish, the strongest open-source chess engine, running on your own device. The lower levels make human-like mistakes on purpose.
Which devices are supported?
Any modern browser with WebGL: Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on desktop, and recent phones and tablets. On phones you tap to select and move, drag to turn the camera and pinch to zoom. The first visit downloads the 3D armies (about 75 MB); after that they come from your browser cache.
Are the legendary games accurate?
Yes. Every game was checked move by move: every move is legal and the result matches the historical record. The commentary is our own.
What is the Training section?
Fifty-four lessons in five chapters: first steps, checkmate patterns, tactics, endgames against Stockfish and the main openings. You get up to three stars per lesson; a wrong move is taken back and a hint is always available.
Where does the tournament data come from?
From the open Lichess broadcast API. Live events, round times and results come straight from the organisers’ broadcasts. When Lichess has no data, we say so - we never make up dates or results.
Why are there ads?
Ads help us keep the game free. They are never shown during a battle - only on menus and information pages - and you decide whether they may be personalised (Cookie settings, in the footer).
What data do you collect?
As little as possible. Without an account: only settings and progress stored on your device. With an account: your e-mail address, display name, a securely hashed password and your games and progress. Details are in our privacy policy.
How do I play against a friend?
Create a free account, open Play, choose Online Friend and create an invite. Send the link to your friend - as soon as they open it and sign in, the battle begins. The server checks every move and runs both clocks, and your online rating changes after every rated game.
I forgot my password.
Choose Sign in and then Forgot password?. We send a link to your e-mail address; it works once and for one hour.
Can I delete my account?
Yes, at any time and by yourself: open your account (your name at the top of the menu) and choose Delete account. Your personal data are deleted; you can also ask us through the contact form.
Who are the voices in the game?
Every warrior and the announcer have their own voice. The voices are synthetic (AI text-to-speech) and were written for this game.
I found a bug or have an idea.
Please tell us through the contact form - we read everything.