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PHOSPHOR GAMBIT
Phosphor Gambit is full-rules chess against VESPER, the machine in the corner cabinet. It has eight brass lamps, one for each level of strength, and every time you beat it at a lamp, that lamp goes dark.
PLAY NOW ▶The goal
Checkmate the enemy king. Every standard rule is in: castling, en passant, promotion (the game asks which piece you want), and draws by stalemate, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule and positions where nobody can mate.
How a game plays
From the title, choose your side (WHITE, BLACK or RANDOM) and a lamp, then PLAY VESPER. The lamps run from 1 NOVICE, 2 APPRENTICE and 3 STUDENT through 4 CLUB PLAYER, 5 TOURNEY HAND, 6 EXPERT and 7 CANDIDATE to 8 MASTER.
Pick up a piece and the legal squares light up: dots are moves, corners are captures. During a game the menu lets you take back a move, ask VESPER for a hint (it draws a gold arrow), change the lamp, turn the board, resign, or save and leave to finish later. A win scores more at a higher lamp and in fewer moves; take-backs and hints cost points.
Controls
| Keyboard | Pad | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Arrows | Stick / d-pad | Move the cursor |
| Z / Space | A | Pick up a piece, put it down on a lit square |
| X | B | Drop the piece you are holding |
| C | C | Game menu: take back, hint, lamp, turn the board, resign, save and leave |
| Q | L | Take back a move |
| E | R | Ask for a hint |
On a phone or tablet you can simply tap the board: tap or click a piece to pick it up and tap a lit square to move it. The see-through joystick and A, B, C, L and R buttons over the game work too, and match the keys above.
Gamepad: the stick or d-pad moves and the buttons follow the Pad column (Start is START). Esc, P or Back pauses, and the HOW TO PLAY button over the game shows the basics any time.
Modes
- PLAY VESPER: a full game against the machine at the lamp you choose.
- PASS AND PLAY: two people on one screen, with an optional AUTO TURN that flips the board for each player.
- PUZZLE LADDER: a long climb of chess problems in three kinds: MATE IN 2, WIN MATERIAL and MATE IN 3. Each puzzle gives you three tries, with no hints or take-backs; after three misses it shows you the answer.
- DAILY PUZZLES: three problems a day, described below.
Mastery stars
Each star pays tickets the first time you earn it.
- Bronze: First Lamp Out: beat VESPER at any lamp.
- Silver: Club Night: beat VESPER at lamp 4 or higher without lowering the lamp mid-game.
- Gold: All Eight Lamps Dark: beat VESPER at the eighth lamp, MASTER.
Daily challenge
Yes. Every day VESPER sets the same three puzzles for everyone: a mate in two, a trick that wins material and a mate in three. There are no take-backs and you get three tries at each. Solving quickly and without misses scores best.
Beginner tips
- Start at lamp 1 or 2 even if you know chess. The low lamps leave pieces hanging on purpose, which is good practice for spotting free captures.
- Before every move, check what your opponent's last move attacks. Most early losses come from a piece left unguarded after the opponent's reply.
- Use hints and take-backs freely while you learn. They lower the score of that game, but they show you what VESPER would do, and the silver and gold stars only need clean wins later.
- Look at the corners on a lit square. A corner means the move captures something, so you can scan for captures at a glance.
- The PUZZLE LADDER starts with mates in two. Try every check first: in a mate puzzle the answer is very often a check.