A hidden-rank duel — move, strike, or crack the lock.
Player A
15
0 / 20 moves
3 probes left
vs
Player B
15
0 / 20 moves
3 probes left
Choose an action
Guess the piece's rank:
Turn log
How to play
Each side secretly ranks its five pieces 1–5 (you only ever see your own). Each side starts with a 25-point pool.
On your turn, move one piece up to 2 squares in any direction — you can't jump over any piece, friend or foe, so a blocked path stops you at 1 square. A plain move, a pass, or a wrong probe each cost 1 point of upkeep, so stalling isn't free.
Combat: every rank beats exactly two of the other four ranks and loses to exactly two, with zero ties between different ranks (2 beats 1, 3 beats 2, 4 beats 3, 5 beats 4, 1 beats 5, and each rank also beats the rank two below it cyclically: 3 beats 1, 4 beats 2, 5 beats 3, 1 beats 4, 2 beats 5). No rank is ever a pure pushover or an auto-win. Only a matching rank destroys both pieces.
Attacking reveals both ranks and requires actually reaching the target (within 2 squares). The winner steals the loser's rank in points; a mutual destruction steals nothing.
Probing is line-of-sight: any of your pieces can probe an unmoved, unrevealed enemy piece it can see in a straight line, at any distance, as long as nothing sits between them. No combat risk. Correct removes it and steals its points; wrong just tells you "higher" or "lower" and costs your turn plus 1 upkeep. You only get 3 probes per game, win or lose, so use them deliberately.
Promotion is opponent-dependent: your rank 3 piece promotes by reaching the far row in whichever lane the opponent originally placed their own rank 3 - not your own starting lane. You won't know that lane for certain until you've deduced it. A promoted piece becomes a flat 6: unstoppable in combat except by another 6, and worth a flat 6 points if captured. Landing there publicly reveals the piece's original rank.
Win by draining the opponent's points to zero or removing all their pieces. If nobody has won after 20 moves each, it's sudden death: the next successful attack or correct probe by either side wins the game outright.
Choose your lineup
Assign ranks 1-5 to your five starting columns, or auto-assign.
Combess
How do you want to play?
Choose an opponent
Each plays differently — try them all.
Puzzle Archive
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Player A
Pass the device. Tap below when only Player A is looking.