Seven games
The Chessino has a bar, a slot row, a table pit and a prize counter.
Every table shows its house edge on screen before you bet.
You play in Chessino Chips, bought at the cage with Pawn Bucks you won out on the road, one for one, with a cap on how many you can buy in a day. Nothing here can be bought with real money, and nothing here can be cashed out for real money.
- ChessjackBlackjack, except the cards are chess pieces and twenty-one is a checkmate. A king and a queen as your first two cards is a Royal Mate and pays two and a half times your bet.
- ChessouletteA wheel with 66 pockets: the 64 squares of a chessboard plus two en-passant pockets, which are the house edge. A single square pays 63 to 1, a file or rank 7 to 1, colours even.
- The Slot RowSixteen machines in six designs: Pawnline Express, Knight Shift, Bishop’s Blessing, Rook Riches, Queen’s Crown Jackpot and King’s Ransom. Each machine has a chess piece symbol that acts as a wild. All sixteen share one progressive jackpot, funded by 2% of every stake. Landing three of a machine’s own piece wins its whole-chip balance; fractional chips carry into the next pot. There is no extra reset subsidy.
- The Knight DerbySix knights race down a rail, drawn from all 48 knights in the game, caught or not. The 8% cut is on screen before the gates open. If a runner is a knight you caught, its win pays a small bonus; owning it does not change its odds.
- Knight FlightA knight leaps off the board and climbs, and the longer he climbs the more your bet is worth. Cash out before the enemy queen brings him down. Where she strikes is fixed before you bet. Auto-cash honours a reached target even after a late frame, and a surviving flight banks at 1000×.
- PawnkoDrop a pawn through a board of pegs into a pocket that determines your payout. At each peg, it has an equal chance of falling left or right. Choose a risk level to change the payout range. The payout table includes the house edge; fractional chip returns are rounded down.
- The Exhibition PitsTwo house players face each other and you bet on the result: A, B or the draw. Board-match odds are estimates based on the strength gap, reduced by 6%; actual match returns can differ. An eight-sided die determines each player’s strength. Rolling an eight gives that player the strongest engine in Casteria. Leaving an unfinished match settles it immediately: the higher die wins, and equal dice use a sealed tie-break. This exit rule returns 1.88 times the stake on the winning side, including the stake; draw bets lose. An interrupted engine search uses the same dice fallback. Completed board results stand, and fractional chip returns are rounded down.
The Slot Row
The Knight Derby
The Fluorite Leap
The Rose Roan
The Warhorse
Jewel Filly
Root Runner
Taffy Pony
Six of the 48 knights, any of which can be drawn to race.
the prize counter
Nine prizes, chips only
The prize counter accepts only Chessino Chips. Its nine prizes are not sold in town shops, and two are animal companions that follow you across Casteria.
The Comp Button2,500chips
Gives you chips on your first Chessino visit each real day.
- Use
- Keep it in your bag. Enter the Chessino floor to receive that day’s 250 chips.
- Notes
- If you visit regularly. It pays for itself after ten daily payouts.
The Golden Dice2,500chips
Two decorative dice you can roll.
- Use
- Use them anywhere. Both dice roll with sound, and the total is shown.
The Confetti Cannon4,000chips
Fires chessboard confetti above your character.
- Use
- Use it anywhere. It reloads after about half a minute.
The Firework Crate6,000chips
Fills the sky with a two-minute fireworks show.
- Use
- Use it outdoors. Each crate holds five two-minute shows.
The High Roller’s Top Hat12,000chips
Changes how the Chessino staff treat you.
- Use
- Keep it in your bag. Your character wears it automatically anywhere inside the Chessino.
The Bottomless Tumbler25,000chips
Makes every drink at the Chessino bar free, permanently.
- Use
- Keep it in your bag to receive free drinks at the bar.
- Notes
- If you often buy drinks at the Chessino.
Blindfold, the House Cat75,000chips
A cat companion who follows you around Casteria.
- Use
- Use the item to call her or send her home. She follows you, sits when you stop and blinks. Only one companion can follow you at a time.
Blunder, the House Hound75,000chips
A dog companion who follows you around Casteria.
- Use
- Use the item to call him or send him home. He runs after you, sits crookedly and sometimes trips. Only one companion can follow you at a time.
The Dragon’s Eye100,000chips
Opens the sealed door in the Emberway.
- Use
- Carry it to the door and interact with it. The gem is used up when the door opens.
None of these affect a game of chess.
the boost case
Three permanent boosts
The Boost Case sells three permanent boosts, each in three levels (+5%, +10%, +15%) bought in order with chips.
- The Scholar’s LadderYour team earns more experience from every battle. +5%, +10%, then +15%.
- The Merchant’s LadderYou earn more Pawn Bucks from battle wages, story rewards and lesson pay. +5%, +10%, then +15%.
- The Gambler’s LadderThe casino pays a bonus on top of every win, shown as its own line when you get paid. +5%, +10%, then +15%.
Levels cost 25,000, then 50,000, then 100,000 chips. One full ladder is 175,000 chips; all three are 525,000.
These boosts increase rewards. They do not change opponents’ moves or casino odds.
Beat Chess in the Park, the twelve-board event at Rookwood’s festival, to earn the Three Tenths: permanent bonuses of +10% Pawn Bucks, +10% experience and +10% on casino wins. You also earn a permanent boost by completing the Codex.
The free demo includes Openfield and Frostford. Your save carries into the full game.