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CSS-Only 3D/2D 1D Chess

CSS-Only 3D/2D 1D Chess

by davidsojevic·Apr 22, 2026·4 points·0 comments
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AI Analysis

●●SolidWizardryRabbit Hole

Full chess game state in pure CSS—no JS—which shouldn't be possible.

Strengths
  • •Checkbox hack and CSS state management replace entire game engine
  • •Includes both 2D and 3D board views toggleable without JavaScript
  • •Handles checkmate, stalemate, and insufficient material detection
Weaknesses
  • •Novelty with five-minute engagement ceiling—no real gameplay depth
  • •1D chess variant rules limit strategic complexity compared to standard chess
Category
Gaming
Target Audience

Frontend developers and CSS enthusiasts

Post Description

After seeing the 1D-Chess project on the Hacker News front page somewhat recently, the idea came to me to try and make a CSS-only version of 1D chess because it seemed like it might be a good candidate for it.

There is absolutely no JS used for the interactivity or game state for this variant; it's all pure HTML + CSS, and I've added a few fun things along the way just to exercise those constraints a bit more, too.

I've also got a "making of" post for the project linked to from the about box on it if you'd like to learn a little more about how I put it together.

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