Eat Chess: Royal Merge

Royal Merge is a chess merge puzzle played on a compact 4×4 board. Pick one piece, move it by simplified chess rules, and merge it with a matching piece of the same type and level. Pawns become Knights, then Bishops, Rooks, Queens, Kings, and higher-level Pawns. The board fills fast. A quiet setup move can matter as much as the merge it opens. HOW IT PLAYS Select a piece. Legal squares light up. Move to an empty square, merge with a match, or use Castle Swap when a same-level King and Rook line up with a clear path. Every legal move into empty space and every Castle Swap adds a new Pawn. Pawn Spawn adds a Pawn on every second merge. Royal Reserve drops a Level 1 Pawn, Knight, Bishop, or Rook after every five successful actions. Every arrival can help, and every arrival takes space. Back-to-back merges build a combo multiplier. A move into empty space or a Castle Swap breaks the chain, so timing matters. SOLO Play without a clock, add a Player Clock, set an Increment, or cap the run with a Turn Limit. Official Solo runs can count toward your local records. Solo also includes Hint. It points out possible moves, costs part of your current score, and never plays the move for you. VERSUS Two players share one board on the same device. Player 1 starts. After each legal action, the turn passes and the board switches to the active player's chosen chess set. Pieces are shared, not owned. The active player scores only when they make a merge. Versus supports per-player clocks, Increment, a shared Game Clock, and Turn Limit. If a timed player clock hits zero, Clock Collapse keeps 20% of that player's score, resets the clock, and leaves that player on turn. The match continues. COSMETIC OPTIONS Start with free chess sets and the Quiet Royal theme, or add optional cosmetic sets, themes, and the Royal Patron badge. Purchases do not change movement, scores, spawns, hints, timers, Castle Swap, or match results.