# Atomic

Every capture is an explosion.

## The rules

When a piece captures, both the capturing piece and the captured piece are
removed, **and so is every piece on the eight surrounding squares** — except
pawns, which are only removed if they were the piece actually captured.

You win by **blowing up the enemy king**. Checkmate also wins.

Two consequences of the blast rule:

- a king may never capture, since it would destroy itself
- the two kings may stand next to each other, because neither can take the other

## What changes

Material means very little. A single capture can clear six pieces at once, so
being a rook ahead is no comfort if their bishop can reach a square next to your
king.

Games are extremely short. Losses inside ten moves are ordinary, not
embarrassing.

## What to watch for

**Keep a pawn shield, but the right one.** Pawns survive nearby explosions, so
the pawns around your king are what stops a blast from reaching it. Pushing them
is often what loses.

**Look at every square adjacent to your king, every move.** Anything that can be
captured next to your king is a bomb with a fuse — including your own pieces.
Defending a piece does not help when taking it is fatal anyway.