# Three-check

## The rules

Ordinary chess, plus one extra way to win: **check the opponent three times**.

The third check ends the game immediately, whatever the position looks like.
Material does not matter — you can be a queen down and still win by checking.

Checkmate wins too, as always. A move that gives double check counts as one
check, not two.

The check count is shown next to each player during the game.

## What changes

Every check is worth something, so moves that would be pointless in ordinary
chess become real threats. Sacrificing a piece to land one check is often
correct at 2-2.

Defence changes shape as well. King safety is no longer about avoiding mate; it
is about not being reachable at all.

## What to watch for

**Count before you trade.** At 0-0 a check is a small gain. At 2-2 the same
check ends the game, so the same position can be winning or losing depending
purely on the tally.

**Blocking squares matter more than pieces.** A pawn on h3 that stops a bishop's
diagonal can be worth more than a rook, and giving it up "for activity" can lose
on the spot.