Official ballot · Board of Elections · Form 64-SQ

Democratic Chess

Chess still runs on a King and a Queen. That's a medieval arrangement for a game played in 2026. So the pieces held a referendum, abolished the crown, and wrote a constitution. The rules of movement survived. The Citizens, it turns out, don't all agree with each other.

PASSED

Proposition 1

Shall the King and Queen be abolished and replaced by elected and unelected officials?

✕ Yes No
Result: 32 – 0. Turnout 100%. Observers called it "suspiciously unanimous."
Incumbents retired to the lecture circuit
Opposition retired to the lecture circuit

The New Constitution

Each office moves exactly like the piece it replaced. The movement rules were the one thing every side agreed on.

Article I · The cabinet

Article II · Political friction

Pineapple Party Anchovy AllianceEvery Citizen belongs to one. Both sides have both.
Not my party

When one of your Citizens is captured, your Citizens from the other party won't recapture on that square. Their move shows a red dashed ring.

Conscientious objection

Any Citizen move has a 1-in-8 chance of being refused. Your turn isn't lost. You just have to ask someone else.

General strike

Every six moves, a random Citizen walks off the job for three turns. Striking Citizens can't move, but they still glare.

Article III · Procedure

Check
Under InvestigationYour President must respond before doing anything else.
Checkmate
Vote of No ConfidenceThe government falls. The other side forms one.
Castling
Coalition DealPresident and Bureaucrat swap seats and call it reform.
En passant
GerrymanderingA Citizen is captured by redrawing where it was standing.
Promotion
The Revolving DoorA Citizen who reaches the capital becomes anything except President.
Stalemate
GridlockNo legal moves. Nothing passes. Everyone goes home.
Undo
RecountThe last move is ruled to have never happened.
(new)
FilibusterSkip your turn by talking for a very long time. Once per game. Not allowed while under investigation.