Words with Chess

Inspiration

I’ve always loved both the strategy of chess and the creativity of word puzzles, and I noticed a lot of Reddit communities revolving around one or the other. That made me wonder: why not combine them? Words with Chess was born to bring thee two communities together. In the game you guide a chess knight across the board to collect letters and form words under the pressure of limited time.

What it does

Words with Chess challenges players to spell words by leaping around the board in the knight’s iconic L-shaped moves. Each round gives you a word to complete before time runs out, testing both your vocabulary and your ability to think strategically about movement. With optional hints and score penalties for skipping, the game balances accessibility for newcomers with depth for experienced players. Easy, medium, and hard mode levels are posted daily.

How I built it

The game is built with Reddit Web, React, and TypeScript, with Redis handling high score storage. Levels are scheduled daily using Devvit’s cron job scheduler, which ensures fresh content and consistent replayability. To balance gameplay, I implemented a system that rotates difficulty so that each day’s levels fluctuate between easy, medium, and hard. This creates a natural rhythm for players: some days are more relaxed, while others challenge even the most seasoned puzzlers.

Challenges I ran into

The biggest challenge early on was scope. At first, players could form any word they wanted, but this quickly overwhelmed the test audience. Streamlining the loop into “one word at a time” made the game much clearer. Another major hurdle was deciding how much guidance to give players—too much and it felt trivial, too little and it was frustrating. I addressed this by highlighting knight moves, adding optional hints, and allowing word skips with point penalties. This struck a balance between keeping the game approachable and still rewarding persistence.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I’m proud of creating a gameplay loop that feels intuitive for people who have never played chess, but still satisfying for those who love the game. The fact that the same mechanic can serve both audiences—and keep them engaged—was a big milestone.

What we learned

I learned that clarity is just as important as creativity. Even the most unique mechanics fall flat if the player doesn’t know what to do. Streamlining objectives and carefully balancing difficulty taught me how to prioritize the player’s experience without sacrificing depth.

What's next for Words with Chess

Next, I want to expand the game with new board layouts, multiplayer challenges, and word packs for different themes. I’m also interested in building a progression system so players can unlock harder puzzles as they improve. Ultimately, I want Words with Chess to feel like both a fun brain teaser and a game you can come back to again and again.

Built With

• react
• typescript