What is Duck Chess?
Duck chess is just like chess, except... there's a duck!
The duck is like a brick: pieces cannot move through the square occupied by the duck, and the duck cannot be captured. However, knights can jump over the duck.
For example, in the above position the dark-squared bishop cannot capture the black queen because the duck is in the way. If it were Black's turn, the same would be true of the queen, it could not capture the dark-squared bishop. The black knight on f6, however, CAN capture the pawn on e4. Knights can move over the duck.
Each player’s turn has 2 steps: After moving a piece, the duck must be moved to a different and empty square. The duck does not move like a chess piece, you can move the duck to any open square on the board.
There is no check or checkmate in Duck Chess! This means you can move into check, so be careful! Capture the opponent’s king to win.
The stalemated player wins! In Duck Chess, stalemate is a win for stalemated player (the player with no legal moves). Since in duck chess moving into check is a legal move, stalemate can only happen if one player manages to trap their own king with their own pieces and the duck. If this defensive tactic is accomplished, the stalemated player gets the win.
There are whole new strategies and openings to learn when a duck is involved!