Battle Chess is a battle-arena, logic-puzzle game that features gameplay elements from the 2048 tile-merging game. With 2048, a player slides together two tiles that display the same number to create a new tile with a higher number. For example, tiles that each display 2 become a higher-numbered 4 tile. In Battle Chess, stick-figure combatants stand atop a floating battle arena made of white and 2048 tiles.
The player strategically slides the tiles to create beneficial outcomes for one or more blue stickmen wearing gold armor. Each blue-and-gold knight stands on a blue, numbered tile and fights a red-and-purple knight on a red, numbered tile. The player's goal is to create a knight powerful enough to fight all combatants. To win, they must direct their knight to fight against a knight of equal power. If they slide a knight toward an enemy with a higher number, they lose the battle.
On a field that features multiple knights, the player determines the correct tile movements to create a more powerful knight and prevent battles between a less powerful knight and an enemy. When they slide a tile, all tiles that display numbers move across the white tiles. They create a more powerful knight in two ways. They slide their knight toward an enemy of equal power. If they win, their tile number doubles. On a battlefield with allies, they win by combining their knights before taking on a higher-numbered enemy.
If the player slides an enemy toward their knight, they lose automatically. Also, if the enemy kills one of their knights, the body remains on the field until the end of the battle.
