codex · nerf

Pull of the Center

Your pawns can only toward the center files.

At a glance

Type
Nerf
Tier
III. CommonCommon: the everyday middle of the draft.
Focus
Pawns, Capturing, Positioning
Collection
Core
Appears in
Nerf mode
How it works
Passive and secret: it is always on, and your opponent cannot see it.

How it works

Pull of the Centeris one of Nerf Chess's secret handicaps. In Nerf mode you choose one of two nerfs before the first move, in secret, and carry it for the whole game.

The board quietly enforces it: any move it forbids is simply never offered, so you cannot break it by accident. Your opponent never sees which nerf you took until the game ends, so every move you make is also a clue they are trying to read.

Blades are drawn inward.

History

  1. July 5, 2026Added in the expanded-nerfs wave: 82 new handicaps across all eight tiers. (PR #144)

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