codex · nerf

Secret Garden

Two random garden zones (each a 3-file-wide, 3-rank-deep block in front of one of your pawns, shown as marked squares) are off limits for the whole game: you can't move any piece onto those squares.

This card is written but not yet appearing in drafts. Its wording and tier may still change.

At a glance

Type
Nerf
Tier
VI. CruelCruel: a rare, powerful card from the late draft.
Focus
Pawns, Movement, Positioning, Random
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

Secret Gardenis 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.

History

  1. May 14, 2026Part of the original nerf library Nerf Chess launched with.

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