codex · nerf

House of Cards

From your 6th move on, you lose if any of your pieces (other than the king) is attacked and undefended.

At a glance

Type
Nerf
Tier
VIII. UnhingedUnhinged: the highest tier, a game-defining moment.
Focus
King, Win/Loss
Collection
Wild
Appears in
Nerf mode
How it works
Passive and secret: it is always on, and your opponent cannot see it.

How it works

House of Cardsis 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.

One loose card and the whole thing falls.

History

  1. July 7, 2026Added with the Wild expansion nerfs.

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