Prime is an abstract strategy board game that blends chess and checkers: every piece carries a number that decides how it moves, how far it travels and how it captures. No dice, no luck, no hidden information. Free on PC, Android and Linux. Can you beat the Top 10?

Sign in to add this item to your wishlist, follow it, or mark it as ignored

Buy Prime

 

About This Game

A board game like chess and checkers — with a twist

Prime is an abstract strategy board game for two players. It takes the familiar board of chess and the catch-them-all goal of checkers, and adds one simple idea: every piece carries a number, and that number defines how it moves, how far it travels and how it captures.

There is no luck involved. No dice, no cards, no hidden information — everything on the board is visible and every move follows fixed rules. Like the classic abstract strategy games that inspired it, Prime is won by planning ahead, not by chance.

What makes Prime different

  • Numbered pieces — pawns move one square forward; even-numbered pieces move forward and sideways; odd-numbered pieces move forward and diagonally; prime numbers from 5 upward move in any direction, like a chess queen, if the path is clear.

  • Value matters — when you capture a piece you add the captured piece's number to your own, so every exchange quietly shifts the material balance.

  • Promotion reverses direction — reaching the far side increases a piece's value (by 1 for pawns and even pieces, by 2 for odd pieces) and flips the direction it moves in.

  • Two win conditions — capture all of your opponent's pieces, or finish with more Prime pieces if only Prime pieces remain.

Features

  • 2-player head-to-head, fully deterministic — pure logic, zero randomness

  • Quick to learn, deep enough to keep improving at

  • Free on  Android and Linux

  • Online Top 10 leaderboard — the game tracks the best scores in the world. Can you beat them?

Learn to play

Watch a full game session on the official YouTube channel, and find the complete rules and strategy tips on the official site — both linked in the sidebar of this page.

Prime is a solo-developer project, free to download. I hope you enjoy it — feedback and bug reports are welcome.

System Requirements

Windows
SteamOS + Linux
    Minimum:
    • OS *: Windows 7
    • Processor: 1Ghz CPU
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: OpenGL
    • Storage: 50 MB available space
* Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.
    Minimum:
    • OS: Linux 64bit
    • Processor: X64 1Ghz 64bit CPU
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: OpenGL
    • Storage: 50 MB available space