Apparently the Junction Box puzzles weren’t enough to keep your brain juices flowing, as the System Shock remake’s Delta Grove Chess Puzzle may destroy your dreams of ever becoming a grandmaster.
The Chess Puzzle in the System Shock remake is located in the northern side of Delta Grove (part of the Executive level). This is the only puzzle inside Delta Grove, but it’s a tricky one. Here’s how to solve the Chess puzzle in the System Shock remake.
System Shock remake: Chess Puzzle solution
The Chess Puzzle is an completely optional mini-game in the System Shock remake. This game of chess throws you into a holographic three-dimensional battle against the AI, with unique pieces that follow the standard rules of chess. The test is simple on paper—win a game of chess. Granted, I am no grandmaster. I even set the Puzzle difficulty to 1 in anticipation of the gifted AI. While this ruined the puzzle-solving difficulty for every Junction Box, it saved me many hours in my chess game as I was able to beat the opposition in two attempts (the first being a stalemate).
There is no set way to complete the Chess Puzzle, as the AI is unpredictable and far superior than us (unless we have a grandmaster in our midst). The goal is the same as every chess game—to checkmate the King.
The chess game is played on an eight-by-eight board with 16 pieces. As the pieces look different than a standard chess board, the order of their appearance on the board from left to right on the red side (opposition) is:
| Piece | Number of pieces | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Castle (back row) | Two | Can only move in a straight line (sideways, backwards, or forwards). |
| Pawn (front row) | Eight | Can move up to two spaces for its first turn. Only capable of taking pieces that are directly diagonal from it. |
| Knight | Two | Can only move in an “L” shape, moving a total of four tiles. |
| Bishop | Two | Moves diagonally around the chess board. |
| Queen | One | Can move sideways, diagonally, forwards, and backways. Isn’t limited to a set number of floor tiles. |
| King | One | Moves one space at a time, either sideways or diagonally. Only takes pieces that are directly next to it. |
The strongest piece on the board is the Queen. Her positioning should be your priority throughout the match. While Pawns can transform into Queens by making it all the way to the opposition’s starting tiles, it’s best to keep your Queen in the game until the end, and even better if you manage to get two Queens on the board.
There is no guaranteed way to beat the AI and solve the Delta Grove Chess Puzzle, but I’ll give you some tips based on the games I played against System Shock’s AI.
Tips to solving the Chess Puzzle in the System Shock remake
Firstly, don’t try to copy the AI’s moves. Think about why the AI moved their piece to its new position. Most times, the AI tries to bait you into taking one of its pieces, so it can then retaliate by taking one of your powerful ones. Don’t unnecessarily speed up when making your decision or think at any point that you have the advantage. If the next move seems easy, then you’re likely walking into a trap. The AI will continuously attempt to bait you into moving your Bishop, Knight, and Queen by frequently moving its Castle, Knight, and Bishop and in around its Pawns until it finds an opening.
Use your Castle and Knight to bait the AI instead. Make sure you have another piece nearby to protect every move you make. This forces the AI to either play into your hand or try something else. We highly recommend you use Pawns to protect your stronger pieces. Try to designate a Pawn to get to the other side of the board so it transforms into a Queen. It’s never ideal to head into chess with a set game plan, as things constantly change on the chess board, but you shouldn’t head into the match disregarding your Pawn’s abilities.
Lastly, check the position of every piece before you move. Something, a piece can seem like it’s ripe for the taking, but your piece gets removed by the AI immediately after. Growing up, I’d always send two Pawns out first, followed by a Knight, but I’ve since learnt that it’s best to get the Queen out as soon as possible to intimidate the unflinching and cold AI.
Delta Grove Chess Puzzle reward in the System Shock remake
Solving the Chess Puzzle doesn’t alter System Shock’s story. As it’s completely optional, those who manage to outsmart the AI unlock the En Passant achievement and obtain the Micro Pocket Dimension V1 from the small side room just south-west of the chess board. This only opens up when you beat the AI at the Delta Grove Chess Puzzle.
The Micro Pocket Dimension won’t fill the entire empty space of your inventory unless you already have the other Micro Pocket Dimension from Storage 5 (inside the Citadel Station Storage level). You can access Storage from the central Maintenance elevator.
