To play the game, the player must pick up the chess pieces with their hand cursor and place it in the desired location, within the rules of a standard chess game. The player can choose from 16 different difficulty levels, including beginner levels and standard levels that offer varying time constraints for each move. There is also an infinite level that will keep thinking of a shot until a perfect shot can be made or it is forced to make a move. A teaching mode shows the player all possible moves with the selected piece. Players can play against each other using two controllers, and there's an option for the Chessmaster to play against itself.