If Brawl Stars characters were chess pieces

Brawl Stars is the third game to be developed by SuperCell and has gained global popularity since its release in 2017. After recently introducing seasons, awards and new brawlers, the game has evolved into a beloved mobile game attracting competitive teams and individuals from all over the world. 

But what if these brawlers were actually chess pieces? Which pieces would they be and why? In this article, we'll be discussing the similarities between chess pieces and brawlers as well as the traits they share. 

In chess, the object of the game is to trap the enemy king to the point where it cannot safely move anywhere else, in other words, check mate. Of course, this is a lot different from any of the various game modes in brawl stars, but the brawlers' moves and gadgets are uncanny to that of certain chess pieces. 

Pawn 

A pawn is likely to be used in the player's initial move to enable other pieces to be played later in the game. The first brawler available to all gamers is Shelly, and although she would make a great pawn, we think this underrated brawler deals too much damage to be a pawn. 

Edgar is our pawn on the board and there's 8 of 'em! Like a pawn, Edgar can only deal damage from close range. However, this is really where the similarities end. 

When Edgar hits an enemy, he heals himself for 25% of the damage dealt, which is unlike any chess piece. To add to the dissimilarities,  if a chess player manages to get a pawn to the opponents side of the board, it can become another queen. Unfortunately, Edgar can't transform into a queen or a different brawler, but his super allows him to jump over walls and brawlers giving the him the freedom to dive around the map at high speed. Of course, the queen has a similar sense of freedom with her moveset, which we'll look into later. 

Knight 

Another piece which can move first in the game of chess is the knight, also known as the horse. This is the only piece which can jump over other pieces to get to it's destination. Other brawlers such as Mike and Brock also have the ability to jump over players and obstacles, although not limited to moving in an "L"shape. 

Our chosen knight at the chess table is Surge. Why? The main reason is because of his gadget, Power Surge. This enables him to directly teleport forwards and even travel through walls to surprise the opponent. Teleporting isn't exactly the same as a jumping horse, but the movement distance for Surge and the knight is uncanny. 

Another reason Surge makes a good knight is because of his primary attack. If his shot hits an enemy, it splits into two other shots that fire off at a 90 degree angle. The knight would move three spaces in two directions, the second direction would go left or right in the same 90 degree angle - as we all know, the chess board has a checkered pattern. 

Rook 

Rooks are the pieces that begin the game in each corner of the chess board. Both players start with two rooks which can move up, down, left, or right, and can move as many spaces as they like in a chosen direction. This chess piece resembles a castle which is a strong and well built structure. With this in mind, a suitable brawler for the rook would be one with a lot of health, such as Darryl or Rosa. However, the rook can cause damage both close up and from far away, which leaves only one brawler perfect to be the rook. 

Bull, the forth brawler players receive on the trophy road, is our rook. This guy has a double-barreled shotgun which can prove to be very lethal at close range. His super, Bulldozer, enables Bull to charge through players and obstacles in a given direction, reaching quite the distance. In some cases, the rook can move from one side of the chess board to the other, mimicking Bull's super attack whilst gaining ground to put the enemy king in a challenging position. 

Bishop 

At the beginning of a match, a player has two bishops standing proudly on either side of the king and queen. The Bishop's moves are similar to that of the rook, only instead of moving up, down, left or right, they can only move diagonally. Their attacks can catch you off guard and can also deal damage from long range. Can ya tell who it is yet? 

Collette is our bishop who can attack from a great distance with both her standard and her super attack. She is also currently the only brawler to deal damage on a percentage basis with their basic or super attack. The more health an opponent has, the more damage she deals. Her super has a slightly longer range than her basic attack and is just as lethal. On the chess board, the bishop can easily be forgotten about and can be strategically positioned to help put the enemy king in check, and with any luck, checkmate. 

Queen 

The queen is arguably the best piece on the chess board, but of course, there's only one queen for each player. She can move in any direction and any number of squares, but like most pieces, the queen can only move in one direction per turn. One candidate for this dangerous chess piece is Max due to her sheer speed and long range attack, which makes players think twice before getting too close. Another possible brawler to represent the queen is Emz who is unlocked on the trophy road after obtaining 8,000 trophies. Emz has a basic attack called Spray, which can deal an impressive amount of damage. Along with her super, she is another brawler players might want to avoid. 

The queen we've selected for our chess board is epic brawler, Piper. She's got a parasol that's also a sniper which increases the overall damage done the further away from her target she is. Like the queen, she can line up her prey and strike from a far. Her super, however, allows Piper to jump out of the way of danger, leaving behind four deadly grenades damaging walls, obstacles and players. It's safe to say, Piper and the queen and not to be underestimated. 

King 

Essentially, the king is the most important piece on the chess board. It cannot be taken by another piece and must always remain out of check. Without the king, the overall objective of chess would be different. It is thereby the one piece which must be protected whilst being able to defend itself. In chess, the king can move in any direction but only one square at a time. This is useful for picking off the enemy's pawns towards the end of the game. The king brawler is likely to be someone whose attack is limited to a short range. El Primo or Mortis make good contestants but their super attacks are far dissimilar from that of any chess piece.

Last, but not least, the king brawler to make it onto our chess board is Jacky. Her strong short range attack is exactly why she is our chosen king. Once levelled up to power level 10, players have access to Jacky's two star powers. The first, Counter Crush, takes 30% of all damage taken and sends it back counter-attacking nearby enemies. Her second star power, Hardy Hard Hat, protects her and reduces any damage she takes by 15%. This isn't an enemy brawler your want to be next to. In chess, the king can also take pieces, which, like Jacky, means you don't want to get too close. Jacky also has a useful gadget called Pneumatic Booster. This conveniently makes her move 20% faster for 3 seconds. If your king was in trouble, you could use the next few turns moving it to safety and make a quick getaway. 

Finding similarities between modern-day mobile game characters and pieces from the historic game of chess isn't easy. If you had to choose your Brawl Stars/chess setup, which brawlers would be fighting for you on your chess board?