The Sealed Move is a chess murder mystery game you print at home or play on a screen: for 2–4 players, about 2–3 hours.
The Case
Fife, October 1979. On the last night of the Portcraig International Chess Congress, Grandmaster Pavel Dravik adjourns the game that will decide the title, seals his 41st move in an envelope, and goes up to bed in a winning position. In the morning he is found dead in his room, and the travel chess set on his table shows a move nobody else was supposed to know.
Was it an accident, his rival, the arbiter, the journalist next door, or the man who knew his chess best? Every clue can be checked on a chessboard: real game scores, a sealed move, chess-clock times, a suspect’s handwritten analysis and a mate-in-two puzzle that opens the last door.
What’s Inside
- 3 investigation phases and 7 evidence documents, including a full 40-move tournament game
- Real, engine-checked chess puzzles that are part of the solution, not decoration
- A one-page chess primer, so players who have never played chess can solve it
- Accurate board diagrams
- 4 suspect profiles
- 11 scored questions plus the final accusation
- A tiered hint system that teaches the chess as you go
- The full solution and story
- Three separate PDFs: the case file, the hints and the solution, so you can play on a tablet or laptop without spoilers, plus a one-file print edition
- No cutting or folding
Who It’s For
Adults, 2–4 players, about 2–3 hours. A thoughtful gift for chess players, chess club members and puzzle lovers, and a game they can share with a partner who doesn’t play: club players will spot things faster, but the hints and primer get everyone there.
How It Works
Open the case file on a tablet or laptop, or print it at home. Read each phase, answer its questions, use hints only if you need them, then make your final accusation: who, how and why. Score yourself out of 80.
