Baldur’s Gate 3 is a role-playing video game developed by the company Larian Studios . This installment, like its predecessors, is based on the board game role-playing system, but with the difference of having a turn-based combat system . It was released on the market on August 3, 2023. It has endless content and a ton of side quests, as well as incredible riddles and puzzles . Although, among all the challenges that Baldur’s Gate 3 brings us, there is one that has surprised most people because of its difficulty, it is the chess puzzle , and here I am going to teach you how to complete it.
Talking about great video game releases from the previous year and leaving Baldur’s Gate 3 out of the conversation is almost offensive. This title swept the floor with the other games that were released in 2023 , and I say this knowing that great gems were released such as: Resident Evil 4 Remake, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom , etc. None of these were at the level of the genius of Larian Studios, winner of GOTY 2023.
The Chessboard Puzzle
In Baldur’s Gate 3 , in addition to the main lore of the game, there is a lot of content that you will choose to discover . An example of this is the immense amount of secondary missions that this game offers you.
In each act of the game, you will be able to discover countless riddles, puzzles, characters and places depending on the decisions you make as you progress through the game.
There is a particular case of a mission that many players have had trouble completing. It is the mission to reach the Ansur Dragon , and the complicated thing about this is that, to access it, we must first complete a puzzle that at first glance is practically impossible to solve . It is the chessboard puzzle in the Strategy Room of the Wyrmway area.
Only Two Moves and Three Attempts
To solve this puzzle, as you might think, you must first know the game of Chess . But even this is not enough, you must be a crack at the game to be able to solve the puzzle by yourself.
In this puzzle our goal is to Jake Mate the black king with the pieces we have on the board . But the tricky thing is that we only have two moves to do this, that is, we can only move two of the pieces we have on the board.
If you fail to perform the Jake Mate, the board will randomly reset, meaning you can never make the same move twice . To solve the puzzle, you only have three attempts, meaning the board will only reset three times, and the fourth time it will lock you up, leaving you unable to solve the puzzle .
How to solve the puzzle in a “legal” way?
If you are not good at playing Chess, or you simply do not want to spend time thinking of moves to complete the puzzle, then here I am going to teach you some tips to make it easier to complete .
- First, look at the pieces you have available. If you have a queen on the board, try to move it first and have it give the first Jake . This is the most valuable piece and can give Jake in different directions.
- Pay close attention to where the black king is on the board. It is important to note whether he is covered by other pieces or is near a corner, as if he is, it would be easier to corner him and block his path . This will help you give him Jake Mate.
- If you happen to have a knight near the black king , try to use it together with the queen. This is because the knight’s movement in Chess is extremely powerful , even more so than that of the queen itself. Although it only moves four squares, its L-shaped movement and ability to pass over other pieces makes it impossible to block its path.
Cheating is also valid in this game.
If you are good at chess but don’t like wasting time playing, or you just can’t find any effective moves , then the game also has solutions to this puzzle. There are two ways to solve this puzzle in a simpler and more effective way, cheating a little , but they are still valid.
- Having Gale the Wizard in your party: If you have Gale the Wizard in your party, he will give you the solution to the riddle if you ask him. This wizard has a high intellect , so he will explain to you the fastest way to Jake Mate in two moves.
- Directly destroy the King piece : The pieces on the board are sensitive to electricity, so you can simply use a spell and destroy the black King piece and thus complete the puzzle in a rather violent way.
As you can see, these two ways are much faster and more effective. With the second way you don’t even have to move the pieces , just cast a spell and kill the king. Just like taking Gale with you, the puzzle won’t be too difficult either.
Finding the Strategy Room and the Ansur Dragon
Solving the Chessboard puzzle is just one of the four puzzles you must complete to find the Ansur Dragon Room . But first you must find the location of these puzzles. Follow these steps to find the puzzle.
- First head to the Serpent’s Rock Fortress . Once there, you’ll need to reach the prison via a staircase.
- Next, find the Dragon Head Torches . Once inside the prison, you’ll need to look for two Torches that are shaped like Dragon Heads . Once you’ve located them, turn them off , and then blast each one with electricity, using a spell, an electric arrow, or an electric weapon.
- Find the secret passage and dive in . Once you have dealt electrical damage to the Torches, a secret passage will open up, which you must follow .
- Once you’ve finished the passage, you’ll reach an area with four puzzles in different rooms . One of these rooms is called the Strategy Room, and here you’ll find the Chessboard puzzle .
Once you complete these four challenges, you’ll be able to proceed directly to the room where the Ansur Dragon is located . It will be dead at first, which will make you hesitate a bit, however, due to a plot twist, the dragon will be reborn and attack you , so be prepared to fight.
And that’s it, let me know in the comments what you think of this simple way to complete one of the most difficult puzzles in the game.