Dead Position is a chess roguelike. Each round is a fresh game of chess against an engine on a 3D board: the player has ten moves and three take-backs to reach a score target, and every move scores chips × mult, from quiet moves through captures, checks, forks, pins, skewers and discovered attacks up to checkmate. Chaining tactics builds a streak that raises the mult of the next move. Between rounds, players buy Gambits, passive cards that alter scoring and in some cases the rules of chess, along with study packs and card editions. The opponent, the Host, alters the board with Blaze and Frost events, and each ante ends with a boss lieutenant who imposes a special rule. A run consists of four antes of four rounds, and lost pieces stay lost unless bought back in the shop. The game also includes free play against four engine levels, tutorial lessons and a Blitz mode played against the clock.