The game follows the classic rules of chess. The player chooses to play as either the Rebel Forces or the Empire. The chess pieces are portrayed as characters which match the rank of the chess piece. For the Rebel Forces (white), Luke Skywalker is the king, Princess Leia is the queen, C-3PO is the bishop, Chewbacca is the knight, Yoda is the rook, and R2-D2 is the pawn. For the Empire (black), Emperor Palpatine is the king, Darth Vader is the queen, Boba Fett is the bishop, Tusken Raiders are the knights, AT-ST's are the rooks, and the Stormtroopers are the pawns. When one chess piece takes an opposing one, a brief battle scene shows the chess piece character defeating the opponent.
—John Smith