In Kung-Fu Chess, either player could move any available piece at any given moment, though only one piece could be moved at a time. After a piece was moved, a predefined delay prevented it from moving again for a short period of time. This, plus piece movements not being instantaneous, meant that speed and timing were crucial aspects of the game, as any delay could determine whether a piece was captured or whether said piece dodged the opponent's pieces. In addition to this, the game's "real-time" aspect led to essential differences between Kung-Fu Chess and standard chess. For instance, checks and pins did not exist in the game, since players were not bound to one move at a time and thus could respond to threats with multiple piece movements. Checkmate and stalemate were similarly both impossible to achieve; as such, the game only ended when one's king was physically captured or if one's opponent resigned. In following with the martial arts theme, the game also featured a rating system categorized by belt colors.
