Every child meets them across the board: the one who captures everything, the one who brings the queen out first, the one who copies every move. And most children have been one of them. In Loftet they're toys, and beating them is how your child grows out of those habits.
The story
Loftet's toys began as real plush toys, given out as prizes at Dragulf Chess Club's tournaments in Norway. Now they've settled into the club's attic, where they hatch new plans. And yes, "Loftet" is Norwegian for "the attic." :-)
Many of the toys are named after the club's coaches and a couple of well-known Norwegians.
What each toy teaches
Loftet is part of the Sjakkpass universe. The icon on each toy's card shows its level in the chess passport. Your child practices those skills by playing against it.
Sonja keeps her pieces along the edges and plays cautious moves, but she guards her own king less well.
Teaches: develop the pieces, take the middle of the board, spot a mate in one move, and play actively all the way to checkmate.
Karl Anker captures whatever he can reach, even if it costs him his finest piece.
Teaches: what the pieces are worth, and how to count what a trade costs.
Thyra sends her queen out first and pushes for a new one when she loses hers.
Teaches: how to punish an early queen attack and stop a pawn from becoming a new queen.
Lars chases pieces that are easy to attack, or shuffles around looking for the next bite.
Teaches: move pieces out of danger and take the pieces he leaves hanging.
Morten builds pawn mazes with holes in them. His pieces shoot from afar and rarely miss.
Teaches: look all the way along a line before moving, and find gaps in the pawn wall.
Heksa copies every move your child makes, which is why she always plays black.
Teaches: moves a mirror can't copy, like forcing moves and threats.
Felix starts weak and gets stronger with every piece he captures, so he offers trade after trade.
Teaches: when a trade pays off and how to checkmate quickly.
Erling charges forward with everything he has and rarely castles.
Teaches: calm defense. Castle, accept the sacrifice, and trade off the attackers.
Gardar trades until the board is almost empty, and a draw counts as his win.
Teaches: trade with a plan, build an attack, and win Armageddon games as White.
Simen wrecks his pawn structure, puts pieces on bad squares and chooses bad trades. But he rarely gives away a piece.
Teaches: how to play positionally and attack a weakness with several pieces.
Misha sees simple threats long before they arrive.
Teaches: combinations, several moves working together.
Dragulf has three heads, each with its own plan: attack, strategy, and one that gets sloppy just when he's winning.
Teaches: pick a plan, stick to it, and play steadily all the way to checkmate.
How Loftet works
Two ways to play. Game mode gives your child three hints, two undos and one reroll. A reroll asks the toy to try another move. Use one helper per move. Battle has no helpers. Beat a toy in Battle to earn its mascot button.
Games and replay. Continue an unfinished game or replay a saved one. The "Who was ahead" graph shows how the game swung. Keep up to 100 games on this device, or 1,000 with an account. Download games as PGN files to open in other chess programs.
Progress. Stats shows games and wins. Tap a mascot button to open that toy's Logbook, with past games and unbeaten streaks.
Language and offline play. Choose from twelve languages in Settings or with the flag. Loftet works offline. Add it to your home screen to open it like an app.
Privacy. Read what Loftet stores and sends on the Privacy page.
Price. Sonja and Karl Anker are free forever. A subscription opens every other toy: €2.99 a month or €29.90 a year (£2.49 or £24.90 in the UK, $2.99 or $29.90 in the US). Read the terms
Who is behind Loftet
Loftet is made by Sjakkpass.
Fleur Sommerseth, Woman Grandmaster in Chess with a PhD in education. Founder of Sjakkpass and creator of the chess passport.
Simen Agdestein, chess Grandmaster, nine-time Norwegian champion and coach to many Norwegian talents, including world champion Magnus Carlsen. Ambassador for Sjakkpass.
See what else we make at sjakkpass.com. Contact: support@sjakkpass.com.