We present here a fictitious game intended to solidfy your understanding of the rules and to introduce you to some of the very basic ideas of the game. There is a diagram every couple of moves so you don't have to get a board out to play through this game.
The game begins with one of the few openings that works in both regular chess and atomic chess. 1. e4 d5:
Note that (unlike in regular chess) White should not continue with 2. exd5 because both pawns would explode, clearing a path for the Black queen to take on d2, which would catch the White king in an explosion. Play continues with 2. Nc3 b5:
Note that 2. ... b5 keeps the White knight off both a4 and b5. Unlike in regular chess, a square can be guarded by occupying it. (Remember: the knight would be killed if it took the pawn on b5.) Play continues with 3. d4 c5 :
When Black moved 3. ... c5, he threatened White's knight on c3. If Black takes on d4, then everything within the outlined squares except the pawns on e4 and d5 would get removed. Play continues with 4. exd5 :
Note that White lost his own pawn in that last capture. This last move was a clever way to protect White's knight. Now if Black plays 4. ... cxd4, then a path will be cleared for the White queen to take the Black queen, catching the Black king in the explosion. Play continues with 4. ... Bf5 :
Black's last move threatens to capture on c2 winning all of White's pieces within the outlined squares except the pawn on b2. Luckily, White has a good defense. Play continues with 5. Bg5 f6 :
With 5. Bg5, White threatened to win the game by taking the pawn on e7, capturing the Black king in the explosion. Black blocked with 5. ... f6 (the only other non-losing move was 5. ... Nf6). This gives White a chance to capture the pesky Black bishop on f5 that's threatening to win a lot of material. Play continues with 6. Bxf6 :
The pawn on f6, the White bishop, and the Black bishop have been removed. Play continues with 6. ... e6 7. Qf3 Qf6 :
White's queen move threatened to win and Black's queen move blocked the threat (you can see that blocking is a major atomic theme). Play continues with 8. O-O-O Qf4+ :
As a chess move, 8. ... Qf4+ looks ridiculous since the Black queen is en prise. But in atomic chess, you don't have to protect your pieces (there are no "re-captures"). If the White queen takes the Black queen, then the White queen will die too. Play continues with 9. Qxf4 :
Queens have been traded. Now Black makes a terrible blunder. Play continues with 9. ... cxd4??:
Black has won the knight on c3, but he opened the d-file for White's rook. White can now win in just two moves. Play continues with 10. Rd8+ :
Remember that the Black king cannot capture anything (since he would explode too), so the White rook is invulnerable. Black must move his king out of check and when he does White has a deadly explosion in store for him. Play continues with 10. ... Ke7:
White will now take the bishop with his rook. This will win the game because the Black king will get caught in the explosion. Play continues with 11. Rxf8 [1-0]
The Black king is dead and White has won.