Overview:
Estimated achievement difficulty: 8/10 (skill based for some achievements)
Offline: 865
Online: 135
Approximate time: 35-45 Hours
Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1 playthrough of each campaign and puzzle set, and multiple individual games
Missable achievements: No
Does difficulty affect Achievements: Yes (only for Fritz Killer)
Unobtainable/glitched Achievements: Maximalist has been known to not unlock if the last achievement you unlock is Explorer. This has theoretically been patched on the Xbox 360 version of the game, but I have been unable to find confirmation that the patch was successful in resolving this glitched achievement. The PC version has had no patches released. Explorer is also somewhat glitchy as it can unlock after repeating a map type you have previously beaten.
Is there DLC? No
Extra equipment needed (Xbox 360 version): No
Overview
Battle vs Chess is an animated combat chess game, with two campaigns, a wide variety of scenarios and classic chess puzzles included, and an online multiplayer largely devoid of players. The boards and players can be hard to distinguish at times due to the lighting effects, although that can be avoided by reverting to classic, non-animated pieces. The game is a reasonably easy 700-800 points, but to get the full 1,000 (or 2,000 if you stack the Xbox and GFWL versions) will take some definite talent and a little bit of luck.
Many of the achievements can be obtained either in single player or LIVE multiplayer games. However, achievements are generally disabled in same-console/PC multiplayer. To avoid any possible glitch with Maximalist, ensure that you do not leave Explorer for last.
Note also that almost every achievement description changes after you unlock it (and yes, typos are rampant among the official descriptions).
Single Player
Most of the achievements can be earned against the AI on difficulty of 0. Note that the AI is not very good on that level, but if you have never played chess before it will still likely clean your clock. You can undo moves without penalty when playing Skirmish, all the way back to the start of the game, which will help if you let the AI get the best of you at times.
Skirmish - Classic games are standard rules, starting from normal starting positions, and that is where most of the achievements will unlock. Battleground games require you to complete combat events any time a piece would normally be captured, and are broken into Duel (quick time events) and Slasher (action combat) modes. There are also puzzles and challenges, most of which are pretty straight forward. If they have a unique solution, it is provided in the guide. If not, feel free to use a chess simulator online to help you find the best moves.
There also are 30 campaign missions, 15 on the side of Order and 15 on the side of Chaos. Note that both Undo and Hint are disabled during the campaign missions. Due to the incorporation of special rules, chess engines are of limited use in the campaign, and getting the gold medals is what bumps this up to an 8/10 difficulty.
Some achievements (such as Catcher) will be much easier to obtain online with a partner, but can be earned against the AI.
Multiplayer
The only achievements that absolutely require multiplayer are Rising Star, Overmind, and Grand Master for a total of 135 . Technically, you can't get Maximalist without online either since it requires all other achievements to be earned, but I have included that in the single player count.
For boosting online, the fastest game possible in chess is detailed below. Note that in ranked multiplayer you do not get to choose white or black. I recommend Classic or Double games for the fastest wins.
When winning as black:
f2f3, e7d5
g2g4, d8h4
checkmate
When winning as white:
e2e4, f7f6
a2a4, g7g5
d1h5
checkmate
[x360a would like to thank Creech for this Roadmap]