The game of chess is one of those things that, like the gin and tonic, exists in every society, world, timeline, and parallel universe -- although not always in quite the same format.

The version peculiar to Loathing is played on an 11x11 board, because of course it is, and is called Witchess because of its Witch piece, which was added four centuries ago as a sort of apology for that whole burning thing. Prior to the change, that back-row square was occupied by an extra pawn called the "Middle Manager".