The Rules of Cypher Chess

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VII. Check, Mate, Flipping and other rules (cont.).

d. Here are the Rules on Flipping:

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    Flipping refers to what can occur between the King and Spy and between Spy and Spy. It is similar to checkmate in that it ends the game in one of the opponent's favor (see scoring). But flipping should not be confused with or seen as the same thing as checkmate.

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1. If a Court Spy lines itself up with a Court King, and there are no other pieces standing between them, the game is over, in the Spy's favor. No matter how that situation arose and no matter how many squares are between them or whether they stand at opposite sides of the board from each other, we say the Spy has flipped the King. 

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2. If, when the King is outside of Court, and it moves or otherwise winds up next to the opposing Spy, no matter in what sector it stands, the King has flipped the Spy and won the game. For example, if a Court Spy stands next to either a Field King or Border King, the King has flipped the Spy and the game ends in the King's favor. 

   Consider, then, if the Court or Border Spy checks the Field or Border King with only two squares separating them, then the King can move next to the Spy, thereby escaping check and flipping him and ending the game. On the other hand, the King cannot otherwise move into the trajectory of check posed by the Spy. If moving next to the Spy is not an option for the King seeking to escape the checking Spy (when, for example, another piece checks the square in question), then it must move out of the line of check. 

    In applying flipping rules, recall the distinguishing features of Court and the Field: The Court belongs to the Spy. He never goes on the defensive there, assuming the opposed pieces are both in Court. The King's "land" or demesne is the Field: Compara-tively, he has near-total sanctuary, there, when all the major pieces in question are there. In the case of collusion, he still has the advan-tage of being able to turn the tables on the Spy (see rules on Collusion). This is the case be-cause the King, in the end, out-ranks the Spy. This outranking also explains why, even when the Spy is at Court and the King is stand-ing next to him on a Field or Bo-rder square, he flips him.

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​Here are the two remaining Flipping rules:

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3. If, anywhere on the board, the King winds up next to his own Spy, he has been flipped and loses the game.

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4. If the Spy lands next to the opposing Spy, he has been flipped by the opposition, thus losing the game.