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Throughout theResident Evil 2 Remake, Leon and Claire find themselves in some of the most oddly-designed locations ever. This is because these places are filled with unusual puzzles that no real architect would ever implement.
For example, while down in the sewers, you find a locked door that can only be opened by placing chess-piece-inspired plugs into six separate panels. And you can’t just put them in randomly. Each plug has to go in a specific panel. So, it’s a typical wacky Resident Evil puzzle. In fact, it’s one of the more head-scratching ones in the game. As such, this is everything you need to know to complete it.
Updated June 15, 2025 By Ben Jessey:Resident Evil 2 has recently been added to Xbox Game Pass, so more people are playing it. As a result, more people may be getting stuck on the chess piece puzzle. We made this guide a while ago to make it clear how to complete the said puzzle. Now, we’ve returned to the piece to make sure it’s as clear as possible. In the process, we’ve added a helpful video.
Where To Find The Missing Plugs
When you first reach the room with the chess puzzle, youwon’t have all the plugs requiredto complete it.
You need to continue on with your adventure to get them.
To reach the missing plugs, you need the T-Bar valve, which is sitting next to the cable car.
Where To Get The King And Queen Plugs
Both theKing and Queen plugs are in the Supplies Storage Room.To get there, you must gothrough the Bottom Waterway, which you gain access to with the T-Bar Valve.
The Supplies Storage room is one big puzzle in its own right.
This is how tofind the two plugs and leave with them:
You will find some enemies here when you drop down.
Gaining access to and grabbing the new weapon isn’t a requirement for the puzzle, but it’s really worth picking up.
Where To Get The Rook Piece
Thankfully, the Rook Plug is much easier to reach than the King and Queen ones. You simply need toreach the Workroom Liftwith the help of the T-Bar Valve.
The lift will take you to the Workroom.Go through that room to find the Rook on the other side of it, plugged into a panel.
How To Solve the Chess Puzzle
The solution to this puzzle isdifferent depending on whether you’re on your first or second run.Here’s how to solve them both:
If you can’t tell which plug is which from looks alone, examine them in your inventory to find out their names.
First Run Solution
The clue found on the notice board on the first run says:
“Pretty Sure The Rook And Knight Are On The Same Wall And The Bishop And Queen Aren’t Next To Each Other. The Queen And Rook Were Opposite Each Other, Too.”
The answer is:
Second Run Solution
The clue found on the notice board on the second run says:
“The Rook’s Next To The Kinght, But Not Facing The Queen. The King Ain’t Next To The Queen, But Facing The Knight, Right At The End, And The Knight Ain’t Where The Case Marking Says.”
