Okay, I think I was wrong, in that it isn't just chesss but a quasi fighting/chess game.
"Then there's chess kombat, a turn-based strategy game like chess--except that when two pieces meet on the map, you and your opponent must fight it out. You can cast a few single-use spells to aid you or hamper your opponent, but chess kombat will boil down to a lot of fights between you and your opponent's "grunts," which are like pawns in chess. So if you're playing chess kombat against someone of substantially greater or lesser skill, then it will be easy for the more-skilled player to gain the upper hand and quickly win. However, against a similarly skilled opponent, chess kombat often becomes a drawn-out stalemate."
Man, was just hoping it was like battle chess that you could play online. I have the game sitting sealed on my shelf. I'll get around to trying it eventually.