How to complete MW3 Zombies Chessboard Easter egg

Joaquín Frere
Squads in Modern Warfare 3 Zombie mode

MW3 Zombies hides many secrets in its Urzikstan map, and the Chessboard Easter Egg is one of the biggest ones. The hidden objectives return in MWZ, so here’s how to activate and complete the Chessboard Easter egg.

MW3 Zombies is the new DMZ-like mode of Modern Warfare 3, and it drops players into a new map with the extraction-based formula. Zombies are there, of course, and the new open world adds returning features for long-time fans of the mode, like the secret Easter Eggs.

Speaking of secret objectives, here’s how to complete the MW3 Zombies Chessboard Easter egg.

Modern Warfare 3 Zombies: Chessboard Easter egg explained

Zombies in Modern Warfare 3
You will fight many Zombies while tackling the Chessboard Easter egg.

To complete the Chessboard Easter egg in Modern Warfare 3 Zombies, players should first find the Chessboard in the mansion’s secret room. The mansion is located in H7, at the bottom right part of the Urzikstan map.

The Chessboard located inside this room resembles the map of Urzikstan, so you should look out for the locations of the pieces to continue. Check out every piece’s location, look at their square, and replicate it on the game’s map.

With this resemblance, you can locate the Pawn in I1, the Bishop in D1, the Rook at C5, and the Knight in F6. Using this new information, squads should travel to these locations to grab cellphones that will trace back the unlock signals for the door.

Urzikstan's map in Modern Warfare 3 Zombies
The letters and numbers on top of the map resemble a Chessboard grid.

Remember that Modern Warfare 3 Zombies mode is PvP and PvE at the same time, which means that other players might be out there. Any player from the lobby can trigger the mission, and cellphone collection is shared in every match, so be on the lookout for already completed steps.

On your quest to find the cellphone activations, you will encounter certain blocks on the road, so follow our guide closely to know what’s coming. Each location will have a mini-boss that Strike Teams must defeat, as they will drop the item needed to complete the secret mission.

Modern Warfare 3 Zombies: The Bishop boss fight

To locate The Bishop boss in Modern Warfare 3 Zombies, players should head to D1 on Urzikstan, so double-check the map to find this location. Underneath the tunnel in this area, The Bishop boss will be waiting for squads alongside a decent amount of enemy AI.

The best way to tackle this boss fight is to approach it using the columns found in the tunnel as cover and blast away the enemy AI with the Energy Mine Field Upgrade, while the rest of the team focuses on The Bishop. This will signal the mansion in H7 and complete the first step of the Chessboard Easter egg.

The Knight boss fight in Modern Warfare 3 Zombies

Driving along Urzikstan railroads in Modern Warfare 3 Zombies, there’s an armored car with The Knight boss inside, starting at the F6 location. You can use The Bishop location under the tunnel in D1 to follow the railroads up to The Knight’s location, or you can wait in that location.

This boss will go around the map shooting from an armored car and will be difficult to catch. Be sure to pack some automatic weapons to kill it fast. Once you manage to beat it, grab the cell phone again and move on to the next boss.

Operators fighting enemies in MW3 Zombies
The Chessboard Easter egg features many dangerous mini-bosses.

MW3 Zombies: The Rook boss fight location

In the third step of the MW3 Zombies Chessboard Easter egg, player squads will now face a Sniper boss in Urzikstan. Located at a complex building in C5, this boss will be hard to reach, but once you make it to the top floor, killing it should be relatively easy.

Grab the third cellphone that will signal the secret room in H7 once again, and move forward with the last collectible of the quest. This is the last boss that players will face during this phase of the quest, but don’t lower your weapons yet.

MWZ Chessboard Easter egg: The Pawn cellphone location

The Pawn’s cellphone in MW3 Zombies is the last piece of the puzzle, and this will finally trigger the secret room in H7’s mansion to open. Squads need to find an isolated house by the river in I1, and inside a small TV will appear with a cell phone on top.

When you exit the house with your last collectible, some tough zombies will spawn, so quickly dispose of them and move to the final steps of the Chessboard Easter egg.

Squads in MW3 Zombies
Squads need to work together to defeat the Zombie hordes.

MW3 Zombies: How to complete Chessboard Easter egg

To finish the Chessboard Easter egg in MW3 Zombies, return to the mansion area in H7 and unlock the secret room’s door. Inside, you will find plenty of chests with resources and items such as portable Perk-A-Colas, Gold Bars, Aetherium Crystals, and some brand-new Schematics.

The Gold Bars found inside the H7 Vault can be sold for 3500 Essence, so be sure to grab those for further improving your equipment.

The last cache will spawn a Red Mimic enemy called The King, similar to the one found in Cold War’s Zombies mode, Outbreak. To collect all rewards swiftly, you should tackle this cache first and kill The King once it spawns.

For more on Modern Warfare 3, check out our other guides below:

How to unlock Bone Collector Operator skin in MW3 Zombies | How to carry more items in MW3 Zombies | What is Toxic Damage in MW3 Zombies? | MW3 Zombies: How to complete Outlast contract | How to level up guns fast in MW3 Zombies | MW3 Zombies: How to find & beat Dokkaebi Warlord Boss

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About The Author

Joaquín is a new Senior Writer for Charlie Intel with years of experience on games journalism. Focusing on all things JRPGs and a videogame developer at heart. Graduated from Game-Dev School and Public Relations, his current work is Charlie Intel and Infobae for LATAM. You can contact Joaquín at [email protected]