Merano is a Chess variant played with stackable pieces. Stacks of different heights represent Queens, Rooks, Knights, Bishops, Pawns and immovable Towers.

A stack is controlled by the color of the topmost piece. A capture is made by moving one or more pieces from an attacking stack onto another stack.

Capturing can rapidly alter the situation in the game and result in quick victories. However, the strength of a stack is illusive. A Queen for example, represented by a single piece, will cease to be a Queen at the moment she makes her first capture.