Solve the Resident Evil 2 chess puzzle to unlock the Monitor Room door.

The Resident Evil Chess Plug puzzle is a real brain-teaser. To crack it, you’ll need to solve a riddle and track down the chess pieces first. This means tackling some smaller puzzles and facing off against a few monsters along the way to unlock a big door blocking your path.

This challenge is definitely more complex than locating Resident Evil 2 safe codes or locker codes. But don’t worry, we’ve got your back. While you’ll still encounter some enemies, the solutions you need are fixed, so just follow our guidance below to breeze through it. Keep in mind that Leon and Claire have slightly different puzzles, so you won’t be able to repeat the same steps. Below, you’ll find the answers for locating the chess plugs and opening the sewer monitor room door in Resident Evil 2.

When you first step into the Monitor Room, you’ll see three chess pieces (Bishop, Pawn, Knight) already placed in the wall plugs. However, the door won’t budge until you insert the remaining three chess pieces in the correct order. To do this, you’ll need to solve another puzzle to get the missing Queen, King, and Rook plugs.

You can find both the King and Queen plugs in the Supplies Storage Room located in the Lower Sewers. Start by grabbing the T-Bar Valve Handle from the Treatment Pool Room and use it on the floodgate. Navigate through the Bottom Waterway, being cautious of the mutated zombies lurking in the murky depths. Once you’ve made it through, you’ll arrive at the Supplies Storage Room.

Follow this solution to obtain the King and Queen plugs:

After securing the King and Queen plugs from the Monitor Room, it’s time to find the Rook plug. Open the Lower Waterway floodgate in the Lower Sewers, then take the lift up to the Workroom. Exit the room and head to the door with the socket. Once you’ve got the Rook plug in your inventory, make your way back to the Monitor Room.

With the King, Queen, and Rook plugs in hand, you’re ready to tackle the Monitor Room chess puzzle. The order will differ depending on whether it’s your first or second playthrough, so make sure you’re following the right sequence.

To unlock the door in the Monitor Room for the first time, place the Bishop, Rook, and Knight on the left wall, and the Pawn, Queen, and King on the right wall. When facing the notice board, the order should look like this:

If you’ve arranged them correctly, the door will swing open.

However, if you’re playing through a second time, the solution for the Monitor Room Chess Piece Puzzle will change. The method for obtaining the plug pieces remains the same, but the wall order will differ. Once you’ve collected them all as outlined above, place the King, Bishop, and Queen on the left wall, and the Knight, Rook, and Pawn on the right. Facing the notice board, it should look like this:

Get them all in position, and the Monitor Room door will pop open again, allowing you to proceed.