This is a surprisingly polished game. I could easily see this becoming a full release on Steam. I get slight Inscryption vibes from this, but it's also uniquely its own thing (with the classic elements of chess, of course).
I'm not entirely sure about the current balance. Random cards can be almost unusable, as they would risk putting me in an awful position (or they do), and then I'm waiting for better cards but watch the timer run out. And I understand the timer being there in accordance to the jam theme, and it obviously ties into the theme of playing against Death as well, but I also wanted to build a strategy and have the time to do so (and couldn't with the random cards). I think the game might need to push in either direction more (fast-paced strategy with time pressure, or slow meticulous strategy without a timer) and provide the cards for that type of gameplay.
Also, ideally, I would have the first game/few games be pretty easy, just to teach the core mechanics and get the flow of the game. Thinking about Inscryption again, whose tutorial and early game are just perfect.
The overall look and feel of this game is amazing. Definitely worth continuing with.