This is really a list of mentally stimulating games variants. Many hundreds and hundreds of variants can be found. The 2007 catalogue The Encyclopedia regarding Chess Variants quotes that there are usually well over 2, 500, and more were considered also trivial for introduction in the catalog.

This is the dynamic record and could never get able to satisfy particular standards intended for completeness. You can easily help by putting missing items along with reliable sources.

These types of chess variants are usually derived from chess by changing the particular board, board create, pieces, or guidelines.

Standard rules and standard piece varieties

Many variants make use of standard chess rules and mechanics, yet vary the beginning position of the pieces or number of pieces.

Rhombic Chess by Tony Paletta

During these alternatives, the same parts and rules as with chess are applied, however the board is usually different; It can be smaller sized or larger, the shape of possibly the board or even individual spaces could be non-square or flip-up, or it can easily even be extra-dimensional or unbounded. The movements of pieces found in some variants is definitely modified in concurrence with the geometry of the gameboard.

Active Chess: Performed over a 9�8 plank, adding a queen with the extra pawn in front. Invented simply by G. Kuzmichov (1989), whose students analyzed the overall game, deciding that will the optimal starting up position was going to location the second queen on the eighth or ninth data.

Balbo’s Game: A new novel-shaped board together with 70 squares. Complete armies for each player, minus one particular pawn. No castling. By G. Balbo (1974).

Chess about a 12 by simply 12 board: Enjoyed on a 12�12 board. Pawns market within the third and tenth ranks. By simply D. Vogel (2000).

Circular chess: Performed on a circular plank comprising four wedding rings, all of sixteen verger.

Cross chess: Cross-shaped cells, board geometry like hex chess but moves a bit like to normal mentally stimulating games (e. g. bishops have four instructions, not six; a queen eight, not twelve). Extra rook, dark night, and pawn for each side. By George Dekle Sr.

Tube chess: Played in a cylinder panel with a- and even h-files “connected”. So a player can use them while if the a-file were next to be able to the h-file (and vice versa).

Decimal Chess: Played about a 10�10 board, usually add added pieces. Some decimal chesses use only common pieces, but other folks such as Quebrado Falcon-Hunter Chess employ fairy pieces.

Quebrado Rettah chess: Including a king, full and two pawns. Invented by Sixth is v. R. Parton.

Fracción Rettah chess panel and startup

Twice Chess: Two total armies per area on a 12�16 board, the initial to mate an enemy king victories. Pawns advance around four steps on their first shift. Capablanca found typically the game “remarkably interesting”. Invented by Julian Hayward (1916).

Doublewide chess: Two regular chessboards are connected for a 16�8 play surface. Every player plays with two complete sets of chess items.

Flying chess: Played on a panel of 8�8�2, offering a total regarding 128 cells. Simply certain pieces may move to in addition to through the additional stage.

Grid chess: The board is overlaid having a grid regarding lines. For a move to always be legal, it need to cross at the very least one of these types of lines.

Infinite mentally stimulating games: Numerous players and mathematicians have created of chess versions played on a good unbounded chessboard. Inside of one example, when using “Converse’s rules, inches the pieces and their relative starting opportunities are unchanged the particular board is definitely large.

Los Alamos chess (or Anti-Clerical chess): Played over a 6�6 board with no bishops. This was the very first chess-like video game played by some sort of computer program.

Masonic Chess: Some other panel rank is indented. Same as mentally stimulating games, with moves adapted to the brand new brickwork-like board. Simply by George Dekle Sr.

Minichess: A family of variants experienced with regular mentally stimulating games pieces and regular rules, but on a smaller board.

Polgar reform chess: In the book Reform-Chess (1997), L�szl� Polg�r recommended several variants performed on board regarding size 5�8, 6�8, 8�6, or 9�6. Your initial piece installation is determined by players on the same method such as Benko’s Pre-chess. You will find special tips for castling depending on the panel. Polg�r recommended these kinds of variants to teach creativity and to be able to speed up the overall game.

Polgar Superstar Mentally stimulating games: Hexagonal variant performed on a special star-shaped board. Invented by L�szl� Polg�r (2002).

Rhombic Chess: Works on the hex-shaped board comprising 72 rhombus cells. Normal set of chess bits move edgewise or pointwise. Checkmate objective as usual. By Tony Paletta (1980).

Spherical chess: A household of variants played on a chessboard wrapped around a sphere. The a- and h-files will be adjacent. The rods are circular or octagonal and could or perhaps may not be occupied according to the variant. There are no board ends, so kings always have eight adjacent squares. Trans-polar diagonal goes mostly differentiate among variants.

Different beginning position

These different types use standard panels and pieces, however the pieces start on nontraditional squares. Inside most such versions, the pawns will be placed on their particular usual squares, although the position of other pieces is definitely either randomly established or selected by the players. The inspiration for these alternatives will be to nullify set up opening knowledge. The particular downside of those variants is that the initial position generally has less a harmonious relationship and balance than the standard chess position.

Upside-down chess starting position (White sits at bottom)

Fischer Random Chess (or Chess960): The particular placement of the particular pieces on the particular first rank is definitely randomized; although there are rules including the 2 beginning Bishops have in order to be on distinct colour squares, plus the King has to start between typically the 2 Rooks. Typically the opponent’s pieces reflect it. Invented simply by Bobby Fischer (1996).

Displacement chess: Several pieces within the initial position are sold but the guidelines remain exactly typically the same. Some examples associated with this may become the king in addition to queen are flipped, or the knight about the b-file is usually traded with the bishop on the f-file.

Pre-chess: The online game depends on white and black pawns arranged as always, but typically the initial position regarding other pieces is usually selected with the players. White first spots one of their very own pieces on their own first rank, in addition to then Black really does the same. Participants continue to alternate this way until most pieces have recently been placed, using the just restriction being that bishops must be about opposite-colour squares. The sport then proceeds in the usual way. Proposed by Pal Benko in 1978.[18]

Transcendental Chess: Similar to Chess960, although the opening bright and black roles do not reflect the other person.

Upside-down mentally stimulating games: The white and black pieces are switched so that will White’s pieces usually are on the seventh rank, with pawns on the seventh rank, one phase faraway from promotion. Typically the starting position seems like a regular chess starting position, although from the some other player’s perspective. Since the pawns are clogged by pieces in the starting position, the sport always starts together with a knight proceed, and smothered sombre are common.

Different amount of items

These variants use common chess pieces about a standard plank, but players start with unorthodox numbers associated with pieces. For illustration, starting with a variety of queens or less pawns. Many this kind of games use out of kilter starting positions, together with one player getting more or much less of particular items than the other player.

Charge involving the Light Écurie: Apart from the particular usual king in addition to pawns, one part has three queens along with the other provides seven knights.

Dunsany’s Chess (and the particular similar Horde chess): One side offers standard chess bits, plus the other part has 32 pawns.

Endgame chess (or The Pawns Game): Players start typically the game with simply pawns and a california king. Normal check, checkmate, en passant, and even pawn promotion rules apply.

Handicap chess (or Chess along with odds): Variations to be able to equalise chances associated with players with distinct strength.

Peasants’ Rise mutiny: White provides a california king and eight pawns (the peasants) towards Black’s king, pawn, and four knights (the nobles). Black has the advantage. To narrow the particular contest, the sport offers also been performed with three knights in battle (on b8, c8, and g8) rather of four. By simply R. L. Frey (1947).

Sixteen Pawns: White plays without their queen, although chooses where within the third and last ranks to location eight extra pawns. By Legall para Kermeur (18th century). Alexandre Deschapelles plus Louis-Charles Mah� sobre La Bourdonnais after established that seven extra pawns prefer White a lot of, plus hence played the overall game with only 5, six, or 7 extra pawns with regard to White instead.

Really Bad Chess: A mobile video video game by Zach Gage; Each player features one king and fifteen other pieces selected at unique.

Weak!: White has the usual parts, Black has a single king, seven knights in battle, and sixteen pawns. This game was played at the Columbia University mentally stimulating games club in typically the 1960s.

Variant rules and standard item types

These variations introduce changes in the mechanics involving the game, such as movement of bits, rules for recording, or winning situations, using standard chess pieces.

Variant guidelines, variant set associated with standard piece forms, variant board

These use standard items, however the quantity of one or even more sorts of piece through a standard arranged is non-standard.

Chad by Christian Freeling

Jeson Mor starting position

Alice Mentally stimulating games: Played with a couple of boards: an item advanced one plank passes “through the particular looking glass” on another board. By V. R. Parton (1953).

Apocalypse: On a 5�5 panel, each side offers two knights plus five pawns, win by eliminating most enemy pawns. Well prepared moves are executed simultaneously. By Chemical. S. Elliott (1976).

Brusky’s hexagonal mentally stimulating games: Chess on a good irregular board involving 84 hex cells. Same as Gli ski’s Hexagonal Chess, but with five pawns instead of nine, linear startup, two forward shift directions for pawns, pawns capture forward diagonally, and castling. By Yakov Brusky (1966).

Chad: Nobleman are limited to 3�3 “castles” on a 12�12 board dominated by eight rooks per side which will market to queens. By Christian Freeling (1979).

Chessence: Nine parts per player proceed according to their particular relative positions to each other on a 6�9 board with absent squares and kings immobile in the particular corners. By Jim Winslow (1989).

Shade Chess: Played in a multicoloured panel of six shades, with the order of turns used as in Marseillais chess good results . rules indicating which colour each piece may well move to. The overall game is won by capturing the opponent’s california king (rather than checkmate) and kings may well remain in examine. Similar variants incorporate Sequence Colour Chess, and Swarm Coloring Chess. By Ben Norfolk (2017).

Congo: Kings (lions) are really limited to 3�3 “castles” on a new 7�7 board. By simply Demian Freeling (1982).

De Vasa’s hexagonal chess: Chess in a rhombus-shaped plank of 81 hex cells. Same seeing that Gli ski’s Hexagonal Chess, but linear startup, two forwards move directions for pawns, pawns capture forward diagonally in order to the side, plus castling. Invented simply by Helge E. de Vasa (1953).

Diplomat chess: Played on the circular board using 43 cells, such as centre circle which is considered orthogonal in addition to diagonal to every adjacent cell. Involves a ‘diplomat’ piece which as opposed to capturing can suborn opponent pieces.

Dragonfly: Performed on a 7�7 or hex table, no queens, grabbed non-pawn pieces by no means die (� los angeles Chessgi) and can easily be dropped on any open pillow. By Christian Freeling.

Gli ski’s hexagonal chess: The most popular variation of chess intended for the hex table. Includes three bishops, nine pawns, 91 hex cells. Conceived by W adys aw Gli skiing (1936).

Hexagonal mentally stimulating games: A family regarding variants played on a hexgrid with three colours and even three bishops.

Hexapawn: Played over a rectangle-shaped board of distinction size with just pawns. The goal of each and every player is to advance one of their particular pawns to the particular opposite end involving the board or to prevent the particular other player by moving.

Jeson Els: Nine knights per side over a 9�9 board. The first to inhabit square e5, plus then leave that, wins the video game. From Mongolia.

McCooey’s hexagonal chess: Chess on the same hexagonal board like Gli? ski’s Hexagonal Chess, but making use of a different beginning array, seven pawns instead of eight, and pawns get forward diagonally. Simply by Richard Honeycutt in addition to David McCooey (1978? 1979).

Parallel Worlds Chess: A 3D variant using 3 boards, each participant commands two armies, capturing either opponent king wins. The center board is a sort of “twilight zone” obeying its own regulations. By R. Wayne Schmittberger (1980s).

Regimental Chess: This variant is played upon 1-6 adjacent 12�16 boards, with one white and dark division for each and every board signified by accent colours. Each division starts with fourteen infantrymen, much like pawns but only transferring one space at a time right or diagonally send until promoted in order to move one room in any way, four bishops, a number of knights, four rooks, two queens and one king, and gamers may place their pieces into their own formation ahead of the game starts. When a division’s king is grabbed, all other portions from that division are generally taken out of the battleground. Pieces can shift together as composition, which are connected by simply any compatible parts which are adjacent or perhaps mutually supportive with one another, plus capture pieces by broadsiding with walls of pieces or perhaps piercing inferior ranks with superior firepower. Pieces are mutually supportive if these people are identical and even are within reach of their move type; for instance , two bishops are mutually support if they happen to be on a good adjacent diagonal route unobstructed by additional pieces.

Rollerball: Motivated by the sci-fi film of typically the same name, pieces move clockwise around a Roller Derby-like track. By Jean-Louis Cazaux (1998).

Shafran’s hexagonal chess: Mentally stimulating games on an irregular hex board associated with 70 cells. Equivalent as Gli ski’s Hexagonal Chess, nevertheless differs by starting position, pawn first-move options, pawns acquiring forward diagonally, in addition to castling. Invented by Grigorevich Shafran (1939).

Sovereign Chess: This particular variant is played out on a 16�16 board. In add-on to the normal black and white colored pieces, the board is also encircled by 80 other coloured pieces (10 colours of 8 pieces each). Colored squares near the particular center of typically the board correspond to the particular coloured pieces close to the board, then when a player’s part occupies a colored square, that participant gains control associated with the matching coloured pieces. If the piece on a communicate square is relocated or captured, control of the matching pieces is shed (transferred to the particular other player found in case of capture). Players may likewise switch the colour associated with their initial army through “regime change”. By Mark Bates.

Thrones Chess: Works on the board that includes a circular aspect and a square component, which permits long-range pieces to attack from 3 sides. The panel is divided into a couple of castles plus a battlefield. A piece are unable to cross more as compared to two castle surfaces within the same maneuver, and also a king within check might not keep a castle apart from to capture the piece giving examine. Knights have added non-capturing moves. Simply by Richard Van de Venter (1999).

Thrones Chess, initial installation with the basic chess pieces. Free squares may always be filled by extra classic or fairy chess pieces.

Troy: A variant motivated by the Trojan War played on a 91-cell hexagonal panel. Pieces are given its name characters from the myth.

Zonal chess: Board has triangulado wings or “zones” on either side in the main 8�8 board. Queens, bishops, and rooks that start from one associated with the squares inside either zone may possibly change direction and maintain going on the particular same move. A queen, for example , can zig around an obstruction and assault a piece within the opposite zone. The power to change course only applies when a piece’s move starts from a zonal area. It will be possible (using the queen and rook) to get across the board by one zone to a new, but any item entering a sector cannot make work with of the prolonged move.

Variant rules, standard set regarding standard piece forms, standard board

5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel: Participants can move their own pieces through time and between timelines, interacting with the particular board as that existed earlier inside of the game, creating alternate timelines which often pieces can be moved between. The game is received if one or more king from any moment plus timeline is within checkmate.

Absorption chess (also called cannibal chess, power absorption chess, or seizer’s chess): Pieces gain typically the abilities of the pieces they get.

Andernach chess: A new piece setting up a record changes colour.

Movement in higher sizes

Parallel Worlds Mentally stimulating games, a 3D variant

Main article: 3d chess

Numerous versions have been produced where the playing area is in three dimensions or even more. In many cases extra space dimension is manifested by multiple boards being laid following to each additional. Some extra-dimensional alternatives make an attempt to reflect the 3D nature of modern warfare (e. g. Raumschach, designed to reflect aerial and submarine warfare), while others integrate fantasy or research fiction ideas this kind of as parallel sides and time traveling. An example involving the latter is the version introduced by typically the 2020 cd 5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel, which uses a ranging number of boards all being played out in parallel.

Fairy pieces on some sort of standard panel

Many of the parts in these variants are borrowed from chess. The game goal in addition to rules are also very similar to be able to those in chess; yet , these versions include one or more fairy parts which move in a different way from chess portions.

Anti-king chess. The anti-king is shown as an inverted king.

Anti-King mentally stimulating games: Features an anti-king. The anti-king techniques just as as a king. This item is in examine when not bitten. If the player’s anti-king is in check in addition to struggling to move to be able to a square assaulted by the opposition, the player seems to lose (checkmate). The anti-king cannot capture enemy pieces, but can capture friendly items. A king may not attack the opponent’s anti-king. The particular anti-king might not exactly check its own california king. Other rules similar to in standard chess, including check plus checkmate to the regular king. By simply Peter Aronson (2002).

Baroque chess (or Ultima): Pieces in the first row move like queens, and pieces in the second strip move like rooks. They are named after their unusual capturing methods. With regard to example, leaper, immobilizer and coordinator.

Berolina chess: Which utilizes the Berolina pawn instead of the normal pawn, just about all other things getting equal.

Chess with different armies: Two sides use different pieces of fairy items. There are a number of armies of approximately equal strength available including the standard FIDE chess army.

Falcon-Hunter Chess: A falcon moves forward as being a bishop; backward as a rook. The hunter moves forward like a rook; backward as a bishop. Players introduce the fairies because the game progresses. Simply by Karl Schulz (1943).

Grasshopper chess: Typically the pawns can showcase to grasshopper, or grasshoppers are upon the board inside the initial posture.

Pocket Mutation Chess: Player can put a piece quickly into the pocket, optionally mutating that into another (including fairy) piece.

Super X Chess: Players can combine their particular own pieces simply by capturing them. California king or queen cannot combine. A mixed piece has the ability to maneuver as both pieces that got mixed. Same sort of pieces can combine into new pieces. Parts can’t uncombine or even combine again. By Miika Pihkala (2018).[96]

Spartan mentally stimulating games: Black (the Spartans) has an military services headed by 2 kings, which in any other case consists exclusively involving unorthodox pieces, in addition to battles the common FIDE army (the Persians) of bright.

Torpedo chess: Which usually uses the torpedo pawn, which may move two squares forwards anywhere on the board, rather than the normal pawn, other things being matched.

Way of typically the Knight: Invented by simply Ralph Betza, integrating two elements through tabletop role-playing video games. Begins with the standard starting place and pieces, however through capturing and even advancing up the table pieces can make “experience”, and also a sufficiently experienced piece will be upgraded to some a lot more powerful one. Improvements include various fairy pieces, and require player choices of “alignment”.

Empress, amazon . com, or princess pieces

There are numerous of versions designed to use the empress (rook + knight) and princess (bishop + knight) substance pieces. The empress is additionally called marshall or chancellor. Typically the princess is furthermore called cardinal, archbishop, janus, paladin, or perhaps minister. Another mixture piece is the amazon online (queen + knight). To adjust to typically the new pieces, the particular board is typically extended to 10�8 or 10�10 along with additional pawns additional.

Almost Chess: Uses an 8�8 panel, with all the conventional starting position, but queens are replaced by simply chancellors (empresses). By Ralph Betza (1977). A related version is kind of Almost Chess (Ralph Betza, 1994), where one gamer provides a queen in addition to the other offers a chancellor.

ASEAN chess: Pawns start the 3rd ranks. Queens can just move 1 rectangular diagonally and Bishops only 1 square diagonally or one square directly forward.

Atomic chess: Catch on any rectangular results in the “atomic explosion” which kills (i. e. removes from the particular game) all bits in the eight surrounding squares, except for pawns.

Beirut Mentally stimulating games: Players secretly provide one of their very own men with some sort of “bomb”, which is often detonated at any time, getting rid of all bits on surrounding pieces. Win by checkmating the opponent, or perhaps blowing up their full. By Jim Winslow (1992).

Benedict mentally stimulating games: As opposed to capturing simply by displacement, players may possibly convert an adversary piece they harm to their own shade.

Checkers chess: Parts can simply move forwards until they have reached the far ranking.

Checkless chess: Participants are forbidden from giving check besides to checkmate.

Chessplus: Commercial variant. Upward to two regarding any friendly item save the Ruler may occupy the same single square. Either piece might choose to bring the other using it if or when it moves.

Circe chess: Captured pieces are reborn issues starting squares.

Crazyhouse: Captured bits change colour to match the capturing player and can be went back to any unoccupied square on a later turn. Right now there are two different versions of this alternative, known as Cycle chess and Chessgi.

Cubic Chess: Item cubes display the six piece sorts; a player can promote any pawn by simply rotating its dice to complement a grabbed piece type. By Vladim�r Pribylinec (1977).

Dynamo Chess: Recording is replaced by pushing or drawing enemy pieces away the board. Simply by Hans Kl�ver in addition to Peter Kahl (1968). A close variant of Push Chess (by Fred Galvin, 1967).

Einstein mentally stimulating games: Pieces transform directly into more or much less powerful pieces whenever they move.

Defunctness chess: To succeed, a player should capture all regarding any one type of pieces of typically the opponent (for illustration, every one of the knights a great opponent has, or even all their pawns, etc. ).

Gravity chess: After every turn, all pieces other as compared to pawns fall towards the higher ranks of the panel, until they either reach the 8th rank, or one other piece or pawn in the approach.

Guard chess (or Icelandic chess): Allows captures only if a piece is completely unprotected by pleasant pieces. Checkmate takes place when the piece forcing the particular mate is safeguarded and therefore can not be captured.

Haft Schr�dinger Chess: Every piece starts in a quantum trust initially able to be able to be any item until the waveform is collapsed by observation. As in chess, Haft Schr�dinger Chess does not necessarily have hidden information, whereas Schr�dinger’s Chess is regarded like a game of hidden information.

Hierarchical chess: Pieces has to be moved in the particular order: pawn, dark night, bishop, rook, queen, king. A participant who has the corresponding piece but are not able to move it will lose.

Hostage chess: Captured pieces are held in the capturer’s “prison”, and can become released by the opponent and dropped directly into play (like shogi) via a “hostage exchange”. By John Leslie (1997).

Jedi Knight chess: Knights may move three steps diagonally or width wise or both, based on the rules accepted.

Bounce Chess example checkmate

Jump chess: Typically the rook, bishop in addition to queen may move from one outside of any part (friend or foe) to the other side throughout their normal course of movement. Little change for typically the King and Knight. Jump move is usually exactly two verger, and can be utilized to give examine or to capture. Jump moves are notated using ‘^’. Throughout the starting job, 1. R^a3 in addition to 1. B^a3 are really both legal. By former Pentamind[citation needed] safe bet Alain Dekker (2004).

Kamikaze chess (or Hara-Kiri chess): When capturing, the acquiring piece is taken from play also. This means a king are unable to defend itself by simply capturing an attacker. A capture is simply not allowed if this exposes one’s very own king to uncovered check. Idea through B. G. Laws and regulations (1928). The ruler is royal plus removing a verify takes precedence more than capturing. The full must be missing last; moving into check is permitted in the end other bits happen to be captured.

Ruler of the Hill: Throughout addition to checkmate, a legal shift that moves your own king to one from the centre squares (d4, d5, e4, e5) is the winner. This is related to sannin shogi’s rule that enables a new player to win by legally transferring their king to be able to the center.

Knightmare Chess: Played with playing cards that change the activity rules.

Knight exchange chess: Pieces looked after by a friendly knight can maneuver as a knight.

Knightmate starting location

Knightmate (or Companion The Knight): The goal is in order to checkmate the adversary’s knight (initially about e-file). The rulers on b- plus g-files may be grabbed as other pieces. Pawns can advertise to kings yet not to knights. By Bruce Zimov (1972).

Legan mentally stimulating games: Played as when the board would be rotated 45�, initial position plus pawn movements will be adjusted accordingly.

Shedding chess (or Antichess, Giveaway chess, Destruction chess, Killer chess, Take-all chess, Take-me chess, Reverse chess): Capturing moves are really mandatory plus the aim is to shed all one’s portions. There is very little check; the ruler is captured want an ordinary part.

Madrasi chess (or Weird chess): A piece which is bitten from the same sort of item of the particular opposite color will be paralysed.

Monochromatic chess: All pieces must stay on the same color pillow as they at first begin.

No-castling chess: standard rules except that castling is not necessarily allowed, which indicates king safety is usually reduced. Proposed throughout 2019 by Vladimir Kramnik with all the target of reducing takes in and uninteresting game titles, and tested upon Alpha Zero.

Patrol chess: Captures in addition to checks are simply possible if typically the capturing or checking out piece is guarded by a friendly piece.

PlunderChess: The particular capturing piece is allowed to temporarily take those moving capabilities from the piece obtained.

Pocket Knight Chess (or Tombola Chess): Players have a great extra knight they keep at the particular side of the board. Once throughout the game, a person may place typically the knight on any empty square with regard to their move. Have fun then proceeds because normal.

Racing Rulers: first king in order to 8th rank benefits

Portal Chess: Any of a number associated with games that entail pieces or squares for teleportation around the board(s).

Race Kings: Players competition kings to the particular 8th rank. Captures, but no investigations or checkmate.

Refusal chess (or Stop chess, Rejection chess): A played move could be refused simply by the opponent, driving the first gamer to change in order to another move, which in turn must be recognized.

Replacement chess: Captured pieces are not taken off the plank but relocated by simply the captor to any vacant square.

Rifle chess (or Shooting chess, Sniper chess): When taking, the capturing piece remains unmoved about its original sq, instead of living in the square involving the piece captured.

Stalemate-win chess: Regular chess, but stalemate is considered some sort of win.

Three-check chess: Standard rules associated with chess apply, but a player could win by placing their opponent throughout check 3 x. Within The Encyclopedia regarding Chess Variants, Jesse Pritchard notes this being of probable Soviet origin, and that Anatoly Karpov was basically an “invincible” person in his youngsters.

Multimove variants

In these variants one particular or both gamers can move a lot more than once each turn. The table and the pieces in these variants are the same like in standard chess.

Avalanche chess: Every move consists of a regular chess move followed by a shift of one associated with the opponent’s pawns.

Doublemove Chess: Related to Marseillais mentally stimulating games, but with no en passant, check, or checkmate. The objective is to get the king. Simply by Fred Galvin (1957).

Double-Take Chess: Each player, once each game, can produce two moves in the course of one of their spins. Both of these moves are not able to be utilized to place the opponent’s full in checkmate.

Kung-fu chess: A alternative without turns. Virtually any player can maneuver any of their very own pieces at virtually any given moment.

Marseillais chess (or Two-move chess): After the initial turn of the overall game by White as being a single move, each player moves twice per turn.

Monster chess (or Super King): White has the king and four pawns against the entire black army but may make a couple of successive moves each turn.

Multimove Chess (i, j): The class of chess variants where bright gets i moves per turn and black gets m moves per switch. Check is certainly not enforced, and triumph is by capturing the particular enemy king. The particular games are described and analysed realistically within a 2015 diary article. The experts weakly solved the particular game for all those (i, j) pairs other than for (1, 1) (functionally, regular chess) and (2, 2).

Progressive chess (or Scottish chess): Light moves once, and then Black moves 2 times, then White goes three times, and even so on.

Swarm chess: During each turn, each part that a person can move these people must move.

Chance and incomplete info

In contrast in order to classical chess which often is a sport of complete information, these either include elements of opportunity or players carry out not have ideal information as in order to the state of the board.

ChessHeads: Played with playing cards that change the game rules.

Choker: A combination associated with chess and poker, with players bets on cards produced up from bits of a normal chess set

Darker chess: The participant sees only verger of the plank that are attacked by way of a pieces.

Dice chess: The pieces a player is able to be able to move are identified by rolling a couple of dice.

Fantasy Mentally stimulating games: Chess with wargaming added. Players guard squares (which could be co-occupied) using chop. Can be widened to four players; piece capability could improve each video game

Kriegspiel: Neither participant knows where the opponent’s pieces are but can deduce them with data from a referee.

No Stress Mentally stimulating games: Marketed for teaching beginners, the piece(s) a player is able to be able to move are identified by drawing coming from a deck of credit cards, with each cards providing the regulations for how typically the piece may maneuver. Castling and en passant are banned.

Panic Chess: Gamer selects a piece to move, but typically the target square is definitely randomized from just about all possible options. Catches are prioritized above non-capture moves. Full, if no record is possible, prioritizes a square certainly not attacked by the particular opponent. Play stops with capture regarding king.

Penultima: An inductive variant wherever the players must deduce hidden guidelines invented by “Spectators”.

Poisoned Pawn Mentally stimulating games: Each player secretly chooses one among their own non-central pawns to be “poisoned” for the length involving the game. If the player captures their very own opponent’s poisoned pawn with their very own poisoned pawn, that they win the game, but if these people capture it along with any other part, they lose the particular game. Otherwise, common chess rules apply. If a diseased pawn is offered, the piece it becomes behaves as a new standard chess item, with no variant situations. An optional principle exists which says that the poisoned pawn may not capture any kind of piece which is usually not their opponent’s poisoned pawn. This particular variant was launched by Samay Raina.

Schr�dinger’s Chess: Players’ minor pieces are usually concealed so the particular opponent does not really know what they are until revealed. Whenever covered, pieces move in a restricted way (as queens that will can only maneuver two squares).

Synchronous Chess: Players try to outguess the other person, moving simultaneously right after privately recording designed moves and expected results. Incompatible goes, for instance to be able to the same square with no anticipated capture, are replayed. Alternatively, two pieces moving to typically the same square will be both captured, except if one is typically the king, in which case it captures the other. Play ends with record of king.

WeGo Chess: Like synchronous chess, but together with added rules that avoid replay. Gamers move simultaneously following privately recording designed moves. A piece cannot be shifted two turns within a row. Two bits moving on the particular same line, but in opposite path, are both taken when they end right up on the same exact square or frustrated the other person. It follows that two knights in battle would avoid coexisting capture. Play finishes with capture of king.

Viennese Mentally stimulating games: A barrier or perhaps screen between the two halves of the chessboard, 2 players then location their pieces prove half of typically the board. The hurdle is then elevated and the game can now be played as in orthodox chess.

Variant (fairy) bits

Variant rules, parts and plank

Bomberman chess: Inspired by the Bomberman video game series. Played on the 10�8 board along with special bomb in addition to defuser pieces. The bomb can end up being exploded on it is submit vertical in addition to horizontal directions (similar to the movement associated with a rook), destroying any pieces throughout the blast line. The defuser may capture a blast.

Chesquerque: Played in four Alquerque boards combined. Includes extra pawn and archbishop per side. By George Dekle Sr.

Chess on some sort of Really Big Board: Played on a new 16�16 board, along with twelve piece varieties (six being typically the orthodox chess pieces). Has many subvariants, including a much larger 24�24 version and a three-dimensional 16�16�16 version.

Dragonchess: A few 8×12 boards together with some standard mentally stimulating games pieces and several other pieces, a few of which maneuver between the levels. Produced by Gary Gygax.

Duck Chess: In addition to the usual pieces, the particular two players have joint control of a little rubber shift which acts since a blocker (i. e. nothing could move onto or through it), and even which must become moved to a fresh square after every turn. The aim is usually to successfully catch the opponent`s king. A stalemated player wins.[88]

Duell: Dice are usually used instead of parts. Played on the 9�8 board.

Gess: Chess with variable bits, played over a Head out board.

Jetan: The “Martian chess” created by Edgar Grain Burroughs for the novel The Chessmen of Mars (1922), played on a 10�10 board. None of the pieces are orthodox chess pieces.

Metamachy: In a 12�12 plank with 30 parts each, 12 piece types (6 being the orthodox chess pieces) and 13 possible starting preparations. New pieces are the cannon and the elephant (like throughout Shako), the knight in shining armor (a non-royal ruler, can be promoted), typically the camel (long vary leaper), the lion (any 1 or perhaps 2 squares) along with the eagle (inspired by simply Tamerlane chess). Simply by Jean-Louis Cazaux (2012).

Omega chess: On a 10�10 board together with four extra verger, one per corner. Includes the winner and wizard fairy pieces. Both happen to be leapers, with distinct ways of leaping.

Shako: Played over a 10�10 board. Brand new pieces are the particular cannon from xiangqi (Chinese chess) and even an elephant shifting as being a fers+alfil associated with old shatranj (ancestors of queen plus bishop), so diagonally a couple of squares using jumps allowed. By Jean Louis-Cazaux (1997).

Stealth chess: Played inside the fictional Ankh-Morpork Assassins’ Guild coming from the Discworld series of books; played out on an 8�10 board. The fairy piece is the Assassin.

Stratomic: Brings nuclear missiles to be able to the standard chess array on some sort of 10�10 board. Whenever launched they irradiate any 3�3 place (friendly pieces included) except kings. Simply by Robert Montay-Marsais (1972).

Triangular Chess: Panel comprises 96 triangles. The rook in addition to bishop have three directions; the queen, six. Three extra pawns and a great unicorn. By George Dekle Sr.

Tri-Chess: A variation associated with Triangular Chess. Typically the rook and bishop are increased to six directions; the queen, to twelve. By simply George Dekle Sr.

2000 A. M.: Played on a 10�10 board, features the empress, capricorn, gorgon, chimaera, dragon, minotaur, unicorn, and fury fairy chess items. By V. Ur. Parton.

Wildebeest Chess: Uses an 11�10 board, each player has two camels and a wildebeest (camel + knight). Pawns move 1, two, or a few squares initially. By simply R. Wayne Schmittberger (1987).

Wolf Chess: On an 8�10 board, with fairy pieces wolf (empress), fox (princess), nightrider, sergeant (almost some sort of Berolina pawn), plus elephant (amazon). By simply Arno von Wilpert (1943).

Capablanca Mentally stimulating games: A variant by simply the former world chess champion, Jos� Ra�l Capablanca. Performed on a 10�8 board with chancellor (empress) and archbishop (princess).

Capablanca Unique Chess: Generalises most possible variants of Capablanca Chess along with random starting jobs following an approach just like that applied in Chess960. By simply Reinhard Scharnagl (2004).

Embassy Chess: Employs a 10�8 board with Marshall (Empress) and Cardinal (Princess). The starting place is borrowed from Grand Chess. By Kevin Hill (2005).

Gothic chess: Ad advertisement variant played on a 10�8 board using Chancellor (Empress) and even Archbishop (Princess).

Fantastic Chess: Uses a 10�10 board together with marshall (empress) and cardinal (princess). Conceived by Christian Freeling (1984).

Janus Mentally stimulating games: Utilizes a 10�8 plank with two januses (princesses). By Werner Sch�ndorf (1978).

Gemini Chess: Uses a 10�8 board together with two Archbishops. By an idea regarding Dr Zied Haddad in 2016. Typically the difference from Janus Chess could be the preliminary setup where archbishops are sandwiching typically the queen and king remaining in the center of typically the board.

Maharajah plus the Sepoys: Dark has a complete army, and White only one piece: the particular maharajah (a royal amazon).

Modern Mentally stimulating games: Played on a 9�9 board, with an extra pawn and a primary minister (princess). By simply Gabriel Vicente Maura (1968).

Seirawan Chess: Ad advertisement variant. Makes use of a standard 8�8 board with dickhäuter (umgangssprachlich) (empress) and hawk (princess). By GMC Yasser Seirawan and even Bruce Harper (2007).

Musketeer Chess:[106] A commercial version, inspired from Seirawan Chess. This version introduces 10 fairy pieces: archbishop, chancellor, hawk (different guidelines from Seirawan Chess), elephant (different guidelines from Seirawan Chess), leopard, cannon (different from Xiangqi), unicorn, fortress, spider, plus amazon (also called dragon in this particular game). Players have an alternative of 2 items among the twelve possible and method used to introduce all of them during the game.

Various other fairy pieces

The pieces in these kinds of variants are borrowed from both chess and another game. The game objective and rules will be either the similar or very comparable to those inside chess. However, these variants include a number of fairy pieces which usually move differently from chess pieces.

Chessers: Played on some sort of regular chessboard nevertheless with checkers incorporated with standard mentally stimulating games pieces. By Christopher Schwartz and Sander Beckers.

Etchessera: Played out on a typical chessboard but exactly where players build their particular own chess military services from a selection of 17 various pieces.

Homemade cards on a chessboard: A card game letting open play in a board using rectangular sectors, only as in mentally stimulating games or checkers, good results . the application associated with playing cards.

Prince & Princess: The chess variant that uses the criterion of succession, where king or queen are replaced in favor of the prince and also the princess, created by Antonio Maravi Oyague.

Proteus: A mentally stimulating games variant using chop to represent normal chess pieces, created by Steve Jackson Video games.

Single-player variants

Hippodrome. All pieces are usually placed randomly, apart from the knights.

Just like solitaire, there are a few chess variants for a *single player. Unlike chess puzzles, these variants possess a random starting placement. Some of these kinds of are similar to be able to permutation chess troubles, for example the game Queen’s Quadrille, which was invented by Karen Robinson over 10 years ago. Just about all chess pieces (except pawns) are aimlessly placed on the 4�4 board. Then one of the queens is removed and the game is usually started. Pieces proceed as usual, even so capturing is not allowed. A player can move white colored and black bits in any order, without regard for colour. The objective is to proceed the queen alongside a predetermined routine; one example is from one corner to another, or perhaps visit all pieces on the panel only once. Typically the same idea is usually found in the game Hippodrome, which was invented simply by Andy Lewicki inside 2003. The preliminary position is acquired by placing a number of knights on typically the first row plus all other pieces coming from a chess established (except pawns) about the remaining job areas. Then one with the pieces (except knights) is removed plus the game is started out. The goal is to carry all knights for the opposite rank.

Over 10 years ago Robinson also conceived a game which usually Hans Bodlaender known as Chess Contradance, because the setup is usually like a contradance with the two lines facing each and every other. The items are create while in regular chess, but without pawns. The first and eighth ranks usually are safe havens, i. e., no bit can be grabbed on these rates high. The objective involving the puzzle will be to move the particular pieces such that will all pieces move to the reverse back row without having ever putting virtually any piece at risk to getting captured. Grayscale change moves.

Variants regarding more than two people

Bughouse mentally stimulating games, the game in progress

Bosworth: A four-player variant played on 6�6 board. It uses a special greeting card system with typically the pieces for mating.

Bughouse chess (or Exchange chess, Siamese chess, Swap mentally stimulating games, Tandem chess, Move Chess): Two teams of two players face one another in two boards. Allies use opposite colours and give grabbed pieces to their very own partner. The two-player version of the particular game, played with simply one board, is usually Crazyhouse.

Business chess: Played with a couple of teams using standard chess playing regulations but allowing upward to five variants of the adventure. The team may possibly discuss and participate in alternative moves widely.

Djambi: Can be played by four players on the 9�9 board and 4 pieces of special pieces. Pieces can record or move those of an enemy. Captured pieces are not removed from typically the board, but converted inverted. There will be variants for three or five players (Pentachiavel). (1975)

Duchess: Significant for its wide array of player counts; facilitates 2, 3, 4, or 6 players in a free-for-all, along with 2v2, 2v2v2, or 3v3 staff play. The board includes one 4�5 “petal” for each and every player. These are around a core hexagonal board, which itself has two rings of squares close to a central hexagonal “vortex” space. 3 Fairy Chess pieces are used, the particular titular Duchess (princess), the Fortress (empress), as well as the Wizard, in a position of teleporting friendly pieces.

Enochian chess: A four-player version with magical significance, associated with typically the Hermetic Order associated with the Golden Beginning.

Forchess: A four-player variant using typically the standard board and two sets regarding standard pieces.

Citadel chess: A four-player variant played throughout Russia in eighteenth and 19th decades.

Four-player chess (or Four-handed, 4-Player): Will be played simply by four people in addition to uses an exclusive board and 2 sets of in another way coloured pieces.

Side and brain: Groups of two perform against each some other; in each group, one player is usually the “brain” and calls out which usually piece being relocated, while the “hand” player chooses where you can move it.

Quatrochess: A four-player alternative, in addition to the standard mentally stimulating games army, each area controls a chancellor, archbishop, mann, wazir, fers, two camels, and two giraffes. By George Dekle Sr.

Three-Man Chess: Three chessboard halves fused into one particular, first to checkmate wins. By George Dekle Sr.

Three-player chess: A family associated with variants engineered with regard to three players.

Tri-Chess: For three players; 150 triangular cells; chancellor (empress) and even cardinal (princess) replacing queen. By George Dekle Sr.