Chess variant
A chess variant is any game derived from or related to chess. In practice, a specific chess variant may be similar to chess or radically different. The broad definition of chess variants is so universal, it may include nearly any abstract battle or war game played upon a board. The definition does suppose that any such game can be considered separately from its tradition and culture.
To experts of chess variants, chess, shogi, xiangqi and other chess-related games of great popularity are merely special cases in a theoretically unlimited universe of possible arrangements involving boards, pieces, rules, and so on. Hundreds of chess variants have been devised. With the recent invention in 1998 of Zillions of Games, a computer program which enables non-experts to quickly design and playtest chess variants using an AI opponent, the total number has been increasing constantly and rapidly. This growth is likely to continue for years.
Handicap variants
- Games played with material disadvantage
- Simultaneous chess
- Blindfold chess
- Pion coiffé
Fantasy variants
Fantasy variants make significant changes to normal chess rules. Other terms for fantasy chess variants include heterodox chess and fairy chess. Some of these variants use pieces not found in orthodox chess, such as Berolina pawns (pawns which move diagonally and capture straight forward); such pieces are collectively called fairy pieces.
- Computer Chess
- Alice Chess: played with two boards. A piece moved on one board passes "through the looking glass" onto the other board.
- Atomic Chess: any capture on a square results in an "atomic explosion" which kills (i.e. removes from the game) all pieces in any of the 8 surrounding squares, except for pawns.
- Avalanche Chess: each player moves an opponent's pawn after their move.
- Baroque Chess: (a.k.a. Ultima) the pieces all move like queens but have various capturing methods.
- Bughouse Chess: (a.k.a. Tandem Chess, Siamese Chess) two teams of two players face each other on two boards.
- Capablanca Chess: played on a 10×8 board with two new pieces: Chancellor (Rook+Knight) and Archbishop (Bishop+Knight).
- Circe Chess: captured pieces are reborn on their starting sqaures.
- Compact Chess: In Compact Chess, you play on a 6×6 board whereby the bishops are moved to replace the king and queen's pawn. All standard chess rules apply, including castling.
- Dark Chess: you see only positions attacked by your pieces.
- Dragon Chess: uses three 8×12 boards atop one another, with new types of chess piece.
- Fischer Random Chess: the placement of the pieces on the 1st and 8th rank is randomized to enhance the adaptability of chess players.
- Gothic Chess: based on Capablanca Chess; popular despite being commercialized and patented.
- Grand Chess: played on a 10×10 board with two additional pawns and two new pieces.
- Grid Chess: the board is overlaid with a grid of lines; for a move to be legal, it must cross at least one of these lines.
- Janus Chess: played on 10×8 board with a new piece, Janus (Bishop+Knight).
- Fischer Random Chess, the placement of the pieces on the 1st and 8th row are randomized, but with the king in the right hand corner. Blacks starting position is obtained by rotating white's position 180 degrees around the boards center.
- Knightmare Chess: played with cards that change the game rules.
- Kriegspiel: each player does not know where the opponent's pieces are but can deduce them with information from a referee.
- Madrasi chess: a piece which is attacked by the same type of piece of the opposite colour is paralysed.
- Martian Chess: played with Icehouse pieces
- Monster Chess: white has the king and three pawns against the entire black army but may make two successive moves per turn.
- Omega Chess: a 10×10 board with an extra square dangling off each of the four corners and two new types of chess piece.
- Patrol chess: captures and checks are only possible if the capturing or checking piece is guarded by a friendly piece.
- Progressive Chess: the first player moves once, the second moves twice, the first moves three times, etc.
- Suicide Chess: (a.k.a. Giveaway Chess, Take Me Chess, Losers Chess, Anti-Chess) capturing moves are mandatory and the object is to lose all pieces.
- Three-dimensional chess: several variants exist, with the most popular being "Tri-D Chess" from the television series Star Trek.
- Three Checks Chess: you win if you check your opponent three times.
Multiplayer variants
These variants arose out of the desire to play chess with more than just one other person.
See also
Fairy chess pieces
References
