Chess Variants

Bobby Fischer grew frustrated with what he saw as the death of creativity in classical chess: players memorizing opening theory to move 20+. His solution was Fischer Random Chess, where the back-rank pieces are shuffled randomly (with mirrors) before each game, producing 960 possible starting positions. In 2019, FIDE officially adopted the name 'Chess960' and held the first official World Championship, won by Wesley So.

Rules

The back rank is randomly arranged before each game, with the constraint that bishops must be on opposite-colored squares and the king must be between the rooks (to preserve castling rights). All other rules of standard chess apply. Castling is possible from any starting position, with the king and rook ending up on their traditional squares (g1/c1 for kingside/queenside).

Bughouse (also called Exchange Chess) is a four-player variant played on two boards. Partners sit across from each other, one playing White, one playing Black. When a player captures a piece, they pass it to their partner, who can place it on their board as a move instead of playing a normal move. The result is chaotic, tactical, and wildly popular among young chess players.

Rules

Two boards, four players (two teams of two). Captured pieces go to your partner's 'hand' and can be placed on an empty square as a move. Pawn placements can occur on any rank except the first and last. The game ends when one player is checkmated on either board. Communication between partners is allowed.

Crazyhouse is essentially Bughouse for two players. When you capture a piece, it goes into your 'hand' and can be dropped on an empty square as a move. Unlike Bughouse, there is no partner; you accumulate captured pieces yourself.

Rules

Standard chess rules apply, with the addition that captured pieces change color and join the capturing player's reserve. A player may use their turn to place (drop) a reserve piece on any empty square (except that pawns cannot be placed on the first or eighth rank). Promoted pawns that are captured revert to pawns in the captor's hand.

Chess Boxing alternates rounds of chess and boxing. Competitors play a 4-minute chess round, then a 2-minute boxing round, for up to 11 total rounds. Victory comes by checkmate, knockout, or opponent's timeout in either discipline. The sport has genuine World Championships.

Rules

11 rounds alternating between chess (4 minutes, rapid time control) and boxing (2 minutes). The chess round continues from where it left off. A player can win by checkmate, knockout, exceeding time limit in chess, or referee stoppage in boxing. If the chess game is drawn, the boxing score decides.

In Three-Check Chess, the goal is to check the opponent's king three times. Normal checkmate also wins. This variant rewards aggressive play and sacrifices that lead to checks.

Rules

Standard chess rules apply, with the additional victory condition: the first player to deliver three checks to the opponent wins. Normal checkmate also wins, as does opponent's time expiring. Draws are possible.

In Antichess, the goal is to lose all your pieces. Captures are mandatory. The king has no special status. It sounds simple but requires deep strategic thinking to force your opponent to take your pieces while avoiding taking theirs.

Rules

All captures are mandatory. If a player can capture, they must. The king has no special status and can be captured like any other piece. Castling is not allowed. The first player to lose all their pieces (or have no legal moves) wins. En passant is mandatory when available.

King of the Hill adds an additional win condition: if your king reaches the center of the board (e4, d4, e5, or d5), you win immediately. Normal checkmate also wins. This creates a unique tension between attacking the opponent's king and defending your own central approach.

Rules

Standard chess rules apply, with one additional victory condition: if a player's king moves to one of the four central squares (d4, d5, e4, e5) and is not in check, that player wins immediately. Normal checkmate and stalemate rules still apply.

Shogi is the Japanese form of chess, played on a 9x9 board with 20 pieces per player. Its most distinctive feature is the 'drop' rule: captured pieces change sides and can be returned to the board as the capturing player's piece. This makes Shogi more dynamic than Western chess, with fewer draws.

Rules

Played on a 9x9 board. Each player starts with 20 pieces of 8 types. Pieces can be promoted upon entering the last three ranks. Captured pieces join the captor's hand and can be dropped on empty squares as a move. The goal is to checkmate the opponent's king (the 'King' general).

Xiangqi is Chinese chess, played on a board 9 lines wide by 10 lines long. It features a 'river' dividing the board and a 'palace' restricting certain pieces. It is the most played board game in the world by number of players.

Rules

Played on the intersections of a 9x10 grid. Each player has 16 pieces of 7 types. The General (equivalent to King) is confined to a 3x3 palace. The river restricts Elephants (bishops). Cannons move differently from any Western piece: they capture by jumping over exactly one piece. Chariots (rooks), Horses (knights), and Soldiers (pawns) have analogous moves.