Chess Variants

Accentuated Chess

Accentuated 1

1. Queens are now Amazons. They can also move and capture like a knight
2. Rooks are now Capricorns (Butters) that capture by moving to any square adjacent to an opposing unit. They may capture multiple units, Atomic Chess style, but without blowing up themselves.
3. Knights are now knight riders, able to move multiple knight moves away going in knightly straight lines.
4. Bishops now capture Rifle Chess style, from a distance, and not by displacement.
5. Pawns are now sideways pawns. They simply add the power of being able to move sideways one square.
6. Kings have the added ability of fleeing checks by making a knight move. Kings cannot capture as a knight as they flee, but only move like a
knight when in check.

After Hours 2

(aka Vertex Oasis)

1. Armies, array, and objective are all as usual.

2. Player’s have one option besides making a usual move. Instead of moving, a player may give one of his units a break from the action, allowing the unit to remain safe on the board, stationed on one of the four vertices of the cell the unit occupies. From there, the unit cannot capture, nor be captured. This unit does not impede the movements of any units, friend or foe.

3. When a unit chills on a vertex, use a smaller sized counterpart in order to make clear that the unit is temporarily out of action.

4. A unit on a vertex may re-enter the game by returning to one of the four cells that are adjacent the vertex it currently occupies.

5. Only a king may not exit the action by heading for a nearby vertex.

Afterton3

1. Two boards, one with a full set of pieces and pawns. The other only has small kings on e1 and e8.

2. When a unit is lost, its small counterpart is placed on a traditional starting square of board two.

3. Big units capture big units. Small units capture small units.

4. Rabbit Hole rules apply. When a unit moves, a transposition to the other board occurs. When a unit captures, the unit stays. In the case of captures, there is no transposition to the other board.

5. Checkmate either king to win.

Alice-esque 4

1. Three boards—two empty, one with full set of pieces.
2. After a legal move on any of the three boards, the player does an Alice transposition of the unit that just moved and then another Alice transposition of a unit that hadn’t moved. (An Alice transposition is a move to a corresponding vacant square on another board.) If a unit lands on f5 on the board it moved from, the unit must go to f5 on another board.
3. To recap, after each move, there are two transports. The first is by the unit that just moved. The second is by a unit that didn’t move.
These transports are made to either of the opposite boards.
4. The first move made on each turn must be legal for that board.
5. The objective is still checkmate of the king.

Big Fish5

1. Normal set up and objective.

2. Queens must capture rooks if such a capture is possible. Rooks must capture minor pieces if such a capture is possible. Minor pieces must capture pawns if such a capture is possible.

3. If several such captures are possible, the player whose turn it is chooses which compulsory capture to make. As usual, getting out of check takes priority. If a compulsory capture gets one out of check, such a capture must be played.

4. If there are no checks or compulsory captures available, then the player is free to make his usual move.

5. Neither kings nor pawns are obliged to capture anything.

Bojangle’s 6

  1. Regular armies, array, and objective.
  2. When attacked, a unit may move as the attacker moves into the cell or square with the attacker. They are now cellmates.
  3. Either color may capture the paired units. In this case, the captor replaces both units previously occupying the square.
  4. A unit that enters should be turned into a small unit, as in “Infect Chess”. This smaller virus unit cannot capture from there.
  5. The host controls the movement of the paired units.
  6. The host cannot shake loose the virus unit.
  7. A virus may exit the host and inflate to normal size and status.
  8. No square may have three or more units sharing its space.
  9. Kings cannot shrink into a virus unit and thus evade capture forever.

Chapter Chess7

This variant involves 2 stages or chapters.

--When a normal-sized piece is captured, the player who lost the piece gets a small plastic corresponding piece on his drop pad. (There are 7 small plastic pieces: 1 queen, 2 rooks,2 bishops, and 2 knights.) These pieces can be dropped into play on any vacant square that does not immediately check or checkmate. A drop counts as a player's turn.

This is chapter two. Bigs may capture bigs, and smalls may capture smalls, but the king can capture and be captured by either bigs or smalls.

Chess 36 8

Chess 36 piece placement for files B to G is given below. Files A and H are always occupied by rooks. Notice the bolded bishops are in patterns of three. In #1 to #18 the kings are on the file E. In #19 to #36 the kings are on the file D. The knights and queen also follow a pattern. It is 1. N-N-Q 2. N-Q-N 3. Q-N-N. The dice also follow a pattern, gradually going from two to twelve in total dice roll as they move from #1 to #36.

#1 White die 1 Red die 1    B—B—N—K—N—Q                               #4 White die 1 Red die 3  N—B—B—K—N—Q

#2 White die 1 Red die 2    B—B—N—K—Q—N                               #5 White die 3 Red die 1  N—B—B—K—Q—N

#3 White die 2 Red die 1    B—B—Q—K—N—N                               #6 White die 2 Red die 2  Q—B—B—K—N—N

#7 White die 1 Red die 4    N—B—N—K—B—Q                               #10White die 3 Red die 2  B—N—N—K—Q—B

#8 White die 4 Red die 1    N—B—Q—K—B—N                               #11White die 1 Red die 5  B—N—Q—K—N—B

#9 White die 2 Red die 3    Q—B—N—K—B—N                               #12White die 5 Red die 1  B—Q—N—K—N—B

#13White die2 Red die 4    N—N—B—K—Q—B                              #16White die 1 Red die 6  N—N—Q—K—B—B

#14White die4 Red die 2    N—Q—B—K—N—B                              #17White die 6 Red die 1  N—Q—N—K—B—B

#15White die3 Red die 3    Q—N—B—K—N—B                              #18White die 2 Red die 5  Q—N—N—K—B—B

 #19White die5 Red die 2  B—B—K—N—N—Q                               #22White die 2 Red die 6   B—N—K—B—N—Q

#20White die3 Red die 4  B—B—K—N—Q—N                                #23White die 6 Red die 2   B—N—K—B—Q--N

#21White die4 Red die 3  B—B—K—Q—N—N                                #24White die 3 Red die 5   B—Q—K—B—N—N

#25White die5 Red die 3  B—N—K—N—Q—B                                #28White die 6 Red die 3    N—B—K—N—B—Q

#26White die4 Red die 4  B—N—K—Q—N—B                                #29White die 4 Red die 5    N—B—K—Q—B—N

#27White die3 Red die 6  B—Q—K—N—N--B                                #30White die 5 Red die 4    Q—B—K—N—B—N

#31White die4 Red die 6  N—N—K—B—B—Q                               #34White die 5 Red die 6     N—N—K—Q—B—B

#32White die6 Red die 4  N—Q—K—B—B—N                               #35White die 6 Red die 5     N—Q—K—N—B—B

#33white die5 Red die 5   Q—N—K—B—B—N                              #36White die 6 Red die 6     Q—N—K—N—B—B

Chess 36 piece placement for files B to G is given below. Files A and H are always occupied by rooks. Notice the bolded bishops are in patterns of three. In #1 to #18 the kings are on the file E. In #19 to #36 the kings are on the file D. The knights and queen also follow a pattern. It is 1. N-N-Q 2. N-Q-N 3. Q-N-N. The dice also follow a pattern, gradually going from two to twelve in total dice roll as they move from #1 to #36.

#1 White die 1 Red die 1    B—B—N—K—N—Q

#2 White die 1 Red die 2    B—B—N—K—Q—N

#4 White die 1 Red die 3  N—B—B—K—N—Q

#3 White die 2 Red die 1    B—B—Q—K—N—N

#5 White die 3 Red die 1  N—B—B—K—Q—N

#6 White die 2 Red die 2  Q—B—B—K—N—N

#7 White die 1 Red die 4    N—B—N—K—B—Q

#8 White die 4 Red die 1    N—B—Q—K—B—N

#9 White die 2 Red die 3    Q—B—N—K—B—N

#10White die 3 Red die 2  B—N—N—K—Q—B

#11White die 1 Red die 5  B—N—Q—K—N—B

#12White die 5 Red die 1  B—Q—N—K—N—B

#13White die2 Red die 4    N—N—B—K—Q—B

#14White die4 Red die 2    N—Q—B—K—N—B

 #15White die3 Red die 3    Q—N—B—K—N—B

 #16White die 1 Red die 6  N—N—Q—K—B—B

 #17White die 6 Red die 1  N—Q—N—K—B—B

 #18White die 2 Red die 5  Q—N—N—K—B—B

 #19White die5 Red die 2  B—B—K—N—N—Q

 #20White die3 Red die 4  B—B—K—N—Q—N

 #21White die4 Red die 3  B—B—K—Q—N—N

 #22White die 2 Red die 6   B—N—K—B—N—Q

 #23White die 6 Red die 2   B—N—K—B—Q--N

 #24White die 3 Red die 5   B—Q—K—B—N—N

 #25White die5 Red die 3  B—N—K—N—Q—B     

#26White die4 Red die 4  B—N—K—Q—N—B 

#27White die3 Red die 6  B—Q—K—N—N--B 

#28White die 6 Red die 3    N—B—K—N—B—Q

#29White die 4 Red die 5    N—B—K—Q—B—N

#30White die 5 Red die 4    Q—B—K—N—B—N

#31White die4 Red die 6  N—N—K—B—B—Q

#32White die6 Red die 4  N—Q—K—B—B—N

#33white die5 Red die 5   Q—N—K—B—B—N

 #34White die 5 Red die 6     N—N—K—Q—B—B

#35White die 6 Red die 5     N—Q—K—N—B—B

#36White die 6 Red die 6     Q—N—K—N—B—B

Chess 36 Diagram p.112272024-1
Chess 36 Diagram p.212272024-1
Chess 36 Diagram p.312272024-1
Chess 36 Diagram p.412272024-1

Chesstego 9

1. Play on a 10 by 10 board.

2. On al through j1 go ten red Stratego pieces. On a10 through j10 go ten blue Stratego pieces. On a2 through j2 go ten white chess units. On a9 through j9 go ten black chess units. On a3 through j3 go ten red Stratego units. On a8 through j8 go ten blue Stratego pieces.

3. From left to right for white, the ten chess units go: pawn-rook-knight- bishop-queen-king-bishop-knight rook-pawn. From right to left for black, the ten chess units go the same as white: pawn-rook-knight-bishop queen-king- bishop-knight-rook-pawn.

4. The twenty Stratego pieces for each side are arranged secretly and with their identities hidden from their opponents, just as in Stratego. The pool of Stratego pieces for each side are as follows: one flag, one 1, one 2, one spy, two 3's, two 4's, three 5's, three 7's, and six 9's. Normal Stratego rules apply. Stratego pieces move orthogonally one square, except the 9, which can move like a rook. Capture the flag to win. The spy can only defeat a 1 if it strikes the 1 first. The spy loses to everything else. One exception is that the flag can move like a chess king, but its identity and thus its position is made known from the start by lying reclined and apparent. And for other Stratego pieces, after an initial confrontation, its identity and thus position becomes apparent for the opponent to see, as with the flag.

5. Stratego can promote to previously lost chess pieces by reaching the back rank. Likewise, a piece reaching the back rank can promote into any previously lost Stratego piece!

6. Checkmate also wins. It's actually two games in one. Play them both out. If a player wins the Stratego game, but loses the chess game, it is a draw, since each side has won one of the games!

7. Chess units and Stratego pieces cannot capture each other.

8. A pawn can promote to any previously lost chess piece or Stratego piece.

Command and Capture 10

(aka Chain Chess/Ding Chess/ Commanding Chess)

1. Units are free to move as usual. However, to capture, a unit must be in the 'chain-of-command' of either the king or his 'delegate'.

2. The delegate is a small knight, bishop, rook, or queen that comes on to a players first rank immediately after its counterpart has been captured by the opponent. The player who lost his piece gets to choose which square it starts at.

3. Delegates cannot capture anything, but they can be captured by the opponent. A player may only have one delegate at a time. If a delegate is captured, a new delegate may emerge after some further capture by the opponent.

4. From the starting position, who could, theoretically speaking, make a capture? Who is in the king's command? Well, the king, to begin with, may always tell himself to capture. Secondly any unit within the king's sphere of movement and protection could capture. This would include the pawns at e2, d2, and f2, the bishop at f1, and the queen at d1. However, by extension, it would include whichever unit is within range of those units directly in range of the king. So the pawn at g2 via the bishop at f1, the pawn at c2 via the queen, the bishop at c1 via the queen, and the pawn at b2 via the bishop at c1! It helps to audibly say "Ding" for each link in the chain so that everybody may see that the capture is a legal move.

5. Otherwise, it is regular chess.

Commando11

  • Units can only move if they are in the king’s chain of command. Otherwise, units can’t receive ‘orders’ from the king. So on the first move, the king can directly command the d2, e2, and f2 pawns, the queen, and the king’s bishop on f1 because they are all a king’s move away from the king. The king’s bishop, by extension, can pass on the king’s command to the g2 pawn. Therefore, the g2 pawn can also move. Also, the queen is a queen’s move from the c2 pawn. So, thec2 pawn can move also. The queen touches the c1 bishop, so the c1 bishop can also move. The rook pawns and the rooks are not connected to the king’s chain of command, so they are temporarily immobile.
  • Pawns pass on the king’s chain of command diagonally forward one square, which is its capturing move.
  • Otherwise, it’s regular chess.

Darts12

1. Each side gets a total of nine darts. Three are green. Three are yellow. Three are red. (Use Focus pieces for darts.) Darts may be recycled when opposing units are captured.

2. Before a unit may be captured by displacement, (the traditional method of capture), a green, a yellow, and a red darts must have already been shot into it.

3. Darts are shot into opposing units in ‘Shoot Chess’ style, from a distance within range of a unit’s capturing powers.

4. The first darts is a green darts, and it does not impair the unit’s moving or capturing power. The second darts is the yellow darts, and it impairs knights, bishops, rooks, kings, and queens from moving backwards. Pawns with a yellow darts become regular pawns. (Pawns start out as ‘Sideways Pawns’. They can also move one square laterally.) The third darts is a red darts. It completely immobilizes the unit. Immobilized units cannot darts opponents either.

5. The first player to capture at least one knight, one bishop, one rook, one royal (king or queen), and four pawns is the winner. An alternative objective is to simply capture or checkmate the king.

6. Castling is as usual. En passant applies. The pawn may be darted on its way forward.

Diced 13

  1. After each move, roll a die. Move orthogonally any of one’s units, the number of squares shown on the die. This is strictly a move and not a capture. This movement is optional. A player may forego the extra move anytime unless it is the only way to evade the checkmate.
  2. Pawn promotions are nerfed and file-based. Pawns reaching the end of the a or h files promote to rooks. Those reaching the b or g files promote to knights, and so on.

Discord14

1. Piece protected pieces cannot capture.

2. Twice piece protected pieces cannot move.

3. Thrice piece protected pieces regain capturing mobility, capturing power, and become immune from capture.

East West 15

This is a kind of Marseillais or Double Move chess. One movement is by a unit on the queenside, files A – D. The other move is made by a unit on the kingside, files E – H. If no units are on the queenside, then the queenside move is forfeited. Likewise, if no units are on the kingside, then the kingside move is forfeited.

If a unit moves from east to west or west to east on the first move, then the unit that just moved can move again because it is now on the opposite side of the board. Check on the first move does not negate a king capture on the second move, so be on one’s toes!

Elevated16

1. Bishops and knights that capture any opposing units demote to a pawn.

2. Rooks that capture any opposing units demote to a bishop or knight. It’s the player who captured and is getting their rook demoted who gets to choose whether his or her rook becomes a bishop or a knight.

3. Queens that capture any opposing units demote to a rook.

4. Each side gets 9 Focus pieces—3 white, 3 gray, 3 black. These are placed in three stacks that from the top down go: white-gray-black.

These allow the elevator to go up…promoting one’s units to higher heights.

5. A player may play from any of his or her three stacks, but may only play one of the Focus pieces that sit atop the stack. (This same concept is found in the game Gobblet, if you are familiar with it.)

6. White = pawn promotes to a knight or a bishop

Gray = a knight or a bishop promotes to a rook

Black = a rook promotes to a queen

7. Playing one of nine Promotion Chips (Focus pieces) counts as that player’s turn. When one has played all nine, there are no more promotions of this type. Pawn promotions still exist.

8. A minor piece capturing on the back rank demotes to pawn, but then immediately promotes to whatever!

9. Checkmate is still the objective.

Far Flung17

The two friendly units furthest away from each other, and different in unit type, may move, but not capture, to any square its antipode may move to. If another pair of units is equally far apart, the player may choose those as well.

Calculate how far units are apart based on the sum of orthogonal squares away. For example, from the traditional starting position, the a1 rook and the h2 pawn are antipodal. The h1 rook and the a2 pawn are equally antipodal. So, on the first move, the a1 rook may move to either h3 or h4. Likewise, the h1 rook may move, on its first move, to a3 or a4.

Focus Chess18

1. The armies, array, and objective are all as usual. In addition black and white Focus pieces occupy the vacant squares on the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth ranks such that the chess board is fully occupied.
2. The Focus pieces are placed in alternating pairs as is customary in Sid Sackson’s excellent game Focus. (Familiarity with Focus, strategic game of the year in 1980, is a prerequisite to playing Focus Chess.
3. A game of Focus and a game of chess occur on the one board simultaneously. There is no overlap of interaction between the Focus pieces and the chess pieces. They cannot capture each other or share squares. Sliding pieces cannot slide over focus pieces.
4. On each turn, move either a chess piece or a Focus piece.
5. Win by checkmating the opposing king.
6. The Focus game is prelude to the real contest, which is that of chess. Doing well in the Focus part of the game will assist one’s chess game even though it is merely Act 1 of a Two Act drama.

Foeasis19

1. As an optional alternative to capturing, a player may jump into opponent's cell and share the square with one's foe.

2. Units move independently, and do not travel together. Thus opponent may be 'left behind' and vulnerable again to capture. Why do I say 'again'?

3. While in a shared cell, paired units are immune from capture.

4. The rest is the same as orthodox chess.

5. Use of small chess pieces/units is recommended.

Gnats and Camels20

1. Rooks, bishops and queens “strain out the gnat”. Here this means they can move as usual, but cannot capture any unit that is only one square away. They may only capture a unit standing two or more squares away.

2. White, and then black declares two of their pawns ‘camel pawns’. Camel pawns move like camels, 3-1 or 1-3, but capture like regular pawns do. If captured, the captor immediately places a camel on any vacant square. Camels move and capture 3-1 or 1-3. Use small plastic pawns for camel pawns and use small plastic knights for camels.

4. Kings not in check must ‘swallow’ (capture) camel pawns and camels if they are able to do so, even if doing so draws them into check(mate).

5. If a king can capture multiple camels or camel pawns, then the king can choose which one to capture.

Hi(gh)-Bre(a)d21

1. Pawns on ‘A’ or ‘H’ files move like rooks, but not backwards. Pawns on the ‘B’ or ‘G’ files move like knights, but not backwards. Pawns on the ‘C’ or ‘F’ files move like bishops, but not backwards. Pawns on the ‘D’ file move like queens, but not backwards. Pawns on the ‘E’ file move like kings, but not backwards.
2. Pawns capture, however, like regular pawns
3. Pieces move _like their alter egos. Therefore, bishops move like knights or rooks. Rooks move like like knights or bishops. Knights move  like queens. Queens niove like knights. Kings move like kings or like knights.
4. Pieces capture like their normal selves.
5. There are no en passant captures allowed.
6. Pawns promote to the usual pieces but only to ones previously captured and off the board at the time of promotion.
7. Instead of the fixedly defined movement  of the pawns based on traditional
starting position of pieces, players can choose in version B of Hi(gh)-Bre(a)d
Chess to allow pawns a fluidly defined movement  based on the current position of
friendly pieces. If one’s knight is on the D file then a pawn on the D file can move
like a knight. If two or more pieces share a file with a pawn then the pawn may
move like any of those pieces as well. If a pawn is on a file without a friendly
piece, then the pawn may only move like a traditional pawn. A sub sub variant
would be to disallow a pawn to move at all if no friendly piece shares the file.
In version C of Hi(gh)-Bre(a)d Chess players may move  their pawns like pieces
that currently share a file with them, friend and foe alike.

Infectious22

1. Regular army, array, and objective.

2. A set of small plastic pieces start off the board. These 8 viruses (2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, 1 queen, and one king) enter the game via a sneeze. This counts as a turn. A sneeze is like a capture in Shoot Chess or Rifle Chess, where the unit capturing remains on the square it occupies and captures from a distance. But in Infectious Chess, instead of removing the opposing unit, a virus enters the opposing unit and the opposing unit thus becomes the virus’s host.

3. Any unit, including pawns, may Infectious an opposing unit with a sneeze.

4. A player may choose to have his virus exit the opponent’s unit hosting the virus, but then the virus is vulnerable to being captured and cannot re-Infectious another unit.

5. From inside a host, the virus cannot capture anything. When a virus exits a host, it may capture the king or opposing viruses that have exited their hosts. Viruses can also capture regular units, but doing so means the virus dies with the captured unit. Thus, a virus can capture multiple exited viruses, but only one large unit. Note: viruses do not capture as they exit. The virus must first exit a host and then it may capture.

6. If a unit hosting a virus is captured, both the unit and the virus exit the playing field.

7. Viruses move with a host that moves, sharing the same cell/square. A host cannot shake loose a virus. A host-virus pair moves and captures as the host moves and captures.

8. Viruses outside a body can be captured by regular units with or without a virus, or by other viruses outside a body. Basically, they are vulnerable to capture by any opposing unit.

9. Viruses have latent potential, coming into their own after material has been reduced. The timing and choosing of when to Infectious which unit with which virus, and when to have a virus exit a host, is all a part of the strategy of Infectious Chess. May the fun of Infectious Chess be infectious!

Jockey Pawn23

Pawns can move like knights, including backwards, until they go beyond the 5th rank, i.e. the 6th or 7th rank. When a pawn, moving as a knight, lands on the 6th or 7th rank, it becomes a pawn in all regards, i.e. it also moves now as a regular pawn, at least until it reaches the 8th rank and promotes, if it manages to do so.

This variant is inspired by The Last Night of the Jockey, a Twilight Zone episode from season five. When Grady (Mickey Rooney) was short of stature, i.e. not reaching the length or height of the 6th or 7th ranks, he could still ride the board like a jockey. But as soon as his great wish of advancing in stature or up the board, as it were, is granted, he can no longer ride his horse, and must walk to the finish line like a common pawn.

Note: jockey pawns, as they might be termed, move as a knight until reaching the 6th or 7th ranks, but always retain their normal pawn capture powers, diagonal forward one square, whatever rank they be on. Additional note: jockey pawns may also access their first rank.

A possible sub-variant would be to disallow any retreating movements by a jockey pawn.

Note: This Twilight Zone inspired chess variant is one of many to come to chessalt.com. One hundred twenty others are in draft form and in need of testing and perhaps winnowing. I hope to include a full set of Twilight Zone Chess Variants on chessalt.com or perhaps on a Twilight Zone Chess website a little while down the road.

Juiced24

1. Each unit, except the king, may move like any unit of his army, except the king, still in play. In other words, the king is completely out of the loop both in terms of augmenting maneuverability to friendly units, and also in terms of having his maneuverability augmented by his friendly subjects. It seems that kings should be exceptional, even if it is via de-electrifying. (This means that initially every unit, except the king, can move like a knight, a bishop, or a rook.)
2. All units, however, still capture like their ordinary selves.
3. Pawns cannot promote, but don’t forget how expanded their mobility is!
4.1f one’s knights are lost, then all knight moves are abolished for all units. If
both rooks and the queen are lost, then all rook moves are abolished for all
units. If both bishops and the queen are lost, then all bishop moves are abolished for all units.
5. Don’t forget that pawns augment maneuverability to friends as well.
6. The rest is chess as usual. It’s quite a dynamic game.

Looking Glass25

1. The armies, array, and objective are all as usual.

2. Pawns are now pig pawns. When a pig pawn reaches the fifth rank, it can then slide one, two, or three squares in a single move.

3. A player's first pawn promotion must be to a knight or a bishop. A player's second pawn promotion must be to a rook. A player's third pawn promotion must be to a queen. This pattern repeats for a player's fourth, fifth, and sixth pawn promotions.

4. Rooks are now rabbit rooks. A rabbit rook is frozen, seized with fear, if his own queen "sees" it. A rabbit rook has the added power of being able to hop any intervening units. A rabbit rook that hops over units can occupy any vacant square beyond in its orthogonal line. A hopping rabbit rook cannot capture, only a sliding one may do so.

5. Bishops are now Bill bishops. If a friendly knight "sees" a Bill bishop, the Bill bishop has the added moving and capturing power of a knight. Thus, friendly knights relay their powers to Bill bishops.

6. Queens are now quicken queens. Like the knight with bishops, the queen relays or quickens certain friendly units. Quicken queens give to both friendly kings and friendly knights the move, but not the capture of a queen, if friendly knights or kings fall under her gaze.

Or26

1. Armies, array, and objective are all as usual.

2. At each move, an additional choice, a fork in the road, an 'or' to answer, an oar to paddle, awaits.

3. On each turn a player may simply choose to play a regular move, or to roll a trio of dice and get to play two moves, two moves, however, which are qualified.

4. One die is white, another is black, and the third is red. The white die indicates the move, but not the capture, by a white unit. The black die indicates the move, but not the capture, by a black unit. The red die indicates the capture, but not a mere move, by or of a unit of an opponent's unit.

5. A player chooses two of the three dice to play.

6. Each number on the six-sided die indicates a unit type.
One = pawn. Two = knight. Three = bishop. Four rook. Five = queen. Six = king. What you roll determines which unit type may move, or capture, or be captured.

7. If unable to play the move indicated, said move is forfeited. If there is only one way to play the rolled move, then it must be played, provided it is a legal move.

Pawnderable27

1. Each side gets 4 traditional pawns and 4 Berolina pawns. Use small pawns for the Berolina pawns.

2. White places his 8 pawns on the 2nd or 3rd rank and then black places his 8 pawns on his 2nd or 3rd rank. However, no doubled pawns are allowed at the outset. (Pawns starting on the second rank retain their ability to move forward two squares on the first move. Pawns starting on the third rank can only move forward one square on their first move.)

3. Each side gets 2 green and 2 red Focus pieces. These go inside four of the squares occupied by pawns. The green Focus piece indicates the pawn has the added power of moving sideways one square. The red Focus piece indicates the pawn has the added power of capturing sideways one square.

4. After each side has placed his pawns, Black places his four Focus pieces, and then White places his four Focus pieces. Only one Focus piece per square is allowed.

5. Otherwise, it’s regular chess. Hopefully this will be a subtle but palatable change for all inclined to give Pawnderable Chess a try.

Peace Pawns28

1. The usual armies, array, and objective. (u.a.a.a.o.)

2. The pieces are all standard, but the pawns are now Peace Pawns. Peace Pawns cannot capture anything. What they lack in bite, they make up for in mobility. (There is a fairly strong similarity to Piece Pawns, another Chessalt.com variant.)

Peace Pawns move like kings, one square in any direction, including backwards. In addition, a Peace Pawn can move in the same manner as any foe that is attacking it.

3. Peace Pawns may promote to queen, rook, bishop, or knight, as in orthodox chess. However, because of their increased mobility, pawn promotion is 'nerfed' or weakened a little. Peace Pawns may only promote to a piece that is currently off the board. In other words, it's not ever possible for an army to have more than one queen, or two rooks, or two bishops, or two knights, on the board and in play at any one time.

4. Since there is no double pawn move from its initial rank, there is also no en passant.

Pep29

  1. Armies, array, and objective are all as usual.
  2. Each unit has enhanced moving powers.
  3. Pawns can also move sideways one square.
  4. Knights can also move like a knight-rider.
  5. Bishops can also move to any vacant square along its diagonal, jumping over any number of units, friend or foe.
  6. Rooks can also move to any vacant square along its orthogonal, jumping over any number of units, friend or foe.
  7. Queens can do like the bishops and rooks as described above in 5. and 6.
  8. Kings can also move two squares in any direction. This move of two squares is a hop, or a slide, but never a capture.

Perimeters30

  1. Played on a 10 by 10 board.
  2. Normal armies on the interior 8 by 8. (Use small pieces since the squares are smaller.)
  3. Perimeters squares are ‘safe’ squares. Units may enter for a ‘fight respite’ and later maneuver back into battle.
  4. Pawns promote on the next to last rank, not the last rank/Perimeters.
  5. Kings must stay in the 8 by 8 center. This excludes for the king the first and tenth ranks and also the ‘a’ and ‘j’ files.
  6. Pieces on the Perimeters move like a rook and can continue around corners if unimpeded by any opposing unit. They may move in either direction and go past units of their own army. In addition, they can re-enter the board and move like the piece they are in this same motion/turn.
  7. Pieces may not capture upon re-entry, but they may give a check as they re-enter.

Piece Pawns31

1. Instead of pawns, each side gets another set of pieces on his second rank where the pawns usually go. These pieces are the small plastic ones to distinguish them from regular pieces. The array of piece pawns parallels the piece array. Thus, rook piece pawns replace rook pawns, knight piece pawns replace knight pawns, etc.

2. The piece pawns move like their namesakes, but can only capture the king. (They cannot capture regular sized units nor capture each other.) Regular units can capture them, however, including of course, the king. What Piece Pawns gain in increased mobility is offset by much reduced capturing power.

3. Piece pawns are still pawns. This means that piece pawns promote just as regular pawns promote. Piece pawns, however, only promote to their namesakes. A bishop piece pawn promotes to a bishop. A queen piece pawn promotes to a queen. A king piece pawn promotes to a king.

4. King piece pawns are not royal. Losing them does not mean the end of the game. In the fairly uncommon instance that a king piece pawn promotes to a king, both kings must be lost in order to lose the game. Thus, a player is not really in check unless the player has only one king left.

5. I consider Piece Pawns Chess to be among the most reliably interesting and best tested of the chess variants on chessalt.com. I don’t think you will be disappointed by the simple but engaging difference, replacing traditional pawns for piece pawns makes.

Piece Plus32

1. The armies, array, and objective are all as usual.

2. Pawns move and capture as usual.

3. Pawns promote as usual.

4. Pieces move and capture as usual too. In addition, however, pieces have extra moving and capturing powers based on the files that they occupy. Kings, however, have only extra moving powers, again based on the files that they occupy.

5. Knights, and bishops on the A and H files also move and capture like a rook. Rooks, bishops, and queens on the B and G files also move and capture like a knight. Rooks and knights on the C and F files also move and capture like a bishop. Rooks, knights, and bishops on the D file also move and capture like a queen. Rooks, knights, and bishops on the E file also move and capture like a king.

6. Kings gain the same moving powers as described above, but not the added capturing powers. Kings still capture simply like ordinary kings.

Proponies33

1. Pawns are now propony pawns (proponies for short). A propony can move, but not capture forward as a knight does. Proponies can still move forward as a regular pawn as well. Proponies capture like regular pawns do. Proponies cannot go backward. Proponies
promote to a small knight, small bishop, or small rook. Small knights, small bishops, and small rooks move and capture like their namesakes, but cannot promote to a queen unlike regular sized knights, bishops, and rooks.
(See rule 2.)

2. Regular sized knights, bishops, and rooks promote to a queen upon reaching the back rank.
3. Queens and kings do not promote.
4. The rest is like orthodox chess

Purchases34

  1. Pieces are placed in the usual array's first and eighth ranks. There are no pawns on the board initially because pawns must be purchased beforehand. Instead, a set of gray or other color Focus pieces go on each vacant square in ranks two to seven, covering all the squares not occupied by pieces in ranks one and eight.
  2. Focus pieces are picked up by pieces occupying those squares.
    When 3 Focus pieces are obtained, the Focus pieces are traded for a pawn of one’s color and either placed on a vacant square immediately or placed in the ‘pawn pool’. On a separate turn, a pawn in the ‘pawn pool’ may be placed on any vacant square within the player’s second through sixth ranks.
  3. Sliding pieces, i.e., rooks, bishops, and queens, may not slide over Focus pieces.
  4. The rest is regular chess.

Quadrunners35

  1. The board consists of 64 squares or 4 quadrants each a 4 by 4 of 16 squares. The four corner squares of Quadrant 1 are a1, a4, d4, and d1.
    The four corner squares of Quadrant 2 are a5, a8, d8, and d5. The four corner squares of Quadrant 3 are e5, e8, h8, and h5. The four corner squares of Quadrant 4 are e1, e4, h4, and h1.
  2. This sets up the idea or corresponding squares. Each square is a part of a set of 4 squares that correspond. For example, the squares a1, a5, e5, and e1 all correspond. They are all dark squares.For another example, the squares c2, c6, g6, and g2 correspond. These are all light squares.
    An easier way to think about it is that the four corresponding squares form a 5 by 5 square. Each unit may travel orthogonally or diagonally, exactly 4 squares. They may only move, but not capture, these four squares. There will always be exactly 3 squares that a unit may potentially reach in such a manner.
  3. A player on each turn may make a regular move or else make a corresponding transposition.
  4. In the endgame, pawns can promote more easily. To nerf this power, pawns may only promote the piece that corresponds to the file they’ve reached. Pawns reaching the back rank of the A Or H files promote to rooks. Pawns reaching the back rank of the B or G files promote knights, and so on. (Use small pieces to show promoted pieces.)
  5. A pawn reaching the back rank of the E file promotes to a non-royal king, aka a man.
  6. Otherwise, it’s regular chess.

Rabbit Hole36

1. Board one and two have the usual array of units. Board three stands empty initially

2. Win by checkmating either king.

4. After a move by any unit, an Alice transposition occurs. An Alice transposition is when a unit that just moved goes to a corresponding square on either of the other two boards. If both corresponding squares are occupied, then such a move is illegal.

5. After a capture by any unit, the unit stays put on the square it moved to. There are no Alice transpositions after captures.

6. As with regular Alice Chess, the move made on the initial board must be legal.

7. Perhaps more digestible for many, at least initially, would be Rabbit Hole Light. The rules are the same as above, but instead of three boards and two sets, have one set and two boards.

8. Instead of two green boards or three green boards, have two green and one orange, or one green and one orange, or even one green, one orange, and one purple. Green could equal orthodox rules, while orange or purple could other variants, other worlds. For example, orange or purple could equal The Queen's Relations or Accentuated.

Rank and File37

1. The armies, array, and objective are all as usual.

2. Capturing powers of pawns and pieces are also orthodox.

3. The main difference is that all units have augmented moving powers based on the position of friendly units. Besides a unit's usual moving power, a unit may move like any friendly unit that shares the same rank or file.

4. Pawn promotion is nerfed by only allowing pawns to promote to pieces currently out of play.

5. Pawns returning to the second rank regain their initial move of two squares forward.

6. En passant still applies.

7. Pawns on the first rank have a default move of one square forward.

refractions38

1. Regular armies, array, and objective.
2. In addition to a unit’s usual moving and capturing powers, all units have the ability to move, but not capture, like any opposing unit currently attacking it.
3. Two ‘nerfs’ to pawn promotion. Pawns cannot slide from two or more squares away directly to the eight rank. They may go as far as the seventh rank. (A pawn may promote directly moving as a knight.) Secondly, pawns may only promote to a piece currently off the board. Therefore, a player may never have more than one queen, or more than two rooks, or more than two bishops, or more than two knights, at any one time.

Ricochet39

1. Armies, array, and objective are all as usual.

2. In addition, a marker is added to the mix. Black places marker on vacant square of his choice to start.

3. The marker blocks sliding pieces from sliding through. However, sliding pieces ricochet off of marker in the lines they move.

4. Knight too ricochet off of the marker.

5. Pawns that land on marker can hop over to the next square, capture diagonally one square from the square the marker occupies, or land laterally one square.

6. Kings can hop over marker or ricochet one square away as a king moves.

7. The marker is moved by the player who has made a king move.

8. Marker is moved "ball in hand" to any vacant square.
(Ricochet is a John Vandenberg -JJ Stoekel co- creation)

Saurusi40

1. The usual armies, array, and objective.

2. When a player loses a piece, a small piece of the same type is given in compensation.

3. Lose a bishop, receive a bishop-saurus. Lose a knight, receive a knight-osaurus. Lose a rook, receive a rook-osaurus. Lose a queen, receive a queen-osaurus.

4. These saurusi are placed on any vacant square that does not attack any opposing units as soon as they are received.

5. The saurusi capture like their namesakes, but cannot move at all unless they are capturing.

Sea Turtles41

White’s pawns start on the third rank. Black’s pawns start on the sixth rank. Pawns move backwards one square. If a White pawn reaches the first rank or if a Black pawn reaches the eighth rank, the pawn promotes to the piece whose home file it matches. For example, White pawns arriving at a1 or h1 promote to a small White rook. Black pawns arriving at a8 or h8 promote to a small Black rook. (Note that it only takes two pawn moves to promote to a small piece.) The small pieces are distinguished from the big units that start the game because the big units, except for the king, can only capture other big units. Meanwhile, small pieces can only capture other small pieces and the king.

Just remember that Bigs only capture Bigs, while Smalls only capture Smalls with this exception. Kings can capture and be captured by both Bigs and Smalls. They are the link to an otherwise separate plane of existence.

A sub-variant, Sea Turtles Pawnder, gives to each of the pawns the option of moving backwards or forward on its first move. Once a pawn steps forward it must continue forward. If a pawn steps backward, it must continue backwards. In its original position on the 3rd or 6th rank, a pawn can capture forward or backward because it hasn’t declared its direction intention. It’s still pawndering the matter. Forward going pawns, like backward going pawns, promote to the piece whose home file they arrive at on the back rank. For example, a White pawn promotes to a White bishop when reaching c8 or f8. A Black pawn promotes to a Black bishop when reaching c1 or f1. Forward going pawns promote to Big pieces, not to Small pieces. Forward going pawns can move one or two squares on their first move just like orthodox pawns can.

See Marseilles 42

It’s simple, really. If a friendly unit ‘sees’ the unit of his that has just moved, then that seeing unit must make a move as well. To ‘see’ a unit means it can protect a unit. (If more than one unit sees, then the player chooses which one moves.) For instance, from the regular starting position, if white plays the queen knight from b1 to c3 on move 1, which white units ‘see’ this knight? Answer? The white pawns at b2 and d2. Therefore, either the b2 pawn or the d2 pawn must also make a move. However, if the first move of the game is c2 to c4, no friendly white unit sees it, so no second move is made. The same would be true if the first move were e4 or f4. No second move would be permitted or required. However, after a first move of f2 to f3, the pawn at e2, the pawn at g2, and the knight at f3 all see it, so one of those three units would also have to make a move. Players must get out of check on their first move. Consider castling a king move. The rest is as usual.

Sid-Stacked43

1. Pawns start on 2nd and 7th ranks as usual.

2. In place of rooks on A1 and H1, place two stacks of white-red-white-red- white-red-white-red Focus pieces. In place of rooks on A8 and H8, place two stacks of black-red-black-red-black-red-black-red Focus pieces. Notice that each stack is 8 Focus pieces high.

3. In place of knights on B1 and G1, place two stacks of white-yellow-white- yellow-white-yellow-white-yellow Focus pieces. In place of knights on B8 and G8, place two stacks of black-yellow-black-yellow -black-yellow-black-yellow Focus pieces.

4. The pattern seen above in points 2. and 3. continues for bishops and queens. On E1 and E8, however, are placed two ordinary kings.

5. A stack topped by a red Focus piece moves and captures like a rook. A stack topped by a yellow Focus piece moves and captures like a knight. A stack topped by a blue Focus piece moves and captures like a bishop. A stack topped by a purple focus piece moves and captures like a queen. A stack topped by a white or black Focus piece moves and captures one square orthogonally. In addition, a stack topped by a white, black, red, yellow, blue, or purple Focus piece can move, but not capture, orthogonally, the number of squares equal to the height of the stack.

6. Unlike in Focus, stacks cannot be disaggregated into shorter stacks. In other words, the full stack must be moved when doing so.

7. Also unlike in Focus, after every move of a stack, the top Focus piece disappears.

8. If a stack completely dissipates, the corresponding piece takes its place. This can be seen as a kind of promotion. In comparison to ordinary chess pieces, stacks are both 'nerfed' and 'buffed' a little. This makes things even, but novel. (Sid-Stacked Chess is named in honor of Sid Sackson, the creator of Focus.)

Spell44

1. Usual armies, array, and objective.

2. Players can fortify their armies with small pieces-two small knights, two small bishops, two small rooks, and a small queen by spelling words with their moves.

3. Spell: 'Abcde', 'adage', 'badge', 'beach', 'caged', 'faded', or 'hedge' by moving one's units in consecutive order such that they spell the given word. The letter spelled is based on the file the unit moved from. (A knight and a bishop must be obtained before obtaining a rook.)

4. One cannot spell the same word that one has done previously. Keep track of words in process with Scrabble tiles, and words previously spelled with a list for each player.

5. Spell 'headache' to obtain a small queen

6. Small pieces capture other small pieces and the king. Big pieces capture big pieces and the king. Kings can capture and be captured by any unit.

Spliced45

chessalt p.20 Spliced part 112262024-1
chessalt p.21 Spliced part 212262024-1

Spliced Glossary of Terms

1. Rifler = Unit captures from where it stands. It does not displace captured unit as in orthodox chess.
2. Bat-cap = Bishop or Atomic Capricorn. Bishop has the option of capturing every opposing unit a king’s move from where it lands one time in the game. This is only a one time deal since the bishop blows up in the process.
3. Rat-cap = Rook or Atomic Capricorn. Similar to 2. Bat-cap above.
4. Gnat-cap = Knight or Atomic Capricorn. Similar to 2. Bat-cap and 3. Rat-cap above.
5. Qat-cap = Queen or Atomic Capricorn. Similar to 2., 3., and 4 above
6. + wazir move = Can also move, but not capture, one square orthogonally.
7. +fers move = Can also move, but not capture, one square diagonally.
8. +camel move = Can also move, but not capture, like a camel (1,3) or (3,1)
9. +agility = Can also move, but not capture, to any vacant square in it’s line whether other units block it’s slide or not.
10. Vao = Moves like a bishop, but captures by hurdling a single intervening unit. (Similar to Pao in Xiangqi (Chinese chess))
11. Pao = Moves like a rook, but captures by hurdling a single intervening unit. (Piece in Xiangqi (Chinese chess))
12. Knight Relay = knights do not capture, nor can they be captured. Instead they relay knight moving and capturing powers to any friendly unit a knight’s move away from relay knight.
13. Leo = Moves like a queen, but captures by hurdling a single intervening unit. (Combines powers of Vao and Pao.)
14. Double Move = Neither move is a capture.

15. Skip pieces move and capture 2, 4, and 6 squares away in the manner the pieces move.
16. Medusas cannot capture. Instead, a medusa freezes every opposing unit it ‘sees’. Medusas freezing one another continue to freeze their opponents’ units.
17. Chimeras cannot capture. Instead they can effect the change of position between itself and the opponent’s unit that the Chimera ‘sees’.
18. Knight Flight allows a king to escape checks with a knight move.
19. Berolina pawns move forward diagonally one square or two squares on its first move and capture straight ahead one move. They are the inverse of an orthodox pawn.
20. A Rettah king can move and capture like a rook, a bishop, or a knight. A Rettah kings cannot flee checks. The Rettah king can get out of check either by capturing the unit with a friendly unit or by capturing the attacker himself.
21. A Shogi-Xianggi pawn moves and captures by moving straight ahead one square.
22. A Dragonfly pawn moves and captures one square ahead diagonally.
23. Elephant king moves and captures like an orthodox king and can also move, but not capture, two squares in any direction like an alibaba.
24. A sideways pawn can also move, but not capture, one square laterally.
25. Mirroring permits a king to also move, but not capture, in the same manner as the unit that attacks it. (King retains it usual move and capture as well.)
26. A steedly pawn, in addition to usual pawn and capturing powers, can move ahead, but not capture, like a knight.

Staggering46

1. White pawns go onto the 2nd rank and black pawns go onto the 7th rank, as usual.

2. Each players pieces will enter the game a while later, thus making it a staggered start.

3. On the first rank go 8 black Focus pieces. On the eighth rank go 8 white Focus pieces.

4. White’s Focus pieces are trying to reach the first rank while black’s are trying to reach the eighth rank, each side’s traditional home or starting rank.

5. The first Focus piece for each side to reach it’s home rank becomes a king. The 2nd and 3rd become knights. The 4th and 5th become bishops. The 6th and 7th become rooks. The 8th becomes a queen.

6. Pawns and pieces may capture Focus pieces, but Focus pieces cannot capture pawns, or pieces, or even other Focus pieces unless the Focus piece is trying to blockade opponent’s home rank by not moving off of it’s initial starting square.

7. Focus piece movements are file based. Those on the ‘A’ or ‘H’ files move like rooks. Those on the ‘B’ and ‘G’ files move like knights. Those on the ‘C’ and ‘F’ files move like bishops. Those on the ‘D’ file move like queens. Those on the ‘E’ file move like kings.

8. Checkmate or capture all opponent’s Focus pieces before they have a chance to create a king to win.

9. The rest is regular chess.

Steeds & Kings47

1. All pawns are steedly pawns. Steedly pawns can move like a regular pawn or like a knight, but not go backwards. They capture and promote like a regular pawn does.

2. All pieces have the added moving power of a king. This does not augment the queen or the king, but royals shouldn't need augmenting. Bishops, knights, and rooks all benefit however. All pieces capture as usual.

Strat-Captures48

1. A player’s 3rd, 6th, 12th, and 15th capture are Rifle Chess captures. The unit that captures doesn't move but captures from a distance. For example, after 1) e4 e5 2) B c4 N f6, White's bishop at c4 could capture the pawn at f7, but the white bishop remains at c4 and does not go to f7. And then the knight at f6 could capture the pawn at e4, but the knight remains at f6.

2. A player's 9th capture is a Capricorn Capture. A Capricorn capture occurs by moving adjacent to an opposing unit(s). If multiple units are adjacent, then multiple units are captured. Again with 1) e4 e5, 2) B c4 Nf6, white could play B e6 and capture the pawns at d7, f7, and the knight at f6! Good thing this powerful capture is only allowed once.

3. All the rest of a player's captures are Conventional Captures (displacement captures a la Orthodox Chess).

4. Keep one's captures neatly in straight rows of three so that both players may know what type of capture is possible next.

5. Otherwise, it's regular orthodox chess.

Switches49

This one is very simple. 3 times during the course of a game, each player may switch the position of any two of his units instead of moving. Use counters of some kind to keep track of the number of switches made thus far.

Team-Tuitive50

  1. Normal set up and objective.
  2. This is best as a team game. White is dealt the hearts and diamonds. Black is dealt the spades and club. Each player gets a different suit.
  3. Before each chess turn each player chooses a card to be turned over simultaneously. The team with the higher total gets to make a chess move. The player who played the higher card on the winning side makes the move. No conferring is allowed about what card to play among teammates. However, in the event of a tie between players on the winning side, either player may make the move and the teammates may confer.
  4. In the event of a tie between teams, each team makes a chess move, beginning with the team that did not make the previous move.
  5. In the event of a check, the team with the checked king gets to move out of check without having to win a card battle. The two players can confer about how to get out of check.
  6. Played cards are placed faced down. No tedious card counting allowed. Players should use their intuition to remember what cards might remain. When each player’s 13 cards have been played, players pick up their cards and the cycle begins again. TeamTuitive Chess is still strategic, but a bit more light-hearted than orthodox chess.

Tetrarchs51

1. The usual set up of pieces.

2. Pawns on ranks 3 and 6. (Pawns move forward one square only.)

3. Tetrarchs, (I use Gobblet cylinders, but other sizable light and dark tokens will do) go on squares c2, d2, e2, and f2 for white, and c7, d7, e7, and f7 for black.

4. Kings are just men, moving and capturing like kings, but not royal. Losing them does not end the game. Losing all four of one's tetrarchs does lose the game, however.

5. Tetrarchs cannot capture anything at all. Tetrarchs can move like any unit of one's army still in the game.

Toggles52

1. Usual armies, array, and objective. All units are initially regular sized.

2. When any unit moves a unit of the same type and size must be toggled.

3. Regular sized/orthodox pawns toggle into a short/Berolina pawns. Short/Berolina pawns toggle into regular sized/ orthodox pawns. A Berolina pawn moves diagonally forward one or two squares on its first move and one square diagonally after that, but captures straight ahead one square. Berolina pawns are the inverse of orthodox pawns.

3. Knights toggle into short knights (camels) which move and capture 3-1 or 1-3. Short knights (camels) toggle back into orthodox knights.

4. Bishops toggle into short agile bishops which can slide or hop 1, 2, or 3 squares away diagonally. Little agile bishops toggle back into standard- sized orthodox bishops.

5. Rooks toggle into short agile rooks which can slide or hop 1, 2, or 3 squares away orthogonally. Short agile rooks toggle back into standard- sized orthodox rooks.

6. Queens toggle into short agile queens who can slide or hop 1, 2, or 3 squares away diagonally or orthogonally. Short agile queens toggle back into standard-sized orthodox queens.

7. Kings toggle into toothless, equine, camel kings, who can move like a king, a knight, or a camel, but cannot capture anything! Toothless, equine, camel kings toggle back into orthodox kings.

8. Think of kings and queens as belonging to the same unit type of 'royals'. Thus when a large royal moves, a large royal must toggle. When a small royal moves, a small royal must toggle.

Varsity53

  1. Win by checkmate.
  2. In addition to a regular army, each side gets a set of smaller pieces two small rooks, two small knights, two small bishops, and a small queen and a small king.
  3. Pawns go on the third and sixth ranks. Regular pieces go on the first and eighth ranks in the traditional array. The small pieces go on the second and seventh ranks in the traditional array.
  4. Regular units can capture anything. Small pieces can capture other small pieces and corresponding big pieces and their pawns. For example, a small bishop may capture large bishops and bishop pawns.
  5. There is no double pawn move or en passant.
  6. Other than the above adjustments, it is regular chess.

Zest54

All the rules are as orthodox chess, but with the following alterations in starting position:

1. The position of White and Black's rooks and knights are swapped. Thus, White's rooks are at a8 and h8. White's knights are at b8 and g8.

Black's rooks are at a1 and h1. Black's knights are at b1 and g1.

2. White’s a2 pawn is now at a3. White's h2 pawn is now at h3. Conversely, Black's a7 pawn is now at a6. Black's h7 pawn is now at h6.

Does Stockfish see a sizeable advantage for White? If so, perhaps some minor compensation can be given to the second player.

However, for mere mortals, this proves to be a zesty middle game position from move one, with plenty of sharp tactics and delicious murkiness.