Chess and variants

Chess960

Fischer random chess: the back rank starts in one of 960 setups.

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What you can do here

Bots from Novice to Stockfish, or friends at the same device
A short course on the rules, task by task on the board
A new start position every game, shown with its number (#518 is the classic one)

How Chess960 is played

Chess960 is chess with the pieces of the first rank shuffled, so opening theory does not help. Everything else is chess.

The start position

The pawns stand as usual. The pieces behind them are placed at random, the same for both sides: the bishops on squares of opposite colours and the king between the two rooks. There are 960 such positions; the panel shows the game’s number (518 is the usual start).

Castling

After castling, king and rook stand where they would in chess: castling towards the h-file, the king on g and the rook on f; towards the a-file, the king on c and the rook on d. To castle here, move the king onto its own rook. The squares the king and the rook pass must be empty apart from the two of them, and the king may not be in check or cross an attacked square.

Everything else

The pieces move, capture, promote and give mate as in chess, and the same draws apply.

More games

Chess and variants

Chess · Classic chess or Chess960 with a shuffled back rank, against a bot.
Antichess · Losing chess: give away all your pieces, captures are compulsory.
Atomic chess · Every capture is an explosion that clears the pieces around it.
Crazyhouse · Captured pieces change sides and can be dropped back onto the board.
Duck chess · After every move you move the duck, which blocks everyone. No check.
Fog of War · You only see where your pieces can move. Capture the king to win.
Friendly Chess · Nothing is captured: pieces unite and set off chain reactions.

The chess family

Chaturanga · India’s ancient chess, the root of the family: take the king to win.
Shatranj · The medieval ancestor of chess, with a weak ferz and a jumping alfil.
Makruk · Thai chess: a slow, strategic game with a counting rule.
Ouk Chatrang · Cambodian chess: Makruk with a leap for the king and the met.
Sittuyin · Burmese chess: set up your pieces, then promote on the diagonals.
Xiangqi · Chinese chess: a river, palaces and a cannon that jumps to capture.
Janggi · Korean chess: no river, palace diagonals and a cannon that always jumps.
Shogi · Japanese chess: captured pieces return to the board on your side.
Minishogi · Shogi on a 5 × 5 board: six pieces a side, short and sharp games.

More players

Chaturaji · India’s four-handed chess: kings can be captured, captures score.
Four Seasons Chess · Alfonso X’s chess for four from 1283: four seasons, the last king wins.
Three-player chess · Three armies on a hexagonal board: you against two bots.
Four-player chess · Four armies on a cross-shaped board: in teams or all against all.
Eight-player chess · Eight armies on a board of 516 squares: all against all, in pairs or four against four.