Horde

How Horde is played

Horde pits a wall of 36 white pawns against a complete black army.

The armies

White has 36 pawns filling the first four ranks (with gaps on the fifth) and no king. Black has the usual army. White moves first.

The pawns

White’s pawns on the first and the second rank may step one or two squares. They capture and promote as in chess, and a promoted pawn is a piece Black must take too.

Winning

Black wins by taking every white piece. White wins by checkmating Black’s king. A stalemate, also when White’s pawns are all blocked, is a draw.

The story

Fairy Chess Review · 1942 (Dunsany’s chess) to today

When and where

Horde descends from a game of Lord Dunsany, published in the Fairy Chess Review in August 1942: a normal army against 32 pawns, the army winning by taking every pawn, the pawns by mating its king.

How it changed

In 2002 Filip Rachunek turned the colours around in his Horde chess. Lichess plays it with 36 white pawns; those on the first two ranks may step two squares, and pieces promoted from them must be taken too.

Today

It is one of the few chess variants with a whole book of theory, The Definitive Guide to Horde Chess (2021).

Did you know?

In Dunsany’s original the army’s side moved first, and only its own pawns had the double step.

Sources: Wikipedia · Lichess

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• Kriegspiel · Only your own pieces in sight; an umpire judges every move.
• 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.
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• Medieval chess · Europe’s chess before 1475: the ferz and the king may leap on their first move.
• Courier chess · Medieval Germany’s chess on a 12 × 8 board, with the courier, the man and the schleich.
• 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.
• Kar Ouk · Ouk Chatrang where the first check wins: guard your king.
• 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.
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• Eight-player chess · Eight armies on a board of 516 squares: all against all, in pairs or four against four.