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39-401: This is a list of chess variants . Many thousands of variants exist. The 2007 catalogue The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants estimates that there are well over 2,000, and many more were considered too trivial for inclusion in the catalogue. The chess variants listed below are derived from chess by changing one or more of the many rules of the game. The rules can be grouped into categories, from

78-720: A 6×6 variant, was created in 1956 expressly for computers, its simplicity meant that it was possible for the MANIAC I computer to play it, with a victory over a beginner player the first instance of a computer winning a chess-like game against human opposition. Conversely, Arimaa was developed in 2003 to be deliberately resistant to computer analysis while easy for human players, though computers were able to comprehensively surpass human players by 2015. While solving chess has not yet been achieved, some variants have been found to be simple enough to be solved though computer analysis. The 5×5 Gardner's Minichess variant has been weakly solved as

117-492: A chaturanga, there was no cutting-off of the four limbs of condemned criminals... According to Stewart Culin , chaturanga was first described in the Hindu text Bhavishya Purana . The Bhavishya Purana is known to include modern additions and interpolations, however, even mentioning British rule of India. An early reference to an ancient Indian board game is sometimes attributed to Subandhu in his Vasavadatta , dated between

156-499: A draw, and a lengthy analysis of losing chess managed to weakly solve this as a win for white. Chess variants have been invented in various fiction. In The Chessmen of Mars author Edgar Rice Burroughs describes Jetan which depicts a war between two races of Martian. An appendix fully defines the rules of the game. More commonly specifics of fictional variants are not detailed in the original works, though several have been codified into playable games by fans. An example of this

195-439: A number of variants which use the empress (rook + knight) and princess (bishop + knight) compound pieces. The empress is also called marshall or chancellor. The princess is also called cardinal, archbishop, janus, paladin, or minister. Another compound piece is the amazon (queen + knight). To adapt to the new pieces, the board is usually extended to 10×8 or 10×10 with additional pawns added. These variants introduce changes in

234-470: A puzzle for centuries. The earliest clear reference comes from north India from the Gupta Empire , dating from the sixth century AD. Banabhatta 's Harsha Charitha (c. AD 625) contains the earliest reference to the name chaturanga: Under this monarch [...], only the bees quarrelled to collect the dew; the only feet cut off were those of measurements, and only from Ashtâpada one could learn how to draw up

273-437: A real sport in the early 21st century. Fictional chess variants can involve fantastical or dangerous elements that cannot be implemented in real life. The Chessmen of Mars describes a form of Jetan where the pieces are human beings and captures are replaced by fights to the death between them. The Doctor Who episode " The Wedding of River Song " depicts "Live Chess", which introduces potentially lethal electric currents into

312-536: A slightly modified form became known as shatranj . Modifications made to this game in Europe resulted in the modern game. Courier chess was a popular variant in medieval Europe, which had a significant impact on the "main" variant's development. Other games in the chess family, such as shogi (Japan), xiangqi (China), and ouk chatran (Cambodian) are also developments from chaturanga made in other regions. These related games are considered chess variants , though

351-466: A starting point. In most cases the creators are attempting to create new games of interest to chess enthusiasts or a wider audience. Variants normally have the same public domain status as chess, though a few (such as Knightmare Chess ) are proprietary, and the materials for play are released as commercial products. The variations from chess may be done to address a perceived issue with the standard game. For example, Fischer random chess , which randomises

390-433: A wider range of board games, have created chess variants. These include Robert Abbott ( Baroque chess ) and Andy Looney ( Martian chess ). While chess, shogi , and xiangqi have professional circuits as well as many organised tournaments for amateurs, play of chess variants is predominately on a casual basis. A few variants have had significant tournaments. Several Gliński's hexagonal chess tournaments were played at

429-504: Is Tri-Dimensional Chess from Star Trek . On-screen play was not conducted to any specific rules, but a comprehensive rulebook has been since developed. Another well known example of fictional chess-like game are the Star Wars holochess, or dejarik . Chess boxing , a hybrid sport of chess and boxing , was depicted in Froid Équateur , a 1992 comic by Enki Bilal and was developed into

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468-470: Is a bahuvrihi compound word, meaning "having four limbs or parts" and in epic poetry often meaning "army". The name comes from a battle formation mentioned in the Indian epic Mahabharata . Chaturanga refers to four divisions of an army, namely elephantry , chariotry , cavalry and infantry . An ancient battle formation, akshauhini , is like the setup of chaturanga. The origin of chaturanga has been

507-491: Is able to play Crazyhouse , King-of-the-hill , Three-check chess , Atomic chess , Horde chess , and Racing Kings . The AI included in Zillions of Games is able to play almost any variant correctly programmed within it to a reasonable standard. Some variants, such as 5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel , are implausible or even impossible to play physically and exist primarily as video games . Play in most chess variants

546-477: Is some uncertainty, the prevailing view among chess historians is that chaturanga is the common ancestor of the board games chess , xiangqi (Chinese), janggi (Korean), shogi (Japanese), sittuyin (Burmese), makruk (Thai), ouk chatrang (Cambodian) and modern Indian chess . In Arabic , most of the terminology of chess is derived directly from chaturanga: Modern chess itself is called shatranj in Arabic, and

585-581: Is sufficiently similar to chess that games can be recorded with algebraic notation , although additions to this are often required. For example, the third dimension in Millennium 3D Chess means that move notation needs to include the level number, as well as the rank and file—N2g3 means a knight move to the g3 square on the second level. When fairy chess pieces are used, notation requires assigning letters for those pieces. Various publications have been written regarding chess variants. Variant Chess magazine

624-532: Is the case for xiangqi). The games have their own institutions and traditions. Bibliography Shogi Xiangqi Others Chess variant "International" or "Western" chess itself is one of a family of games which have related origins and could be considered variants of each other. Chess developed from chaturanga , from which other members of this family, such as ouk chatrang , shatranj , Tamerlane chess , shogi , and xiangqi also evolved. Many chess variants are designed to be played with

663-833: Is used more broadly across writings about chess variants to describe chess pieces with movement rules other than those of the standard chess pieces. Forms of standardised notation have been devised to systematically describe the movement of these. A distinguishing feature of several chess variants is the presence of one or more fairy pieces. Physical models of common fairy pieces are sold by major chess set suppliers. Several chess masters have developed variants, such as Chess960 by Bobby Fischer , Capablanca Chess by José Raúl Capablanca , and Seirawan chess by Yasser Seirawan . Individuals notable for creating multiple chess variants include V. R. Parton (best known for Alice chess ), Ralph Betza , Philip M. Cohen and George R. Dekle Sr. Some board game designers , notable for works across

702-432: The 5th and 7th centuries AD: The time of the rains played its game with frogs for pieces [ nayadyutair ] yellow and green in colour, as if mottled by lac, leapt up on the black field squares. The colours are not those of the two camps, but mean that the frogs have two colours, yellow and green. Chaturanga may also have much older roots, dating back 5000 years. Archeological remains from 2000 to 3000 BC have been found from

741-548: The bishop is called the elephant. The Tamerlane chess was also introduced in Iran later. The game was first introduced to the West in Thomas Hyde 's De ludis orientalibus libri duo , published in 1694. Subsequently, translations of Sanskrit accounts of the game were published by Sir William Jones . Chaturanga was played on an 8×8 uncheckered board, called ashtāpada , which is also

780-600: The city of Lothal (of the Indus Valley Civilisation ) of pieces on a board that resemble chess. Another argument that chaturanga is much older is the fact that the chariot is the most powerful piece on the board, although chariots appear to have been obsolete in warfare for at least five or six centuries, superseded by light and heavy cavalries . The counter-argument is that they remained prominent in literature and continued to be used for travel and transport, in processions, for games, and in races. While there

819-729: The equipment of regular chess. Most variants have a similar public-domain status as their parent game, but some have been made into commercial proprietary games. Just as in traditional chess, chess variants can be played over the board, by correspondence , or by computer . Some internet chess servers facilitate the play of some variants in addition to orthodox chess. In the context of chess problems , chess variants are called heterodox chess or fairy chess . Fairy chess variants tend to be created for problem composition rather than actual play. There are thousands of known chess variants (see list of chess variants ). The Classified Encyclopedia of Chess Variants catalogues around two thousand, with

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858-498: The game on chess.com and lichess. Several internet chess servers facilitate live play of popular variants, including Chess.com , Lichess , and the Free Internet Chess Server . The software packages Zillions of Games and Fairy-Max have been programmed to support many chess variants. Some chess engines are also able to play a handful of variants, for instance the version of Stockfish implemented on Lichess

897-570: The game. Bibliography Chaturanga Chaturanga ( Sanskrit : चतुरङ्ग , IAST : caturaṅga , pronounced [tɕɐtuˈɾɐŋɡɐ] ) is an ancient Indian strategy board game . It is first known from India around the seventh century AD. While there is some uncertainty, the prevailing view among chess historians is that chaturanga is the common ancestor of the board games chess , xiangqi (Chinese), janggi (Korean), shogi (Japanese), sittuyin (Burmese), makruk (Thai), ouk chatrang (Cambodian) and modern Indian chess . It

936-406: The height of the variant's popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. Chess960 has also been the subject of tournaments , including in 2018 an "unofficial world championship" between reigning World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen and fellow high-ranking Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura . Likewise Crazyhouse has seen prize-funded unofficial world championship tournaments with top grandmasters and experts of

975-407: The initial setup of pieces. These variants are very different from chess and may be classified as abstract strategy board games instead of chess variants. Some of these games have developed independently while others are ancestors or relatives of modern chess. The popularity of these variants may be limited to their respective places of origin (as is largely the case for shogi), or worldwide (as

1014-408: The latter is the variant introduced by the 2020 computer game 5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel , which uses a varying number of boards all being played in parallel. In contrast to standard chess, which is a game of complete information , in these variants, the players do not have perfect information about the state of the board, or there is an element of chance in how the game is played after

1053-492: The majority of variants are, expressly, modifications of chess. The basic rules of chess were not standardized until the 19th century, and the history of chess before this involves many variants, with the most popular modifications spreading and eventually forming the modern game. While some regional variants have historical origins comparable to or even older than chess, the majority of variants are express attempts by individuals or small groups to create new games with chess as

1092-405: The mechanics of the game, such as movement of pieces, rules for capturing, or winning conditions. In these variants one or both players can move more than once per turn. The board and the pieces in these variants are the same as in standard chess. In this category, the movement of pieces can be modified in concurrence with the geometry of the board. A number of variants have been developed where

1131-433: The most innocuous (starting position) to the most dramatic (adding chance/randomness to the gameplay after the initial piece placement). If a variant changes rules from multiple categories, it belongs to the sub-section below corresponding to the later-listed category. Names that represent a set of variants are annotated with "[multivariant]" after their name. Many variants employ standard chess rules and mechanics, but vary

1170-480: The name of a game. The board sometimes had special markings, the meaning of which are unknown today. These marks were not related to chaturanga, but were drawn on the board only by tradition. These special markings coincide with squares unreachable by any of the four gajas that start on the board due to movement rules. Chess historian H. J. R. Murray conjectured that the ashtāpada was also used for some old race-type dice game, perhaps similar to chowka bhara , in which

1209-400: The number of pieces, or their starting positions. In most such variants, the pawns are placed on their usual squares, but the position of other pieces is either randomly determined or selected by the players. The motivation for these variants is usually to nullify established opening knowledge. The downside of these variants is that the initial position usually has less harmony and balance than

List of chess variants - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-433: The playing area is in three dimensions or more. In most cases an extra spatial dimension is represented by multiple boards being laid next to each other. Some extra-dimensional variants attempt to reflect the 3D nature of modern warfare (e.g. Raumschach , designed to reflect aerial and submarine warfare ), while others incorporate fantasy or science fiction ideas such as parallel worlds and time travel . An example of

1287-468: The preface noting that—since creating a chess variant is relatively trivial—many were considered insufficiently notable for inclusion. The origins of the chess family of games can be traced to the game of chaturanga during the time of the Gupta Empire in India. Over time, as the game spread geographically, modified versions of the rules became popular in different regions. In Sassanid Persia ,

1326-466: The second edition of the encyclopedia was completed and published by John Beasley under the title The Classified Encyclopedia of Chess Variants. A recent overview of historical and some modern variants was published under the title of A World of Chess in 2017. The Chess Variant Pages website includes a constantly expanding catalogue of variants. A few chess variants have been the subject of significant computational analysis. Los Alamos chess ,

1365-580: The standard chess position. These variants use standard chess pieces on a standard board, but players begin with non-standard numbers of pieces. For example, starting with multiple queens or fewer pawns. Many such games use unbalanced starting positions, with one player having more or fewer of particular pieces than the other player. Most of the pieces in these variants are borrowed from chess. The game goal and rules are also very similar to those in chess; however, these variants include one or more fairy pieces which move differently from chess pieces. There are

1404-457: The starting positions, was invented by Bobby Fischer to combat what he perceived to be the detrimental dominance of opening preparation in chess. Several variants introduce complications to the standard game, providing an additional challenge for experienced players, for example in Kriegspiel , where players cannot see the pieces of their opponent. The table below details some, but not all, of

1443-433: The ways in which variants can differ from the orthodox game: Variants can themselves be developed into further sub-variants, for example Horde chess is a variation upon Dunsany's Chess. Some variations are created for the purpose of composing interesting puzzles , rather than being intended for full games. This field of composition is known as fairy chess . Fairy chess gave rise to the term " fairy chess piece " which

1482-453: Was adopted as chatrang ( shatranj ) in Sassanid Persia , which in turn was the form of chess brought to late-medieval Europe . Not all the rules of Chaturanga are known with certainty. Chess historians suppose that the game had similar rules to those of its successor, shatranj. In particular, there is uncertainty as to the moves of the gaja (elephant). Sanskrit caturaṅga

1521-513: Was published from 1990 to 2010, being an official publication of the British Chess Variants Society from 1997. This outlined and introduced multiple variants, as well as containing in-depth analyses. A leading figure in the field was David Pritchard , who authored several books on the topic. Most significantly, he compiled an encyclopedia of variants which outlined thousands of different games. Following Pritchard's death in 2005,

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