Chess variants
Alphabetical list
Chess variant on a 4x5 board.
Chess variant on a 4x6 board.
Chess variant on a 5x5 board.
Chess variant on a 5x6 board.
Chess variant on a 9x8 board with an additional queen on each side.
Chess variant whose board is extended by a new square in each corner.
Chess variant where the pawns start on the third rank instead of the second.
Chess variant where the queen is replaced by a fairy chess piece, the chancellor, which is the combination of rook and knight.
Chess variant where the knights are extended with a new power, but different for the two players. There are four possibilities to choose from for both side.
Chess variant where the knights are extended with a new power. There are four possibilities to choose from.
Chess variant played on a diamond-shaped board with 70 squares.
Chess variant where pawns move in a reversed way: they move diagonally forwards and capture orthogonally forwards.
Chess variant where pawns move in a different way: they move diagonally forwards and capture orthogonally forwards or sideways.
Chess variant played on a big square-like board with diagonal square grid. The roles of the orthogonal and the diagonal directions are exchanged.
Four players in two teams. The teams win and lose together. The game ends on first checkmate.
Chess variant for players with different skills: both black bishops are missing.
Chess variant where the diagonally moving pieces (bishop and queen) can bounce off from the left and the right sides of the board, so that they can continue their path bent by 90 degrees.
Chess variant where the diagonally moving pieces (bishop and queen) can bounce off from the edges of the board, so that they can continue their path bent by 90 degrees.
Hexagonal chess variant played on an irregular hexagon.
Chess variant on a 10x8 board with two fairy chess pieces: the chancellor (rook-knight compound) and the archbishop (bishop-knight compound).
Chess variant with no check or checkmate. Players win by capturing all opposing pieces.
Chess variant on a 10x8 board with fairy chess piece: two centaurs on each side. It combines the movement powers of the knight and the king (but does not inherit any special properties of king, like the check-rule).
The original (standard) chess.
Chess variant where the initial position of the pieces is shuffled on the back rank.
Chess variant where the white queen is replaced by a fairy chess piece, the chancellor (rook-knight compound), and White has four knights and no bishops. Black has queen, four bishops and no knights.
Chess variant played on a circular ring shaped board; as if we had cut a normal chessboard vertically, bent it to a ring and glued it together along the dashed lines.
Chess variant where the queen has the same restrictions as the king with respect to check and checkmate.
Chess variant where all pieces except rooks start one step advanced.
Chess variant played on a cross-shaped board. Each player starts from two sides of the four.
Chess variant where the left and right sides of the board are joined. Pieces can go off one side and reapper on the other.
Chess variant played on a diamond-shaped board with hexagonal fields.
Chess variant played on a rectangular-like board with diagonal square grid. The roles of the orthogonal and the diagonal directions are exchanged.
Chess variant on a 6x6 board with no queen and only one knight on each side.
Four players in two teams. The teams win and lose together. The game ends on first checkmate.
Chess variant where players move twice in each turn. The exception is the very first turn, when White moves only once.
Chess variant where players move twice per turn, and there are only pawns and kings. In the very first turn, White moves only once.
Chess variant with two kings on each side. Neither king can move into check, and both must escape check. If it is impossible to save both of them at once, it is a checkmate and that player loses the game.
Chess variant where White has lots of pawns, but nothing other (not even king), and Black has the usual set of pieces. Black wins by capturing all white pawns. White wins in the usual way: by checkmating Black.
Chess variant where players win by capturing all opposing pieces of a particular type, i.e. capturing the king, or capturing the queen, or capturing both rooks etc.
Chess variant on an 8x10 board. The two armies start farther from each other than in chess.
Chess variant on an 8x11 board. The two armies start farther from each other than in chess.
Chess variant on an 8x12 board. The two armies start farther from each other than in chess.
Chess variant on an 8x9 board. The two armies start farther from each other than in chess.
Chess variant where the rooks and the bishops are swapped in the initial position.
Four players in two teams. The teams win and lose together. The game ends on first checkmate.
Four players in two teams. The teams win and lose together. The game ends on first checkmate.
Four players in two teams. The teams win and lose together. The game ends on first checkmate.
Four players in two teams. The teams win and lose together. The game ends on first checkmate.
Four players in two teams. The teams win and lose together. The game ends on first checkmate.
Four players in two teams. The teams win and lose together. The game ends on first checkmate.
Chess variant on a hexagonal board with two fairy chess pieces, the chancellor (rook-knight compound) and the archbishop (bishop-knight compound).
One of the most known hexagonal chess variants, played on a regular hexagonal board. Each side has three bishops and nine pawns.
Chess variant on a 10x8 board with two fairy chess pieces: the chancellor (rook-knight compound) and the archbishop (bishop-knight compound).
Chess variant with new pieces: the grasshoppers. The grasshopper moves by jumping over an other piece, and lands directly after that piece.
Chess variant with fairy chess pieces: the white queen is replaced by a superqueen, which can also make a knight-move, and the white rooks are short rooks, which can move at most four squares at once. Black has the usual set of pieces.
Chess variant on an infinity-symbol shaped board; as if we had bent a 18x4 sized strip and glued to its two sides.
Chess variant on a 10x8 board with fairy chess piece: two archbishops (bishop-knight compound) on each side.
Chess variant where Black has seven knights, but has more pawns instead. White has the usual set of pieces.
Chess variant for players with different skills: one of the black knights is missing.
Chess variant where the role of the king and knight is exchanged: players win by checkmating the knight, and the kings are regular pieces subject to capture.
Chess variant where the two players start from sideways of each other instead of opposite sides.
Chess variant played on a stepped board with fewer pieces.
Chess variant on a 6x6 board with no bishops.
Assymetric chess variant on a 6x6 board. The minor pieces are knights for White, and bishops for Black.
Chess variant on a hexagonal board with two fairy chess pieces, the chancellor (rook-knight compound) and the archbishop (bishop-knight compound).
One of the most known hexagonal chess variants, played on a regular hexagonal board. Each side has three bishops and seven pawns.
Chess variant on a 4x5 board. There is no queen, and only a single pawn.
Chess variant played on a small hexagonal board with no queens.
Chess variant where both knights start on the kingside, and both bishops start on the queenside.
Chess variant where White has only king and some pawns, but moves twice in each turn. Black has the usual set of pieces, and moves only one in each turn.
Chess variant on a narrower (4x8) board.
Chess variant on a narrower (5x8) board.
Chess variant on a narrower (6x8) board.
Chess variant on a narrower (7x8) board, omitting one knight.
Chess variant on an 8x6 board. The two armies start nearer to each other than in chess.
Chess variant on an 8x7 board. The two armies start nearer to each other than in chess.
Chess variant where one knight is replaced by a fairy chess piece, the nightrider. The nightrider is the extension of the knight: it can continue leaping in the same direction while the touched fields are empty (like e.g. the bishop).
Chess variant where the knights are replaced by a fairy chess piece, the nightrider. It is the extension of the knight: it can continue leaping in the same direction while the touched fields are empty (like e.g. the bishop).
Chess variant on a wider board with fairy chess piece, the nightrider. It is the extension of the knight: it can continue leaping in the same direction while the touched fields are empty (like e.g. the bishop).
Chess variant where there are no other pieces than the eight pawns and the king on each side.
Chess variant for players with different skills: one black pawn is missing.
Chess variant where White has no queen, but has more pawns instead. Black plays with the usual set of pieces.
Chess variant where White has only pawns, while Black has knights and a single pawn.
Chess variant with only pawns (not even kings), and that player wins who first moves a pawn to the opposite side of the board.
Chess variant containing all possible piece combinations of rook, bishop and knight: the queen, the chancellor, the archbishop and the superqueen.
Chess variant for players with different skills: the black queen and one of the black rooks are missing.
Chess variant for players with different skills: the black queen is missing.
Chess variant where Black has only queens, and White has a lot of knights.
Chess variant for players with different skills: the four black pieces from the queenside are missing (the queen, one rook, one knight and one bishop).
Chess variant where the black queen and king has reversed initial position compared to white.
Chess variant for players with different skills: one of the black rooks is missing.
Chess variant played on a round board. The board layout is very similar to a normal chessboard. Most pieces move in the same way as in chess, but the rook and the queen move along the circular shape of the board.
Chess variant with two kings on each side, but only one of them is active at once (i.e. subject to the check-rule), depending on their position.
Hexagonal chess variant played on an irregular hexagon.
Chess variant whose board has been cut into half between the two sides, and connected not properly, but slipped by one square horizontally.
Chess variant whose board has been cut into quarters and connected not properly, but slipped by one square both horizontally and vertically. In the center of the board there is a hole, which acts as a wall, so pieces cannot move through it.
Chess variant whose board has been cut into half vertically, and connected not properly, but slipped by one square vertically.
Chess variant where one of the rooks on each side is replaced by a fairy chess piece, the short rook, which can move at most four squares at once.
Chess variant where the rooks are replaced by a fairy chess piece, the short rook, which can move at most four squares at once.
Chess variant on a strange, distorted chessboard. Pieces move in unusual ways, they bend and make U-turns near the center.
Chess variants where both sides have 16 pawns in two lines.
Chess variant where the white queen is replaced by a fairy chess piece, the chancellor (rook-knight compound). Black has the usual set of pieces with queen.
Chess variant where capturing is compulsory whenever possible, and the player who loses all pieces wins. There is no check or checkmate, the king is a normal, capturable piece.
Chess variant where the queen is replaced by a fairy chess piece, the superqueen, which combines the power of the queen and the knight, i.e. it can move not just like the queen, but can also make a knight-move.
Chess variant on a 9x8 board with a fairy chess piece: the queen is replaced by a superqueen, which combines the power of the queen and the knight, i.e. it can move not just like the queen, but can also make a knight-move. There is also a normal queen on the additional (ninth) file.
Three players, everyone against everyone. First checkmate ends the game.
Three players, everyone against everyone. First checkmate ends the game. It is played on three half-boards, all is connected to each other.
Three players, everyone against everyone. First checkmate ends the game.
Three players, everyone against everyone. First checkmate ends the game.
Chess variant with fairy chess pieces: the queen is replaced by a superqueen, which can also make a knight-move, and the rooks are short rooks, which can move at most four squares at once.
Chess variant where the bishops and the knights are swapped in the initial position.
Three players, everyone against everyone. First checkmate ends the game.
Chess variant for players with different skills: two black pawns are missing.
Chess variant for players with different skills: both black rooks are missing.
Chess variant where the black and white armies swapped initial position. The pawns start one step away from promotion, and their own pieces block them initially.
Chess variant with two kings on each side. Both king must be defeated in order to win.
Chess variant on a wider (10x8) board with three bishops and three knights on each side.
Chess variant on a wider (11x8) board with four bishops and three knights on each side.
Chess variant on a wider (12x8) board with four bishops and four knights on each side.
The list contains 119 games (including Chess).