Chess Variants and Fantasy Chess: New Rules, New Fun

Chess has always been changing

The chess we play today is itself the result of many rule changes. Its ancestor is generally traced to the Indian game chaturanga, which became shatranj in Persia and the Arab world. There, the piece in our queen's place was a weak counsellor that moved just one square diagonally, and the bishop's forerunner jumped exactly two squares diagonally.

Only towards the end of the Middle Ages did the queen and bishop gain their modern range in Europe, making the game much faster and more aggressive. Rules such as castling and the pawn's double step became standard along the way. Variants are not a modern gimmick, they are part of chess history.

Chess960: a shuffled starting position

In Chess960 the pawns stand in their usual places, but the pieces on the back rank are arranged at random. Two conditions apply: the bishops must be on opposite colored squares, and the king must stand somewhere between the two rooks. Black's setup mirrors White's. That gives exactly 960 possible starting positions, hence the name.

The appeal is that memorised opening lines are almost useless. You have to think for yourself from move one and fall back on principles: control the center, develop your pieces, keep the king safe. Castling still exists with adapted rules, and afterwards king and rook end up on the same squares as in normal castling.

Antichess: lose everything to win

Antichess, also known as losing chess or giveaway, flips the objective. The first player to lose all their pieces wins. The key rule: if you can capture, you must. When several captures are possible, you may choose which one.

The king is just an ordinary piece, with no check or checkmate, and it can be captured. Details such as whether castling is allowed differ between rule sets, so agree on them before you start. Antichess is gloriously chaotic and, as a bonus, trains you to spot captures on the board in a flash.

Bughouse and other popular variants

Beyond those two classics there are countless other ideas. Here are some of the best known:

• Bughouse: two teams of two play on two boards, with partners playing opposite colors. Pieces you capture go to your partner, who may drop them onto an empty square of their board instead of making a normal move. Pawns may not be dropped on the first or last rank.
• Three check: normal chess, but whoever gives check three times wins, even without checkmate.
• King of the hill: besides checkmate, you also win by safely bringing your king to one of the four center squares d4, e4, d5 or e5.
• Kriegspiel: you cannot see your opponent's pieces. A referee only tells you whether your move was legal and whether something was captured.

Fantasy chess: special powers on the board

Fantasy chess goes one step further. Pieces or players get special abilities that deliberately bend the usual rules. A piece might teleport, a square might be blocked, or a captured piece might return.

Why is that so much fun? For one thing, you get positions that could never arise in regular chess, and the board feels fresh again. For another, you gain a second layer of planning: when should I use my power, and what might my opponent be preparing? And powers can sometimes make up for mistakes, so a game stays exciting even after a blunder.

Good fantasy chess needs a solid foundation. When the standard rules apply in full and powers are a well designed extra, the game stays fair and you quietly improve your ordinary chess at the same time.

Tips for trying variants yourself

Most variants need nothing more than an ordinary chessboard. Bughouse takes two boards and four players, Kriegspiel three boards and a patient referee. Try a new variant with someone who knows the standard rules well, so your brain is free for the new twist.

Settle every special case before the first game and jot it down if needed. Many variants exist in slightly different versions, and nothing is more annoying than a rules argument in the middle of a beautiful attack. And if you feel creative, invent your own house rule. That is exactly how many variants began.

How it works in Schach der Zauberer

Schach der Zauberer combines real chess, with every rule, and spells. Each side is led by a wizard, and there are 16 good and evil ones in total. You gain 1 mana per turn plus the value of every piece you capture: pawn 1, knight and bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9, up to a maximum of 30.

Casting a spell replaces your move, and the king is immune to spells, so checkmate is still checkmate. Before the first move, each side also hides a trap somewhere on ranks 3 to 6. You play against the computer and can review every game afterwards to see where your plan worked.