Chess variants

As well as supporting Standard Chess, SchemingMind.com also supports a number of chess variants. Chess variants are games which are similar to chess, but have rules which differ from Standard Chess to a varying degree. Sometimes the only difference is that the start position has changed (for example Chess960, or All Queens) but for other games the way in which the pieces move or capture can also be different (for example Atomic, or Antichess).

Below we present the list of chess variants available on SchemingMind. For every variant there is a page showing the rules and (possibly) hints, links to valuable resources, links to example games etc.

Chess with modified start position

Those games are played with the same rules as standard chess (except castling rules - castling is either forbidden, or requires special generalized definition). Most chess players should be able to play them without particular problems.

In the following games only the pieces order on the first/last line is changed comparing to normal chess:

• Chess960 (also known as Fischer Random, randomized initial setup and generalised castling rules to accomodate it, after castling king and rook land where they would in a standard chess game),
• Chess480 (similar to Chess960 but with "orthodoxed" castling rules, where the castling king moves 2 squares left or right)
• Symmetrical Fischer Random Chess (most traditional, rooks on a and h files, king and queen on d and e files),
• Double Fischer Random (like Chess960 but white and black have different setups)
• Fianchetto Chess (initial position of rooks and bishops exchanged, no castling)

The following games apply original initial setups:

• Upside Down Chess (pawns on 7th, pieces on 8th rank)

The following games change initial material:

• AllQueens (both players have king and seven queens)
• FullHouse (62 pieces on the board)

Games with changed piece types

• In the following games there are pieces not present in standard chess:
• Shatranj (medieval chess predecessor, weak pieces instead of queen and bishops)
• Makruk (Thai Chess, the game very popular nowadays in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, also queen and bishops replaced with weaker pieces)
• Crazy Elephant (CrazyHouse with Shatranj pieces)

CrazyHouse family (games with piece drop)

The following games apply CrazyHouse/BugHouse concept - apart from 'normal' moves, one can also drop an opponent's captured pieces.

• CrazyHouse
• CrazyHouse960 (CrazyHouse with Chess960 setup)
• Tiszta Bolondokháza (CrazyHouse with Double Fischer Random setup)
• Crazy Shack

Note also Crazy Elephant

Antichess and Losers (losing material)

In the following games one wins by losing all the material. Note: the only difference between Antichess and Losers is that in Losers one must defend the king from checks (if possible), and being mated is also a win, while in Antichess the king is just one of the pieces.

• Antichess
• Losers Chess
• Antichess960(antichess with Chess960 setup)
• Losers960 (losers with Chess960 setup)

Atomic (explosive captures)

The action of taking the piece causes explosion killing pieces nearby.

• Atomic Chess
• Atomic960 (atomic with Chess960 setup)

Pieces flipping colour

The following games apply concept of changing attacked piece colour:

• Benedict Chess
• Benedict960 (Benedict with Chess960 initial setup)
• Chicken Chess (Benedict + Antichess)
• Chicken960 (Chicken Chess with Chess960 initial setup)

Unorthodox win conditions

Games with unorthodox win conditions:

• Extinction Chess (win by eliminating some kind of opponent piece)
• Three Checks Chess (first player to check opponent three times wins)
• Three Checks 960 (Three Checks Chess with Chess960 Setup)
• Racing Kings (Kings race, who crosses the board first, wins)
• King of the Hill
• Horde Chess

Unorthodox moving rules

The following games apply specific move/capture rules:

• Alice Chess (two boards, while moving pieces land on the other board)
• Capture Chess (you must capture if you can, king is normal piece, win by capturing all opponent pieces)
• Stanley Random Chess (the game with secret rules)
• Backwards Pawns (pawns can move backwards)
• Sideways Pawns (pawns can move sideways)

Fog of war

In the following games opponent pieces are totally or partially invisible.

Normal chess with limited visibility

The following games apply standard chess setup and rules, reducing the visibility:

• Kriegspiel (opponent pieces totally invisible)
• Dark1 (opponent pieces visible if threatened, must defend against checks, win by mate)
• Dark2 (opponent pieces visible if threatened, no checks, win by king capture)
• Blindfold Chess (the moves are visible, but the board isn't)

CrazyHouse with limited visibility

There are currently four games which merge CrazyHouse concept with fog of the war. All games below apply CrazyHouse rules (piece dropping), in all of them opponent pieces are visible only if threatened.

• Dark CrazyHouse (standard setup, dropping on any empty square, all empty squares visible if you have piece at hand)
• SunTzu Chess (Double Fischer Random setup, dropping on any empty square, all empty squares visible if you have piece at hand)
• Dark CrazyHouse2 (standard setup, dropping only on visible squares)
• LaoTzu Chess (Double Fischer Random setup, dropping only on visible squares)

Note that in both DarkCrazyHouse and SunTzuChess you have good chances to reconstruct opponent position. 
In DarkCrazyHouse2 and LaoTzuChess it is far more difficult

Antichess with limited visibility

Dark Antichess (Antichess with only threatened pieces visible)