The Best And Most Popular Chess Variations
Many people may not know that chess was originally created for entertainment. However, with the rapid development of computers, humans have become increasingly dependent on them and less creative than before. To address this, variations of chess have been invented. These variations are incredibly unique, offering players a fun and engaging experience.
This blog will introduce you to the most popular variations of chess today. Let's explore the most popular variations!
#1 Chess960
The first variation I want to mention is Chess960. This is a variation of chess invented and promoted by former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer. Fischer released this variation in 1996 in Argentina. It uses the same board and pieces as standard chess; however, the starting positions of the players' pieces on the last row are random. This randomization makes it impractical to gain an advantage through remembering the opening, forcing players to rely on ability and creativity.
#2 Bughouse Chess
Bughouse chess is a popular chess variant played on two chessboards by four players in teams of two. Normal chess rules apply, except that captured pieces on one board are passed on to the teammates on the other board, who then has the option of putting these pieces on their board.
The game is usually played at a fast time control. Together with the passing and dropping of pieces, this can make the game look chaotic to the casual onlooker, hence the name bughouse, which is slang for mental hospital. Yearly, several dedicated bughouse tournaments are organized on a national and an international level.
#3 Three check chess
Three-check chess, also simply known as three-check, is a chess variant where a player can win by placing their opponent in check three times. Apart from this, standard rules of chess apply, including starting position and other ending conditions, such as stalemate and checkmate. A move is considered to give one check if the king is threatened, regardless if multiple pieces are checking the king. Three-check can be played over the board, but it is also popular on internet chess servers such as Chess.com and Lichess.
#4 Crazyhouse
Crazyhouse is a chess variant in which captured enemy pieces can be reintroduced, or dropped, into the game as one's own, similarly to shogi. It was derived as a two-player, single-board variant of bughouse chess.
Although the four-player "bughouse" chess became prominent in western chess circles in the 1960s, the crazyhouse variant did not rise to prominence until the era of 1990s online chess servers, though it may be traced further to the "Mad Mate" variant made in 1972 by Alex Randolph, a Bohemian-American game designer who moved to Japan and became an amateur dan-level Shogi player.
#5 King of the Hill
If you are familiar with chess strategy, you know that dominating the center of the board is usually a big advantage. In King of the Hill, though, central dominance is taken to a whole new level. Learn everything you need to know to have a great time with this fun chess variant!
All the rules of regular chess apply to King of the Hill. The only difference in this variant is that you can also win the game by bringing your king to one of the four central squares of the board. This means that taking control of the d4, e4, d5, and e5 squares is vital!
#6 Giveaway Chess
Giveaway Chess (also called Losing Chess or Antichess) is a widely popular chess variant that likely appeared during the late 19th century. In this game, players have to lose all their pieces or get stalemated to win.
As stated, players win when they give away all their pieces or have no legal moves left to play. There are other essential changes in the game's rules to make it appealing. The most critical difference is that captures are mandatory. If there's a legal capture in a position, a player must make it. If there's more than one available capture, the player can choose the one they prefer. Another difference lies in the fact that there are no checks or checkmates. The game doesn't end after one of the players captures the opponent's king. Finally, players can't castle in Giveaway Chess, and promoting pawns to kings is allowed.
Thank you for reading. If you'd like to read more similar blog posts in the future, please let me know in the comments. And with that, I hope you had a great experience with these unique chess variations! See you next time, have a great day!