Time Controls and Variants
UPDATE: Chess.com has released countless new variants since this article was posted. Go check them out!
Introduction
Chess.com has exploded with new variants lately! There are some new variants that have been shared with the world, and you can play them anytime. They can be played with different time controls, whether you like chess quick-paced, and making moves in split-seconds, or slow, with lots of thinking time.
Different Time Controls
There are 5 different categories of Chess.com time controls: from quickest to slowest: hyper, bullet, blitz, rapid, and daily.
Hyper
Hyper chess is the fastest speed of chess, with games under one minute long. You can play quickly! Hyper times include 15 seconds and 30 seconds, along with many others. They are shown with this symbol:
I should note that Hyper chess doesn't have its own rating system; any wins with these time controls change your Bullet Chess stats.
Update: Chess.com has removed this Hyper symbol. lichess.org has a time control called Ultra-Bullet.
Bullet
Bullet chess is a speed of chess with games between one and three minutes long per each player. Bullet times include 1|0 and 2|1, along with many others. (Note that in time controls, the number before the | sign is the number of minutes, while the number after the | sign means the increment, which is the number of seconds added to a player’s clock after they play their move.) They are shown with this symbol:
Blitz
Blitz chess is a chess time control with games between three and ten minutes long per each player. Blitz times include 3|2, 3|0, and 5|0, along with many others. They are shown with this symbol:
Rapid
Rapid chess is a chess time control longer than ten minutes long per each player. Rapid times include 10|0 and 10|15, along with many others. They are shown with this symbol:
Daily Chess
Daily Chess is different from the others. The time shown is the amount of time you have to make one move, not the whole game. The game isn’t played at once, unlike the other time controls; it is played over days, and you can exit the game and reenter. Daily chess times include 1 day per move, 7 days per move, and 14 days per move, along with many others. They are shown with this symbol:
You can check out all of your current daily games from the home, by clicking the hand holding a White Pawn, and clicking Daily Chess, next to the ☀️ symbol.
Variants
You can find new fun ways to play chess using variants! You click the hand holding a pawn, and then click Variants.
Four Player Chess
4 Player Chess is a variant of chess where you can choose to either team up with another person against two other people, or participate in a Free For All (FFA) against 3 other people. You need to have the most points at the end to win! Red goes first, then Blue, then Yellow, and finally, Green. The standard time control is 1|15D (D stands for delay), but there are many others!
So you can't ask your fellow players to resign, or you will receive the ultimate punishment: getting banned from the chat and possibly the entire game of Chess.com 4 Player Chess.
Doubles (Bughouse)
Bughouse is a variant of chess where you team up with another player to play against two other players. You are paired up with one opposing teams’ players, while your partner is paired up with the other one. The game is like a normal game, except that when your partner captures a piece, it moves over to the left side of your board, and, on your turn, you can drag that piece anywhere on the board. The only rules for dragging is that the piece must be placed on an empty square, and pawns cannot be placed on the 1st or 8th ranks. When you capture a piece, it goes over to your partner, and they get to place it on the board, following the rules above. When your opponent captures one of your pieces, it moves to their partner, and when your partner’s opponent captures one of your partner’s pieces, it moves over to your opponent. The standard time control is 3|0, but there are many other time controls! Have fun!
Fog of War
Fog of War is a chess variant in which you are trying to capture the enemy’s king. It will not display any checks. The huge twist is that you can only see where your pieces can legally move, which limits your board vision. The same rules apply to your opponent as well. Note that in the move tracking, your opponents’ moves will say “?” for each move.
Automate
Automate is a chess variant in which you have one minute, but gain 10 seconds each turn, to set up your pieces. You have 35 points in total, and pawns cost 1 point, knights and bishops cost 3 points, rooks cost 4 points, and queens cost 7 points. Everyone is required to place 6 pawns at first. Pawns can only be placed, as White, on the 2nd and 3rd ranks, and as Black, on the 6th and 7th ranks. Then, you use the rest of your 29 points buying all other pieces except kings. You can buy anything you want, as long as you can afford it. You cannot buy pieces that you can’t afford. For White, all pieces except pawns can only be placed on the 1st and 2nd ranks, and if you’re Black, the 7th and 8th ranks. When you hit 0 points left, you place your king, and wait for your opponent to finish. Then, the computers make the best moves for each side, and see who wins.
Note that if you place your king in check, you immediately lose.
Update: Chess.com has removed Automate from the Variants selection for some reason. I enjoyed playing it while it existed, and I sure hope you did! (If you never got a chance to play this variant though, sorry.)
Atomic
Atomic is a chess variant in which if you capture a piece, the pieces one square every direction away from the capturer get blown up. The capturing piece gets blown up too. Pawns aren’t affected from explosions if they were not the capturer. Kings can go next to each other, they can’t capture, and players can ignore checks if they can blow up the enemy’s king. If you capture en passant, then the square where the capturer lands is where the middle of the explosion is.
Giveaway
Giveaway is a chess variant in which you are trying to give away all of your pieces (hence the name). If you can capture an enemy piece, though, the computer gives you only one option: capture the piece. Also, if you stalemate, you win, and en passant counts as a capture. You can capture kings, kings can go next to each other, there is no castling, check, or checkmate, and pawns can promote to kings.
Horde
Horde is a variant in which if you are White, you have a horde of pawns (hence the name) and are trying to checkmate Black (you can promote your pawns) and if you are Black, you are trying to take all of White’s pawns and promoted pieces. White pawns have a choice to move 2 squares forward if they are on the 1st or 2nd ranks.
Chess960
Chess960 is a variant in which the pieces in the back rank are shuffled each time you play! There is no castling.
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is a chess variant in which you need to move your king to the center or checkmate to win, so center control is very important!
3 Check
3 Check is a variant in which you have to either check your opponent’s king three times (hence the name) or checkmate to win.
Blindfold
Blindfold is a variant in which you have to play without seeing any of the pieces, but if you click one of your pieces, it will show where it can move. Note that all of the moves, in the move tracker, will say “?” when played.
Capture Anything
Capture Anything is a chess variant in which you can (you guessed it) capture anything, including your own pieces!
Torpedo
Torpedo is a chess variant in which pawns can always move one or two squares forward, and en passant can happen anywhere on the board!
Sideways Pawns
Sideways Pawns is a chess variant in which you can move your pawns sideways one square, opening up files with ease!
Opposite-Side Castling
Opposite-Side Castling is a variant in which you and your opponent may not both castle in the same direction (both kingside or both queenside). You must castle differently, or don’t castle at all.
No Castling
No Castling is a chess variant in which you can’t castle, which leaves kings in the open; more exposed.
Chaturanga
Chaturanga is a chess variant in which there are a lot of changes to the rules. Pawns can only move one square at a time. Knights move the same way. Elephants (in the bishops’ spots) move two squares diagonally in any direction. Chariots (in the rooks’ spots) move like rooks. Counselors (in the queen’s spot) move one square diagonally in any direction. Pawns promote to a counselor on the 1st/8th rank. Checkmate, taking all of the opponent’s pieces except for the king, and stalemate is a win. There is no castling.
Gothic Chess
Gothic Chess is a chess variant in which you play on a 10x8 chess board. There are two new pieces around the king: the Archbishop (with a bottom like a Bishop’s) moves like a knight or a bishop, and the chancellor (with a bottom like a rook’s top) moves like a rook or a knight. To castle, the king moves 3 squares to either side, and the rook is dropped next to it.
Chaturaji
Chaturaji is a chess variant played on an 8x8 chess board. Your rook is in the corner, and your other pieces are put as if you only had the kingside half of your pieces. Pawns can only move one square per turn. Sailboats are rooks. Pawns promote to rooks on the 8th rank. Get the most points at the end to win!
Chaturaji Rules
Again, you cannot plead others to give up or anything like that.
XXL Chess
XXL Chess is a chess variant in which there are a lot more pieces. You get a cross between a bishop and a knight, a queen and a knight, a rook and a knight, and a king and a knight (that cannot be checked). Do you notice that last piece? That piece is like a knight, except it moves 3 squares to any side (except diagonal sides) and one square to the side. It’s like an extended knight. Pawns promote to queens on the eighth rank to you, fortunately not the fourteenth rank, which is the size of the board.
Petrified
Petrified is a chess variant in which if you capture, the capturing piece turns to stone (becomes petrified) and cannot move for the rest of the game. Other pieces can’t land on stones. Kings cannot capture. Win by checkmating your opponent or getting stalemated yourself.
4 Player Fog of War
4 Player Fog of War is a chess variant that is 4 Player Chess, but you can only see the squares where your pieces can move to, and the rules have changed a bit:
Crazyhouse
Crazyhouse is a chess variant that is the same as normal chess, but when you capture a piece, that piece goes over to you and you may place it on the board on your turn! The only rules are that you must place the piece on an empty square, and pawns cannot be placed on the 1st or 8th ranks. The way to access Crazyhouse is to go to your friends tab, challenge one of them, click the bar that says vs *FRIENDNAME* and a little cross sign should appear. Click it, and then click “Standard” and choose Crazyhouse!
Balanced
Balanced is more of an equal chess option, based on rating. It will take away pieces from the higher-rated person, so that the lower-rated person has more material. Note that you can only play Balanced against one of your friends. Challenge one of your friends, then click the “Standard” bar and there should be one at the bottom that says “Balanced” for you to play!
Custom
Custom is a mode in which you can freely make your own variant by choosing different selections! Use your creativity!
Mixes
Bells and Whistles: Sideways Pawns, Torpedo, Capture Anything, No Castling
Atomic Giveaway: Atomic, Giveaway
Giveaway in the Fog: Fog of War, Giveaway
Atomic Fog: Atomic, Fog of War
Atomic Giveaway Hill: Atomic, Giveaway, King of the Hill
Conclusion
Chess.com has bursted with new ways to play chess and speeds to play chess at, but it is crucial that we know how to play them. I hope you enjoyed, and have a better thorough knowledge of the variants and speeds!
