Chess960 (also called FischerRandom) is just like regular chess... except that the starting position is shuffled to include 960 different possible positions!

So you can throw out your opening book - but keep your opening principles!

You play the same, but you just have different placement of pieces on the back rank.

At first, the act of castling might seem strange, but really the result is the same as ever: the king/rook end up in the same position as when they castle in regular chess: king on g-file and rook on f-file for kingside; king on c-file and rook on d-file for queenside.

The "960" refers to the number of legal starting positions for this variant, where there is a rook on each side of the king and the bishops are each on a different-colored square.

To start a 960 game, go here: http://www.chess.com/echess/create_game.html

..and under Advanced Options choose Type: Chess960.

Or, find a game here: http://www.chess.com/echess/open_invites.html

For more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess960

How do I castle in a Chess960 game?

The most important thing to remember about castling in a 960 game is that the King and Rook end up on exactly the same squares as they would in a standard game:

Castling king-side (0-0) results in the King on the g-file and the Rook on the f-file;
likewise, castling queen-side (0-0-0) leaves the King on the c-file and the Rook on the d-file.

As always, the King and relevant Rook must not have any pieces between them; the King cannot move out of or through check; and the two pieces cannot have moved prior to castling. Same as always!

If you're having "technical difficulties" trying to castle (especially where there is only one square between the King and Rook), click first on the King, then on the Rook.

Keywords: 960, Fischer, Fischerrandom

Agent Jason Bourne

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