Custom Positions tips

1. Ral's Trapped Queens Variant

In this custom position, there are two queens on the board, but both of them are trapped by pawns. The objectives of the position are to develop pieces, sacrifice as little as possible to free up your queen, promote the many pawns on the first 2 files and to checkmate your opponent! There are many strategies of freeing the queen, like just sacrificing a rook right away, but you need to be very careful that the other side does not capture a third or sixth rank pawn resulting in promotion, and in many games, it has been possible to sacrifice a bishop instead, which is less material to sacrifice. Also, there are a few tactics in the position that I did not find out myself until I played this position in a tournament, but I will leave you to find those out!

Tournaments in this position: https://www.chess.com/tournament/rals-trapped-queens-variant-position-made-by-ralral3333 

2. Overly Ambitious

In this custom position, the entire board is blocked, and black only has 1 move to consider until white sacrifices to try and promote the pawns on the last few files. The position is already drawn at the beginning as white can draw by 50 move rule or repetition, but the fun comes when white sacrifices a knight to try and promote pawns. Although black has a queen, either side can win or it can be a draw once white sacrifices, so the question is for white: will you take the risk of losing in order to win?

Tournaments in this position: https://www.chess.com/tournament/overly-ambitious-tournament-position-made-by-ralral3333 

https://www.chess.com/tournament/fun-special-i-overly-ambitious-tournament 

3. Promotion Prevention

In this custom position, each king is behind a bunch of pawns that can easily promote. Each side tries to rush their pawns to promotion while using their pieces other than the pawns to try and prevent their opponent from promoting their pieces. It does take a few moves to release the pieces, behind the army of pawns, but it is well worth it, otherwise the other side can easily promote their pawns

4. Ral's Trapped Kings Variant

This custom position is very similar to my first carefully thought out custom position, my trapped queens variant. In this custom position, the kings take the place of the queens in the trapped queens variant and there are knights instead of bishops. Surprisingly, although the position is very similar to the trapped queens variant one, the game is entirely different!

5. Sideways Chess

I know that there is n upside down chess variant that looks like a standard game except the pawns are one rank from promotion, so inspired by that variant, I created sideways chess! Like upside down chess, pawn promotion will be very important.

6. Ral's Lunar Eclipse Position

The pieces in this position are in the shape of a moon, and there are many pawn promotion strategies for this position as the pawns are on opposite sides of the board. Even if you are down material, you can still break through and promote pawns to win the game!

7. Danger

Probably the craziest position I have made that I like. Very interesting for both sides. You must be careful not to make mistakes though. It is also surprisingly very close to even so it is definitely playable for both sides. Although black is up material at the start of the game, initially, black's king has no squares to go to. White can also try to promote pawns later in the game.

8. Miserable Kings

This is a very attacking focused position as both kings are exposed and can easily be attacked. Early in the game, both sides will try hard to checkmate the enemy king, but if there are no early checkmates, the game will likely go into a pawn promotion endgame.

9. Overly Ambitious Version 2

This position is similar to the original "Overly Ambitious" but black has one less pawn and different knight placement as well as having one less knight replaced with a dark-squared bishop. The dark squared bishop is very inactive in the position, but can defend against an attack on the files f-g especially. The placement of the dark-squared bishop and the one pawn lost for black makes it more ideal for white to attack on the files a-c whereas the original position features a more ideal attack on the files f-g. Black also has some ideas to sacrifice the knight in this position. Note that analysis may say that black is better, but the top variations that the computer shows go to +0 after some moves so therefore I still believe that this is a drawn position like the original.
Tournaments in this position: https://www.chess.com/tournament/fun-special-ii-overly-ambitious-tournament-version-2 

10. Locked

In this position, each side's pieces are locked up with minimal possible moves, so at least 1 sacrifice is required. White has an extra piece, but white must sacrifice it. The center is also very much blocked off. As it is hard to bring pieces across the board, after a sacrifice, the idea of promoting pawns also comes into play as well as the idea of taking the opponent's center pawns

Tournaments in this position: https://www.chess.com/tournament/trapped-custom-position

11. Ral's Trapped Queens Variant Version 2

In the second version of the trapped queens variant, each side is able to sacrifice a knight for pawns to free the queen - if they want to! While one side might try to set up a sacrifice to free the queen, the other side could be busy planning an attack! Each side has two bishops of the same colour. Same coloured bishops tend to interfere with each other, so perhaps sacrifificing one for some pawns can work? One thing is for sure: lots of fun in the second version of the trapped queens variant. 

12. Triple Knight Defense

This custom position has plenty of fun packed into it! There are themes of opposite side king attacks and pawn promotions, but this position is different than others with similar themes! The three knights are very good at defending the position for both sides meaning that it becomes difficult to launch a big attack. But due to the pawn setup, this means that if the game does go to an endgame, the player who has a better pawn setup and who pushes their pawns at the right time will likely win. Don't push your pawns too early or you might sacrifice your king safety and get checkmated!

13. Mini Chess

This position I came across in a tournament. This is chess with just a king, a queen, 2 bishops and 4 pawns each.

Tournaments in this position https://www.chess.com/tournament/minigame

14. Endgame challenge 1K vs. 1K2B.

 This is set up is an Endgame position. 1 King and 2 bishops vs. a king.  I think out of the opening, middle game and the endgames stages. The endgame can get overlooked.  That’s why I’ve created this, an endgame challenge of 1 King and 2 bishops vs. a King. You got 50 moves to try to checkmate failing that, it be a draw due to the 50 move rule, providing nothing is captured in the 50 moves. If white timeouts it be counted as a draw due to “Game drawn by insufficient material”. With that in mind this will be set to 14 days. So there be less chance of timeouts. It be interesting how many of you work it out, to checkmate with 2 bishops. 

 Tournaments in this position https://www.chess.com/tournament/tcbc-special-i-endgame-challenge-1k-vs-1k2b-unrated

15. 8 Pawns vs 2 Bishops

This position if the players are equal strength then white should win but if white does not know the technique then black could win.

Tournaments in this position https://www.chess.com/tournament/8-prawns-vs-2-bishops

16. Horda

This position I came across in a tournament.  If the players are equal strength then black should win but if Black does not know the technique then black could win

Tournaments in this position https://www.chess.com/tournament/horda

17.  Knight and Queens

 It plays using standard chess rules, except for no castling, only pawns on the 2nd and 7th ranks can move 2 spaces on their first move and en passant captures only occur with the pawns at their usual ranks in standard chess (3rd and 6th ranks). Pawns can be promoted into any piece

Tournaments in this position https://www.chess.com/tournament/knights-and-queens-is-back

18.  Pawns vs 8 Pawns

This is a position set up of the just both the kings and the 8 prawns in there starting positions. I think out of the opening, middle game and the endgames stages. The endgame can get overlooked.  That’s why I’ve created this an endgame challenge of 8 pawns vs. 8 pawns. There is a numbers touraments that are doing this set up.

Once such Tournaments in this position is https://www.chess.com/tournament/8-prawns-vs-8-prawns

19.  Decisions, decisions and decisions. (1K vs. 1K1B1N1,)

This basically becomes A King, a Bishop, a knight vs. a King, If the pawn under promotes to a knight then forking the king and the queen then wining the queen.  This is the hardest forced positions using a king and 2 pieces vs. a king, this endgame is rare. Because this happens so rare I think not many people know the technique.  You got 50 moves to try to checkmate failing that, it be a draw due to the 50 move rule, providing nothing is captured in the 50 moves. If white timeouts it be counted as a draw due to “Game drawn by insufficient material”.

This is one of the 4 basic forced checkmates vs. an alone king.  In order of difficulty

1 king vs. King and a Queen,

1 King vs. King and Rook,

1 king vs. King and 2 Bishops.

1 king vs.  King and a Bishops and a Knight.

1 king vs. King and 2 Knights doses not count as a king and 2 knights vs. a king can’t force a checkmate,