History of Chess Variants

The earliest form of Chess from India, known as Chaturanga.

Sittuyin စစ်တုရင် is known as Burmese chess. Players start with the minor pieces in hand and place them on their side of the board in the setup of the game. Rooks must be placed on the back rank. Pawns can only promote to Queen (Fers) if Queen is already captured.

Chess as it was played before being introduced to Europe.

Earliest form of Shogi, based on reconstruction of the game from the Heian period of Japan.

A historical large Shogi variant from the Heian period of Japan, originally named Dai Shōgi, now called Heian Dai Shōgi to distinguish it from the modern variant.

Courier game (German Läufer-spiel) is a chess varient that dates to the 12th Century.

Large Shōgi, played on a 15x15 board. Distinguishing features include drops and promotion zones.

This is a Medieval Chess game reconstructed by Jean-Louis Cazaux. Murray has Lion as a Threeleaper and Giraffe as a (4,1) leaper. No castling. Stalemate is a win.

Medium Shōgi, played on a 12x12 board. Derived from Dai Shōgi. Distinguishing features include drops and promotion zones.

Historical Small Shogi, played on a 9x9 board. Derived from Heian Shogi, the immediate predecessor of modern Shogi. Differs from modern Shogi by the additional Drunk Elephant piece.

The standard 8x8 chess board and pieces, as we know it today.

Italian Priest Pietro Carrera published a book 'Il Gioco degli Scacchi' 'The Game of Chess' in 1617 which included this variant using a 'Campione' (Champion) Rook+Knight, and a 'Centauro' (Centaur) Bishop+Knight.

Japanese Chess played on a 9x9 board. Distinguishing features include drops and promotion zones.

Stalemate is a win. Castling is four squares.

In 1874, British chess player George Bird published an article suggesting this variant as an improvement of Carrera's Chess, giving the central pawns more importance.

Chancellor Chess is played on a 9x9 with the additional Chancellor piece.

This is actually solved with a forced win for Black using the Sepoys (default Army), but is still interesting to play and listed here for completeness.

Double Chess is double the pieces of standard chess on a 16x12 board.

Pieces start the same as standard chess, but Rooks can combine with Bishops to form a Queen, Rooks can combine with Knights to form an Empress, and Bishops can combine with Knights to form a Princess.

This variant was created by Hugo Legler in 1923, replacing one of the Rooks and Knights with a Chancellor and Archbishop respectively.

Chess legend José Raúl Capablanca created this variant around 1926, refining the Carrera's Chess variant.

Each side starts with a Falcon and Hunter in hand. After a minor piece is captured, a player may use his turn to place one of those pieces anywhere on their back rank.

Created for the first chess playing computer MANIAC-I at Los Alamos Labs. No castling.

Also know as Dunce's Chess. Pieces can only move forward. No promotion. Stalemate is a win.

Parton adds an extra Biok and Roshop, moving the knights to the front rank.

Parton makes Chess into a more checkers-like game.

Modern Chess is a more symetrical 9x9 Chess variant.

Parton adds two pieces to the regular chess set, on a 10x10 board.

Captured pieces are held in hand and dropped as a turn, but cannot capture on a drop.

Players move simultaneously, Knights capture pawns and equal pieces capture each other. Win by capturing all pawns.

This is a variant of Tamerlane Chess (Great Chess) created in 1978 by Jean-Louis Cazaux and last revised in 2000.

Trice believes this is the ideal setup for the Carrera style of chess variants.

Janus Chess is a chess variant invented in 1978 by Werner Schöndorf, as another iteration of Carrera's Chess.

Whale Shogi (鯨将棋 kujira shōgi) is a modern variant of shogi. Porpoise promotes to Killer Whale (Dragon King) after capturing. Dolphins (Shogi Pawns) can move backwards like a bishop on the last rank.

Grand Chess is a variant of Chess created in 1984 by Christian Freeling. Pawns may only promote to captured pieces. There is no castling.

Animal themed chess meant to add more leapers to the game. Pawns may leap orthogonally any distance as long as they land on their half of the board.

Pawns can capture en passant. King moves two squares to castle.

Okisaki shōgi 'Queen shogi' features the Western Queen and Knights.

Captured pieces are held in hand and dropped as a turn, but cannot capture on a drop.

This game is considered to be a predacessor to Metamachy Chess.

Once per game a player may replace an unmoved Pawn with a Jester. Pawns and Jesters may promote to Sorcerers.

Gigachess is a variant of Chess created in 2001 by Jean-Louis Cazaux. No castling.

Embassy Chess is a variant of Grand Chess created in 2005 by Kevin Hill.

Whale Shogi (鯨将棋 kujira shōgi) is a modern variant of shogi. Porpoise promotes to Killer Whale (Dragon King) after capturing. Dolphins (Shogi Pawns) can move backwards like a bishop on the last rank.

An alternative starting position for Carrera Chess.

An alternative starting position for Carrera Chess adapted from Universal Chess.

Each side starts with a Hawk (Archbishop) and Elephant (Chancellor) in hand. Those pieces may be placed in the vacated square immediately after a back-rank piece is moved for the first time.

Ito Shōgi (String Shogi) is a variant of Shogi that was created in 2007 by Jonathan Rutherford and revised in 2022.

A childrens game for learning Shōgi. Also sold as 'Let's Catch the Lion!'. Chick (Shōgi Pawn) promotes to Hen (Gold General).

King, Queen, Lion, and Aanca can be placed anywhere f1-g2 for 12 possible starting positions. King has an inital 2 move jump.

Two pieces are used and placed behind two pieces on the back rank. The Cannon and Leopard are used by default but each player has the chance to replace a piece for both players. Pieces enter the board on the back rank when the position in front of them is freed by a move.

The Emperor piece is about balanced with the classic army and Musketeer provides this as a variant.

Tamerlane Chess with the empty spaces filled in with additional pieces.

In the style of Omega Chess with a stronger piece balance. Elephant and Hawk enter on the back rank as a move.

Achbishops flank the King and Queen in this Carrera variant.

White chooses a piece to place on b1 and b8. Black chooses a piece to place on i1 and i8.