Chess Variants

What is Chess Variants?

Chess Variants takes the game you know and changes one rule, which changes everything. Shuffle the back rank in Chess960, race your king to the centre in King of the Hill, win with three checks in Three-Check, blow up the board in Atomic, hold off 36 pawns in Horde, or drop captured pieces back onto the board in Crazyhouse. Every variant has a short card that explains how it plays, and the board only ever offers you legal moves, so you learn the rules by playing.

Play the computer at four levels, from Easy, which really does make mistakes, to Insane, which searches as deep as it can in a few seconds. Play a friend on the same screen, or go online: quick match finds an opponent for the variant you pick, a private link invites a friend, and an optional clock keeps the game moving.

How to play Chess Variants

1. Pick a variant from the row of six at the top. The first time you open one, a card explains its rules; tap the question mark or "How it plays" any time to see it again.
2. Choose your opponent: vs Computer (then a level, Easy to Insane, and your colour), Online, or Same screen for two players on one device. Tap New game to start again.
3. Tap a piece to see its legal moves (dots for empty squares, rings for captures), then tap a target square or drag the piece there. When a pawn reaches the far rank, choose the piece it becomes.
4. In Chess960, castle by moving your king onto the square it lands on (the c or g file) or onto the rook it castles with.
5. In Crazyhouse, your captured pieces wait in the pocket under the board. Tap one, then tap an empty square to drop it, or drag it straight onto the board.
6. Against the computer, Undo takes back your last move and Hint shows a good move: two hints a game on Easy, one on Medium and Hard, none on Insane. Online, use the bar beside the board to offer a draw, resign, or ask for a rematch.

Chess Variants tips and strategy

• Chess960: develop the pieces that start in awkward corners first, and check which pawn moves open lines towards your own king before you play them.
• King of the Hill: the centre is a target from move one. Keep pawns on d4 and e4 (or d5 and e5) guarded, and remember that a king walking up the board can also be mated.
• Three-Check: count checks like material. A pawn traded for a safe check is often a good deal, and a king with no pawn cover can lose to three quick checks.
• Atomic: you can't capture next to your own king, and a piece beside the enemy king is a target. Early knight raids towards f7 and f2 are dangerous for both sides.
• Horde: as Black, trade into an open position and pick off pawns that can't be defended; as White, advance as a wall and only open lines when your pawns support each other.
• Crazyhouse: every capture arms your opponent too. Keep your king surrounded and count what is in both pockets before you trade.

The six variants

Chess960, also called Fischer Random, starts from one of 960 shuffled back ranks, with the bishops on opposite colours and the king between the rooks, so memorised openings disappear. King of the Hill adds a new way to win: get your king to one of the four centre squares. Three-Check is won by the first player to give check three times. In Atomic chess every capture explodes, removing the pieces around the capture square, and blowing up the king wins.

Horde pits 36 white pawns against a normal black army: Black must capture every pawn, while White wins by checkmate. Crazyhouse lets you drop any piece you capture back onto the board as your own, which makes for fast, tactical games full of sudden mating attacks. Every edge case is handled: castling with the rook on any file in Chess960, en passant and promotion in every variant, checks from promotions and discoveries in Three-Check, the king rules of Atomic, first-rank double steps in Horde and promoted pieces returning as pawns in Crazyhouse.

Play the computer at four levels

The computer plays every variant with the same search engine as Rocket Chess, taught each variant's goals: it walks its king towards the hill, counts checks, fears explosions next to its king, marches the horde and values pieces in the pocket. Easy looks only two half-moves ahead and regularly picks a weaker move, so beginners can win. Medium sees three half-moves with a little randomness. Hard searches five half-moves deep, and Insane searches as deep as it can in about three seconds a move, which beats most club players in these variants.

Hint asks the engine for a good move and highlights it (Easy allows two hints a game, Medium and Hard one, Insane none; undo doesn't give them back), and Undo takes back your last move and the computer's reply, so you can try a different idea.

Online play with a clock

Choose Online to play another person. Pick the variant and, if you like, a clock: one minute, three minutes plus two seconds a move, five plus three, or ten plus five. Quick match pairs you with the next player who wants the same variant and clock; Invite a friend gives you a link to send. The clock starts once both players have made their first move.

If your connection drops, the game reconnects by itself. If your opponent leaves for a minute you can claim the win. After a game either player can ask for a rematch, which swaps colours, and sign in with a free account to put online wins on the leaderboard.

Chess Variants FAQ