Chess Variations

Anyone that plays chess knows that this is a great game that has a long history and there are many chess variations. With more than ten countries claiming to be the origin of this great game, you can only imagine how many chess variations are out there. Most of us are taught to play regular chess, but once we are comfortable with that it is a good idea to try some of the variants. Not only will the variants be fun and challenging, it will also improve your game and your strategy all around. Chess variations can involve a different board, different pieces, or simply different rules than your traditional chess game.

There are over 1500 recognized chess variations. One of the most common is Fischer Random chess, also known as Chess960 to some. This game is challenging because the initial position is chosen randomly before each game, so it is difficult to prepare your opening play in advance like you would in a traditional chess game. Other chess variants include Suicide Chess, which is a lot of fun and is different than traditional chess in that the goal of this game is to lose all of your pieces and if a piece is taken, it has to be taken by the opposite side.

Another popular variant is Bughouse chess, which involves two teams of players that play against one another. In this variation, captures pieces are given to the playing member's partner. There is also Marseillais chess, which is a good variant if you really want to play but don't have the time to sit down and play traditional chess. In Marseillais chess the game goes by much more quickly because two moves are made each turn, which obviously makes the game much speedier! If you are really crunched for time you may want to learn Progressive chess, where the number of plays increases with each turn. For instance, white will move one piece, black will move two, and white will move three, and so on. This is a lot of fun and is a rapid, intense game of chess.

Atomic chess is a favorite chess variant of some as it is also a rapid game, and quite involved. In this game the captured piece is removed from the board in addition to every other piece belonging to both players that is in a square adjacent to the piece that is captured. This truly is a fun game because every move can determine your win or loss and it can be difficult to determine which it will be. Atomic chess can improve your strategy and force you to slow down and really consider each move before you make it.

If you enjoy playing chess online you will find that there are a lot of great variations that you can learn there, as well. Some common variants that you will find on the Internet are King's Corner chess, King's Fortress chess, Horde chess, Extinction chess, Anti chess, Dark chess, Screen chess, crazy screen chess, Chinese chess also known as Xiangqi, and Dark Crazy Screen chess. All of these variants will force you to improve your game and ultimately you will be a very well rounded player, even if you are simply playing traditional chess.