King of the Hill
Reach the middle and the game ends. Get your king to d4, e4, d5 or e5 without being in check and you win on the spot. Everything else, checkmate included, works normally. The safest piece on the board becomes the most aggressive one, and holding king safety and king activity in your head together is the whole difficulty.
Start a free game of King of the Hill in the browser while you read; no sign-up.
The rules
Standard chess with one addition: if your king reaches d4, e4, d5 or e5 and is not in check, you win immediately. Checkmate and all normal rules still apply.
Why it is worth playing
King of the Hill turns the safest piece on the board into the most aggressive one. Every plan you have ever had about king safety is now in tension with a second plan about king activity, and holding both in your head at once is the whole game.
Four plans that win games
Control the four squares, not just your king's path
d4, e4, d5 and e5 are the only squares that matter. A knight covering two of them is worth more than a rook on an open file.
Trade pieces when your king is closer
This is an endgame race disguised as a middlegame. The fewer pieces on the board, the safer your king's march becomes.
Use the king as an attacker in the middlegame
Genuinely. A king on e3 supported by pawns is both a winning threat and a strong piece. It feels wrong. It is correct.
Block, do not chase
You cannot usually catch an advancing king. You can put a pawn or a knight on the square he needs.
Mistakes that lose games
Do not race blindly
Count the moves. If they arrive first, you have lost, and there is no consolation prize for being close.
Watch for the king walk during a queen trade
Trading queens looks safe and often hands the opponent a free run to the centre.
Remember the king cannot arrive in check
A single check on the winning square resets the whole plan. That is your main defensive resource.
What it teaches you about standard chess
The king is a piece
Standard chess teaches you to hide the king for forty moves and then suddenly use him. King of the Hill collapses that into one game, and the instinct it builds, that the king has a value and a job, is exactly what wins endgames.
King of the Hill does what every good variant does: it removes part of chess so that what is left gets your full attention, and the habit comes back with you to the standard game. The full argument, and which variant trains what, is in the coach's guide to variants.
Who it suits
Players who want a completely fresh win condition without learning new piece movements. The easiest variant to pick up in five minutes.
You can play it right now on any device, in a browser, against a full engine, with no download and no account. If you have never tried a variant before, give it three games rather than one: the first is spent learning the rules, and the second is where it starts being chess.
Play King of the Hill free right now
In the browser, against a real engine, no sign-up. One of twenty variants in the Grandmaster Gains Academy.
♔ Play King of the HillCommon questions
What are the rules of King of the Hill?
Standard chess with one addition: if your king reaches d4, e4, d5 or e5 and is not in check, you win immediately. Checkmate and all normal rules still apply.
Is King of the Hill hard to learn?
The rules take about two minutes. Players who want a completely fresh win condition without learning new piece movements. The easiest variant to pick up in five minutes.
What is the best strategy in King of the Hill?
Control the four squares, not just your king's path. d4, e4, d5 and e5 are the only squares that matter. A knight covering two of them is worth more than a rook on an open file.
Where can I play King of the Hill free?
Grandmaster Gains has King of the Hill playable in the browser against a full engine, free and with no sign-up, alongside nineteen other variants.
Will playing King of the Hill improve my normal chess?
The king is a piece. Standard chess teaches you to hide the king for forty moves and then suddenly use him. King of the Hill collapses that into one game, and the instinct it builds, that the king has a value and a job, is exactly what wins endgames.
What is the biggest mistake beginners make in King of the Hill?
Do not race blindly. Count the moves. If they arrive first, you have lost, and there is no consolation prize for being close.
More variants
- Three-Check Chess: Check your opponent three times and you win. Checkmate optional.
- Horde Chess: White has 36 pawns and no other pieces. Black has a normal army.
- Racing Kings: Both kings race for the eighth rank. No checks allowed, ever.
- Antichess (Losing Chess): Capturing is compulsory and losing all your pieces wins the game.
Teaching with variants?
Each variant isolates one skill and drills it harder than any exercise. The coach's guide to variants covers which one to use for what, or see the trainer classroom.