20 Chess Variants to Flex Your Strategy
Twenty chess variants, each one fully playable free in your browser: Chess960, Crazyhouse, Horde, Racing Kings, Antichess, King of the Hill and more. Play against four computer levels or live against other players, with clocks, Elo ratings and analysis afterwards. Each variant removes part of the game so one skill gets your full attention.
Which chess variant should you play?
Standard Chess
The classic game, exactly as the tournament rulebook says.…
Chess960 / Fischer Random
Bobby Fischer's shuffle: the back rank is randomized (bishops on opposite colors, king between rooks), the same f…
Double Random
Chess960 gone rogue: each side gets its OWN random back rank. Pure chaos, zero opening theory.…
Crazyhouse
Captured pieces join YOUR hand. Drop them back on any empty square as your move. Wild, tactical, addictive.…
King of the Hill
Walk your king to any of the four center squares (d4, e4, d5, e5) to win instantly, or checkmate as usual.…
Three-Check
Give check three times and you win. Every check counts, and checkmate also still wins.…
Horde
White commands 36 pawns and no king; Black has a normal army. White wins by checkmate, Black wins by devouring…
Racing Kings
Both armies start on the first two ranks. First king to reach the 8th rank wins, and checks are completely fo…
Antichess (Giveaway)
Lose everything to win! Captures are FORCED, there is no check, and the first player with no pieces or no move…
Really Bad Chess
Your requested "very bad chess": both armies are completely random piles of pieces. Maybe you get four queens.…
Mirror Random
Really Bad Chess, but FAIR: one random army, mirrored to both sides. Equal chaos for all.…
No-Castling Chess
Kramnik's proposal: standard chess with castling abolished. Kings stay in the center, so attacks come early.…
Pawn Battle
Eight pawns and a king each. First player to promote a pawn, or deliver mate, wins. The purest endgame train…
Peasants' Revolt
Eight brave pawns against four knights. The classic asymmetric struggle: can the peasants storm the castle?…
Charge of the Light Brigade
Three queens versus seven knights. Raw power against a swarming cavalry.…
Upside-Down
The armies start on each other's side of the board, so every pawn is one step from promotion. Blink and it's a q…
Knight Odds
The computer plays without its queenside knight. The classic teaching handicap. Convert your material edge!…
Rook Odds
The computer plays without its queenside rook. A bigger head start for bigger lessons.…
Queen Odds
The computer plays with NO queen. Perfect for brand-new players learning to win a won game.…
Endgame Arena
Jump straight into a randomly generated winning endgame: K+Q, K+R, K+P and friends. Practice the technique th…
Guides to choosing and learning variants
Which variant to play, how each one works and how long it takes to learn, one guide per question.
- Chess Variants Alternatives and When Each One Wins
- How Much Do Chess Variants Cost to Play?
- Chess Variants Examples and What Each One Teaches
- Chess Variants Mistakes That Waste Practice Time
- Chess Variants vs Standard Chess: Which Should You Play?
- Chess Variants by Yourself or With a Coach?
- How Chess Variants Work, Step by Step
- How Long Do Chess Variants Take to Learn?
- How to Choose Chess Variants for Practice
- Questions to Ask Before You Try Chess Variants