Chess is one of the oldest games that people still play today. It’s no surprise that there are some changes to the recipe since it’s been around for so long.
Some sources say that people have played chess for more than 1,500 years. Because of this, it’s not a surprise that there are many changes on the main idea. Chess has been played quickly, slowly (by mail in the past), and even against machines that were better than the best grandmasters in the world.
Some things that can change a game, though, are the amount of time you have and your AI opponents. More specific changes to the rules of chess have been made, which often go against what most people think. Millions of people have played chess for hundreds of years and liked it. There are so many ways to play that it will last for many hundreds more years.
Racing Kings
There are a lot of different ways to play chess, from quick moves to slow, careful planning. Chess, on the other hand, doesn’t generally remind people of Mario Kart or Forza, does it? The Racing Kings version doesn’t agree.
In this version of chess, the board is split vertically, and each person only has a certain number of pieces. To get the king to the end of the board, you have to avoid threats along the way. Even though Racing Kings doesn’t have the bright images of one Italian plumber’s car tricks, it has the same powerful ability to completely destroy an opponent with a well-placed bishop or rook.
Atomic
Nuclear war wasn’t even a thought when chess was created, hundreds of years from now. The Atomic version changes the qualities of several pieces, which leads to explosive results as expected. It’s a modern game for a modern age.
When pieces are captured, they now burst, killing all other life for several squares around them. Only pawns are safe from this blaze, so they can be used as shelters. Atomic players still need to be careful, though, because taking a nearby piece and then attacking their king in a roundabout way can still cause the royal icon to catch fire in the explosion. The king might want to find a safe before he plays another game.
Horde
People often think of pawns as the weakest piece in chess, which makes sense since they die so often. That being said, there is safety in numbers. In the Horde version of chess, an army of angry gun fodder is pitted against a normal chess formation. The results are very interesting.
One person controlling 36 pawns might not sound like a strong army, but it will be hard for the other player to break this formation. Black risks losing because of the huge number of pieces it has if it doesn’t stop White’s progress. But even a huge army of pawns needs to be careful when going up against strong bishops and queens. Horde may be one of the more odd and lopsided chess variations, but players will find it fun once the peasants’ revolt wind down.
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is not the same as the comedy with the same name that airs in Texas. This show has a simple but unique premise: get the king to the center. In meme openings like the Bongcloud, the king is pushed forward at the start of the game. This does involve moving the king, but most good chess advice says not to do it.
On paper, this version looks easy, but it will probably be hard to get to the hill. Other players can block the king’s path or checkmate the other player, so it takes careful planning for the king to ever reach his goal.
Crazyhouse
Every gamer knows how frustrating it is when an important piece is taken away. When playing Crazyhouse, a variation where taken pieces can be used again by the player who took them, that anger tends to get worse. This can cause boards where one player has stolen several queens, rooks, and horses from the other player. You can also place captured pieces in cleverly planned ways.
Many people don’t play Crazyhouse because they are afraid that their opponents will steal their pieces. But there is one good thing about Slope Game. As long as both players can take pieces and put them back out, the game can be kept somewhat even. Skilled players can find ways to get around the new rules to their benefit. For example, they might add a piece to make a surprising check.
3 Check
Checking is an important part of chess tactics and can be the first move that wins the game. However, checking does not end the game. It can force a player to give up pieces to protect their king or make a certain move. There is no clear winner because dozens of checks can be made and avoided. Checkmate means winning.
It’s not checkmate that decides the game in the 3 Check version. One player wins if they can make three checks before the other player can. Three Check gives players a crazy option, whether they want to use desperado suicide jumps or well-planned attacks. But even the smallest mistake can quickly turn things around.
Giveaway
In chess, losing a key piece can change the way the game is going, whether it’s by accident or on purpose. So, people who play regular chess try to keep their pieces and pawns or trade them for their opponent’s men whenever they can.
Not in Giveaway. For this type, the goal is to lose as many pieces as you can. In normal chess, it can be easy to lose pieces by chance. But playing to lose will test a player’s plans. In this version of anti-chess, players must also take an opponent’s piece if they can. This makes the game even harder.
5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel
There are crazy ideas that might work. 5D Chess is one of the games on Steam that has thousands of mostly good reviews. Every person has made a mistake they later felt bad about, so why not go back in time and try a different move? This breaks the board into several timelines, which is hard on the brain and gives players a whole new way to play.
Newcomers to this type of chess may find the changing and emerging scenarios confusing, but 5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel gives players a lot of ways to customize and deepen their experience. While 5D Chess isn’t for the faint of heart or people who are afraid of getting headaches, it shows that even old games can be made more fun by adding new rules.