Introduction
Chess has its origins in the Muslim game of Shatranj, which derives from the Indian game of Chaturanga. It is also related to Xiangqi in China, to Janggi in Korea, and to Shogi in Japan. Besides these and various other historical and regional relatives, many other games have been inspired by or based on Chess and its relatives. All of these games are similar to Chess yet also different from it in various ways. Thanks to computers and the internet, it is now possible to play several of these Chess variants without physical boards and pieces. This website – The Chess Variant Pages – is here for cataloging, discussing, and playing the many games that are based on, related to, or similar enough to Chess.
- What is a Chess Variant?
- The History of Chess Variants
- Why Should I Play Them?
- Where Can I Find Equipment or Opponents?
- Which are the Best?
- How Can I Design and Post my Own?
- Who are Behind the Chess Variant Pages?
Chess Variant Kits
- On Designing Good Chess Variants
- Chess Variant Construction Set
- House of Staunton Chess Variant Kits
- Diagram Designer
- Play Chess Variants with Game Courier
What's New?
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Last Game Courier move entered 9 minutes ago.
Last Game Courier open invitation made 20 hours ago.
Last Game Courier game finished 2 DAYS ago.
Last kibbitz comment entered 6 DAYS ago.
Last Chess Variant problem added 889 DAYS ago.
Last comment or rating entered 13 hours ago.
Last game review entered 4 DAYS ago.
Week ending Aug 18, 2018
Unicode Fonts with Chess Piece Images. 
Added image of unknown font on Kindle Fire. Author: Fergus Duniho.
Green Chess. More than 100 chess variants playable online. By János M. Uray.
Unknown Drop Shogi. It is unknown what kind of piece your opponent dropped. By (zzo38) A. Black.
Review New Submissions. A listing of all submissions still awaiting editorial approval.
Week ending Aug 11, 2018
Rules of Chess: Check, Mate, and Stalemate. Updated graphics, text, and formatting; added new material. Author: Hans L. Bodlaender and Fergus Duniho.
- Rules of Chess: The 50 moves rule. Updated graphics, text, and formatting; added info on 75-move rule. Author: Hans L. Bodlaender and Fergus Duniho.
- Rules of Chess: Pawns FAQ. Updated graphics, text, and formatting. Author: Hans L. Bodlaender and Fergus Duniho.
Week ending Aug 04, 2018
- Rules of Chess: Castling FAQ. Replaced diagrams; edited text and formatting. Author: Hans L. Bodlaender.
- Typhoon (Revised). Corrected link. (12x12, Cells: 144) By Adrian King.
Week ending Jul 28, 2018
Rifle Chess. Take a move to capture an enemy piece without moving the capturing piece. Author: Kevin Pacey. Inventor: W. B. Seabrook.
- Replacement Chess. Replace your opponent's men on the board after you capture them. Author: Kevin Pacey.
Janggi: Korean Chess. Mostly rewritten with new graphics. (9x10, Cells: 90) (Recognized!) Author: Fergus Duniho and Jean-Louis Cazaux.
Xiangqi problem. Restored problem using Game Courier. Author: Hans L. Bodlaender and Fergus Duniho. Inventor: C. K. Lai.
- Isis and Cam. Fixed links and diagrams. (6x8, Cells: 48) By Charles Gilman.
- 4 Linepiece Fusion. Corrected link, some corrupted text, and bad HTML. (9x8, Cells: 72) By Charles Gilman.
- Basic Bestiary. Corrected link. (13x12, Cells: 156) By Charles Gilman.
- Turn Qi. Corrected links. (18x5, Cells: 90) By Charles Gilman.
- Gutenschach. Corrected link and some corrupted text. (8x8x8, Cells: 512) By Charles Gilman.
- 3 Strikes Chess. Corrected links. (8x8, Cells: 64) By Charles Gilman.
- Empty Cube Chess. Fixed corrupted text. (8x8x8, Cells: 296) By Charles Gilman.
Week ending Jul 21, 2018
- GraTiA. Corrected link and some corrupted text. (13x12, Cells: 156) By Charles Gilman.
- Carnival of the Animals. Corrected link. (8x8, Cells: 64) By Charles Gilman.
- Hafts. Corrected links. (8x8, Cells: 64) By Charles Gilman.
Total items listed: 23