Chess Variants

Chess Variants

While standard chess has remained essentially unchanged since the 15th century, players have invented hundreds of variants that modify the rules, time controls, or board setup to create fresh challenges. Some variants are recognized by FIDE and played in official tournaments; others are popular online. Here are the most widely played chess variants in the world today.

Time Control Variants

The rules of chess remain identical, but the amount of thinking time changes the nature of the game dramatically. Each time control is essentially a different sport.

Classical Chess

The traditional format with 60+ minutes per player, often with time increments (additional seconds added after each move). Classical chess allows deep calculation and is the format used in World Championship matches. Games typically last 3-6 hours. This is the purest form of chess, where preparation, endurance, and strategic depth are all critical.

Rapid Chess

Each player gets 10-25 minutes for the entire game, sometimes with small increments. Rapid chess balances strategic depth with practical time management. Players must think quickly but still have enough time to calculate important variations. FIDE hosts a separate Rapid World Championship.

Blitz Chess

Each player gets 3-5 minutes for the entire game. Blitz is the most popular time control online and in casual play. Pattern recognition, intuition, and speed are more important than deep calculation. Blitz games are exciting to watch because the pace is relentless — every second matters.

Bullet Chess

Each player gets 1-2 minutes for the entire game. Bullet chess is almost purely about speed, reflexes, and pre-memorized patterns. Many moves are made in under a second. Strategic quality inevitably suffers, but the excitement and intensity are unmatched. Bullet is extremely popular on online platforms.

Board and Setup Variants

Chess960 (Fischer Random)

Invented by former World Champion Bobby Fischer in 1996, Chess960 randomizes the starting position of the back-rank pieces (with some constraints to preserve castling rights). There are 960 possible starting positions, hence the name. The rules of play are otherwise identical to standard chess. Chess960 eliminates opening theory memorization and forces players to rely on pure chess understanding from move one. FIDE hosts an official Chess960 World Championship.

Bughouse

A four-player team variant played on two boards. Partners sit side by side. When you capture a piece, you pass it to your partner, who can place it on their board as their own piece on any empty square. Bughouse is fast, chaotic, and emphasizes communication with your partner. It is one of the most popular casual chess variants, especially among students and club players.

Crazyhouse

Similar to Bughouse but for two players. When you capture a piece, it becomes your own and can be placed on any empty square instead of making a normal move. This dramatically increases tactical complexity — threats can appear on any square at any time, and material advantage is less meaningful because captured pieces can be redeployed. Crazyhouse has a dedicated following on online chess platforms.

Three-Check

Standard chess rules with an additional win condition: the first player to check the opponent's king three times wins. This changes the strategic balance completely, making aggressive play and piece sacrifices much more viable. Defensive play is harder because every check brings your opponent closer to winning.

King of the Hill

Standard chess with an additional win condition: if your king reaches one of the four center squares (d4, d5, e4, e5) and is not in check, you win immediately. This rewards aggressive king marches and central control, creating a unique tension between offense and defense.

Atomic Chess

When a piece is captured, an “explosion” destroys the capturing piece and all adjacent pieces (except pawns). If a king is caught in an explosion, that player loses. Atomic chess creates wildly different strategic considerations — a single capture can eliminate several pieces simultaneously, and king safety is paramount because kings can be destroyed by nearby captures.

Historical and Regional Variants

Shogi (Japanese Chess)

Played on a 9x9 board with 20 pieces per side. Shogi's defining feature is the drop rule: captured pieces can be placed back on the board as your own. This means games almost never end in draws, and tactical complexity increases as the game progresses rather than decreasing. Shogi is immensely popular in Japan.

Xiangqi (Chinese Chess)

Played on a 9x10 board with a river dividing the two halves and palaces restricting king movement. Xiangqi has different piece types including cannons (which capture by jumping over a screen piece) and advisors. With an estimated 200 million active players in China alone, Xiangqi may be the most-played chess variant in the world.

Makruk (Thai Chess)

The closest living relative to the original Chaturanga. Makruk uses a standard 8x8 board but retains the weaker piece movements of medieval chess — the queen moves only one square diagonally, and the bishop moves one square diagonally or forward. Makruk remains widely played in Thailand and Cambodia.