--Next to orthodox Chess (aka FIDE or Mad Queen), XBoard supports many other Chess variants. -This includes the World's major forms of Chess: Chinese, FIDE, Japanese, and Thai Chess. -But also many popular western variants (Suicide Chess, Crazyhouse, Chess960, Gothic/Capablanca Chess, Seirawan Chess). -
--Full support by XBoard means that the latter is fully aware of how all pieces move, and what the winning condition is. -This means the variant can be played with the option Test Legality switched on, -and that it can accurately check any result claims that engines make. -Non-supported variants can often be played with legality checking switched off. -Then any of the 22 piece types known by XBoard can be used in ways XBoard does not expect. -The only real drawback of this is that the game notation looks a bit crummy, -with many spurious or missing disambiguators, check and checkmate symbols. -XBoard will always be able to read suh games back, however (as on reading it suffers from the same misconceptions on piece movement). -This can be kept baerable by choosing XBoard supported pieces to represent the unsupported ones that -move as similar as possible. -
--Some variants are only partially supported. -This means they have to be played with legality checking off, -although XBoard knows they exist, and even implements some of their rules that no other variant would allow. -For instance, in Berolina Chess Pawns move diagonally, and in any other variant this would lead to disappearence -of other Pawns during the game, as normally XBoard interprets a diagonal Pawn move to an empty square as e.p. capture. -
--The following list tries to group all variants by properties. -Some duplicates occur when a variant fits in more than one group. -
-| - - | -= recommended - |
| -FIDE Chess | The modern international game, second in popularity only to Xiangqi - |
| -Shuffle games with normal pieces - | |
| -Wild Castle | Shuffles the initial FIDE setup, leaving King and Rooks in place - |
| -No Castle | More aggressive shuffling of the initial FIDE setup, without castling - |
| -Chess960 | A Shuffle variant where even Kings and Rooks in non-standard location can castle - |
| -Variants with piece drops - | |
| -Crazyhouse | Pieces you capture are added to your army, by dropping them back onto the board - |
| -Bughouse | four-player game that XBoard can only play with the aid of an Internet Chess Server - |
| -Shogi | Japanese Chess, where pieces you captured can be dropped to strengthen your own army - |
| -mini-Shogi | Highly simplified and very tactical mini version of Shogi (on 5x5 board) - |
| -Unusual winning conditions - | |
| -Suicide Chess | Win by getting rid of all your material by mandatory capture - |
| -Give-Away Chess | Win by getting rid of all your material by mandatory capture - |
| -Losers Chess | Win by being left with a bare King - |
| -3-checks | Lose by being checked 3 times - |
| -Variants with various intrusive rules - | |
| -Atomic Chess | Pieces that capture explode, destroying anything in the vicinity - |
| -Cylinder Chess | The a-file and h-file connect to make the board a cylinder - |
| -TwoKings | Play with two Kings, changing which one is royal during the game - |
| -Variants where just a few pieces move in unorthodox ways - | |
| -Shatranj | Ancient Arabic/Persian Chess, with primitive Queen and Bishops - |
| -Berolina Chess | Pawns capture straight ahead, and move diagonally - |
| -ASEAN | South-East Asian Chess, a modernized version of Makruk - |
| -Knightmate | Try to checkmate a single Royal Knight with (amongst others) two non-royal Kings - |
| -Falcon Chess | Two (Rook-class) Falcon pieces augment FIDE on a 10-wide board - |
| -Mighty-Lion Chess | All-powerful Lions can capture other pieces en-passant, or two pieces at once - |
| -Variants with extra Rook-Knight and Bishop-Knight compound pieces - | |
| -Seirawan Chess | Two extra super-pieces can be 'gated' onto the board during the opening - |
| -Capablanca Chess | Two super-pieces are added to FIDE on a 10-wide board - |
| -Gothic Chess | Two super-pieces are added to FIDE on a 10-wide board, with stream-lined initial setup - |
| -Janus Chess | Two Janus super-pieces (B-N compounds) are added to FIDE on a 10-wide board - |
| -Capablanca Random Chess | Capablanca Chess with shuffled initial setup, with generalized castling rules - |
| -Grand Chess | Chess on a 10x10 board with two extra super-pieces - |
| -Oriental forms of Chess - | |
| -Xiangqi | Chinese Chess, where the King is confined to a Palace - |
| -Shogi | Japanese Chess, where pieces you captured can be dropped to strengthen your own army - |
| -Sho Shogi | Ancient precurser of the modern Japanese 9x9 Shogi game (without drops) - |
| -Chu Shogi | Ancient Japanese Chess with many pieces on a 12x12 board, and a Lion super-piece - |
| -Makruk | Thai Chess, with an interesting Elephant piece - |
| -ASEAN | South-East Asian Chess, a modernized version of Makruk - |
| -Variants with mostly un-orthodox pieces - | |
| -Courier Chess | Mediaval precursor of Chess, combining Shatranj with modern pieces on a wide board - |
| -Superchess | Randomly picked unorthodox pieces of many kinds replace some of your FIDE pieces - |
| -Great Shatranj | Version of Capablanca Chess that replaces all sliding moves by 2-square jumps - |
| -Spartan Chess | Two different armies (Persians and Spartans, the latter lead by two Kings) battle each other - |
| -Chess with Different Armies | Pick one of a set of (mostly) unsual armies to battle a completely different army - |
| -Chu Shogi | Ancient Japanese Chess with many pieces on a 12x12 board, and a Lion super-piece - |
| -Chu Chess | Intermediate between Chess and Chu shogi, on a 10x10 board - |
| -Cambodian Chess | - |
| -Ai-Wok Makruk | - |
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- + +Next to orthodox Chess (aka FIDE or Mad Queen), XBoard + supports many other Chess variants. This includes the World's + major forms of Chess: Chinese, FIDE, Japanese, and Thai Chess. + But also many popular western variants (Suicide Chess, + Crazyhouse, Chess960, Gothic/Capablanca Chess, Seirawan + Chess).
+ +Full support by XBoard means that the latter is fully aware of + how all pieces move, and what the winning condition is. This + means the variant can be played with the option Test Legality + switched on, and that it can accurately check any result claims + that engines make. Non-supported variants can often be played + with legality checking switched off. Then any of the 22 piece + types known by XBoard can be used in ways XBoard does not expect. + The only real drawback of this is that the game notation looks a + bit crummy, with many spurious or missing disambiguators, check + and checkmate symbols. XBoard will always be able to read suh + games back, however (as on reading it suffers from the same + misconceptions on piece movement). This can be kept baerable by + choosing XBoard supported pieces to represent the unsupported + ones that move as similar as possible.
+ +Some variants are only partially supported. This means they + have to be played with legality checking off, although XBoard + knows they exist, and even implements some of their rules that no + other variant would allow. For instance, in Berolina Chess Pawns + move diagonally, and in any other variant this would lead to + disappearence of other Pawns during the game, as normally XBoard + interprets a diagonal Pawn move to an empty square as e.p. + capture.
+ +The following list tries to group all variants by properties. + Some duplicates occur when a variant fits in more than one + group.
+ +| + + | = recommended | +
| FIDE Chess | + +The modern international game, second in popularity only + to Xiangqi | +
| Shuffle games with normal pieces | +|
| Wild Castle | + +Shuffles the initial FIDE setup, leaving King and Rooks + in place | +
| No Castle | + +More aggressive shuffling of the initial FIDE setup, + without castling | +
| Chess960 | + +A Shuffle variant where even Kings and Rooks in + non-standard location can castle | +
| Variants with piece drops | +|
| Crazyhouse | + +Pieces you capture are added to your army, by dropping + them back onto the board | +
| Bughouse | + +four-player game that XBoard can only play with the aid + of an Internet Chess Server | +
| Shogi | + +Japanese Chess, where pieces you captured can be dropped + to strengthen your own army | +
| mini-Shogi | + +Highly simplified and very tactical mini version of Shogi + (on 5x5 board) | +
| Unusual winning conditions | +|
| Suicide Chess | + +Win by getting rid of all your material by mandatory + capture | +
| Give-Away Chess | + +Win by getting rid of all your material by mandatory + capture | +
| Losers Chess | + +Win by being left with a bare King | +
| 3-checks | + +Lose by being checked 3 times | +
| Variants with various intrusive + rules | +|
| Atomic Chess | + +Pieces that capture explode, destroying anything in the + vicinity | +
| Cylinder Chess | + +The a-file and h-file connect to make the board a + cylinder | +
| TwoKings | + +Play with two Kings, changing which one is royal during + the game | +
| Variants where just a few pieces move in + unorthodox ways | +|
| Shatranj | + +Ancient Arabic/Persian Chess, with primitive Queen and + Bishops | +
| Berolina Chess | + +Pawns capture straight ahead, and move diagonally | +
| ASEAN | + +South-East Asian Chess, a modernized version of + Makruk | +
| Knightmate | + +Try to checkmate a single Royal Knight with (amongst + others) two non-royal Kings | +
| Falcon Chess | + +Two (Rook-class) Falcon pieces augment FIDE on a 10-wide + board | +
| Mighty-Lion + Chess | + +All-powerful Lions can capture other pieces en-passant, + or two pieces at once | +
| Variants with extra Rook-Knight and + Bishop-Knight compound pieces | +|
| Seirawan Chess | + +Two extra super-pieces can be 'gated' onto the board + during the opening | +
| Capablanca Chess | + +Two super-pieces are added to FIDE on a 10-wide + board | +
| Gothic + Chess | + +Two super-pieces are added to FIDE on a 10-wide board, + with stream-lined initial setup | +
| Janus Chess | + +Two Janus super-pieces (B-N compounds) are added to FIDE + on a 10-wide board | +
| Capablanca Random Chess | + +Capablanca Chess with shuffled initial setup, with + generalized castling rules | +
| Grand Chess | + +Chess on a 10x10 board with two extra super-pieces | +
| Oriental forms of Chess | +|
| Xiangqi | + +Chinese Chess, where the King is confined to a + Palace | +
| Shogi | + +Japanese Chess, where pieces you captured can be dropped + to strengthen your own army | +
| Sho Shogi | + +Ancient precurser of the modern Japanese 9x9 Shogi game + (without drops) | +
| Chu Shogi | + +Ancient Japanese Chess with many pieces on a 12x12 board, + and a Lion super-piece | +
| Makruk | + +Thai Chess, with an interesting Elephant piece | +
| ASEAN | + +South-East Asian Chess, a modernized version of + Makruk | +
| Variants with mostly un-orthodox + pieces | +|
| Courier Chess | + +Mediaval precursor of Chess, combining Shatranj with + modern pieces on a wide board | +
| Superchess | + +Randomly picked unorthodox pieces of many kinds replace + some of your FIDE pieces | +
| Great Shatranj | + +Version of Capablanca Chess that replaces all sliding + moves by 2-square jumps | +
| Spartan + Chess | + +Two different armies (Persians and Spartans, the latter + lead by two Kings) battle each other | +
| Chess with Different Armies | + +Pick one of a set of (mostly) unsual armies to battle a + completely different army | +
| Chu Shogi | + +Ancient Japanese Chess with many pieces on a 12x12 board, + and a Lion super-piece | +
| Chu Chess | + +Intermediate between Chess and Chu shogi, on a 10x10 + board | +
| Cambodian Chess | + ++ |
| Ai-Wok Makruk | + ++ |