Chess handicap
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A handicap in chess is a way to equal the chances for players of differing strengths. There are many kinds of such handicaps: Material handicaps, move handicaps, time handicaps, etc. Handicaps were quite popular in 18th and 19th centuries, when chess was often played for money stakes; a weaker player wouldn't agree to a match without a handicap. However, in modern times playing with handicaps is much less common.
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[edit] Standard handicap system
The following system was used by chess players in 18th and 19th centuries when playing for money stakes (in increasing handicap level; the stronger player gets white unless otherwise indicated):
- Move: Weaker player gets white.
- Two moves: Weaker player gets white and starts the game by making two moves.
- Pawn and move: Weaker player gets white and the black pawn on f7 is removed from the board.
- Knight odds: Stronger player plays without a knight. Usually this is the queen's knight on b1.
- Rook odds: Stronger player plays without a rook. Usually this is the queen's rook on a1, with the white pawn on a2 being moved to a3.
- Queen odds: Stronger player plays without the queen.
[edit] Time handicap
Time handicaps are most often practiced in blitz games. The stronger player gets less time. For example, the stronger player might get 2 minutes per game with the weaker player getting 5 minutes.
[edit] Other forms of handicap
In 16th-19th centuries sometimes pion coiffé (or capped pawn) handicap was used, usually for players of significantly different playing strength. The stronger player has to make the mating move with a particular pawn, which is usually marked at the start of play. It is required that the pawn is not promoted. Pietro Carrera proved that in the endgame king, queen and pawn versus king (pion coiffé), a win can be forced unless the pawn lies on a central file. Carrera considered pion coiffé to be about equivalent of giving odds of a queen.
There are other forms of handicap, which however are very rarely used:
- Draw odds: a draw is considered as a win for the weaker player.
- The stronger player plays the start of the game, for example the first 10-20 moves, blindfold (without sight of the board). More commonly, the stronger player plays the whole game this way.
- The weaker player can take back any sequence of 3 moves in the course of game, but can only do so two times.
[edit] References
- D.B. Pritchard (1994). The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants (p. 212, Odds). ISBN 0-9524142-0-1.
[edit] External links
- Odds chess by Roger Cooper.
