Portal:Chess/Selected article/Introduction/Chess variant
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A chess variant is a game derived from, related to or similar to chess in at least one respect. The difference from chess can include one or more of the following:
- Different board (larger or smaller, non-square board shape overall or different spaces used within the board such as triangles or hexagons instead of squares).
- Fairy pieces different from those used within chess.
- Different rules for capture, move order, game goal, etc.
National chess variants which are older than Western chess, such as chaturanga, shatranj, xiangqi, and shogi, are traditionally also called chess variants in the Western world. They have some similarities to chess and share a common ancestor game.
The number of possible chess variants is unlimited. D.B. Pritchard, the author of Encyclopedia of Chess Variants, estimates that there are over 2000 chess variants, confining the number to published ones. In 1998 Zillions of Games software program was created. It enables non-programmers to design and playtest most types of chess variants using an AI opponent. As a result a large number of chess variants were implemented for Zillions of Games.
In the context of chess problems, chess variants are called fantasy chess, heterodox chess or fairy chess. Some chess variants are used only in chess composition and not for playing.
