Variant Library
Moddable Chess includes 39 playable variants spanning classic rules, asymmetric battles, hidden information, expanded boards, and alternative win conditions. Each variant has its own complete rules page.
Standard Board (8×8)
- Standard Chess — Classic FIDE rules
- King of the Hill — King reaches centre = instant win
- Three-Check — Deliver three checks to win
- Antichess — Forced captures, lose all pieces to win
- Racing Kings — No checks allowed, race King to rank 8
- Fischer Random — 960 randomised starting positions
- Rifle Chess — Capturing pieces stay on their square
- Atomic — Captures explode adjacent pieces
- Marseillais — Two moves per turn
- Duck Chess — Place a blocker duck after each move
- Fog of War — Only see squares your pieces attack
- No Castling — Standard chess, castling disabled
- Torpedo Chess — Pawns can always double-move
- Horde Chess — 36 pawns vs a normal army
- Extinction Chess — Lose when any piece type is eliminated
- Maharaja & Sepoys — One super-piece vs a full army
Multi-Move Variants
- Progressive — Escalating moves per turn (1, 2, 3, 4…)
- Monster Chess — White gets 2 moves, Black gets 1
Alternative Win Conditions
- Single-Check — One check wins instantly
- Five-Check — Five checks to win
- Giveaway — Forced captures, lose all pieces to win (stalemate = loss)
- Suicide Chess — Forced captures, lose all pieces to win (stalemate = draw)
- Stalemate Wins — Stalemating your opponent wins
- Codrus — Lose your King to win, no check concept
Piece Replacement Variants
- Knightmate — Knight is royal, King moves like a knight
- Chigorin — White has 4 knights instead of bishops
- Almost Chess — One queen replaced by Chancellor (R+N)
- Amazon Chess — Queens replaced by Amazons (Q+N)
Starting Position Variants
- Upside-Down — Pieces start on opponent’s rank
- Endgame Chess — Only pawns and Kings from the start
- Peasants’ Revolt — King + pawns vs King + knights
- Pawns Only — Only pawns, first promotion wins
Regional Variant
- Makpong — Thai variant, King cannot move out of check
Expanded Boards
- Capablanca Chess — 10×8 with Archbishop + Chancellor
- Grand Chess — 10×10, same new pieces, bigger stage
- Courier Chess — 12×8, medieval variant from 1202
Small Boards
- Breakthrough — 7×7, pawns only, first to far rank wins
- Los Alamos — 6×6, no bishops, first computer chess (1956)
- Minichess — 5×5, full piece types on tiny board