Fighting Chess

Fighting Chess by Tony Berard


Fighting Chess is a new chess variant I invented last year. It's purpose is to reduce the number of draws over that seen in regular chess. This is sorely needed as the most recent world championship ended with twelve straight draws. The need for a new variant is not obvious even though many have been invented. I guess the right one hasn't come along yet to overthrow chess--until now, that is. Enter Fighting Chess.


Fighting Chess is played with the usual chess pieces and board with the following alterations.


1) The rooks, bishops, and knights gain the ability to move and capture one space in any direction, like a king.
2) Pawns can now also capture straight ahead, but not on their two square initial advance.
3) The king is no longer inviolate, which means it can be captured if player endangers it.
4) The pass option is implemented, which means a player may elect to not make a move and punch the clock to start the opponent's turn.
5) Castling is now legal while in check, across a check, or even into check.
6) The object of the game is now to capture the opponent's king, and a checkmate is now an actual guarantee of this, so a checkmate ends the game as well.


The above set of rules are actually deep and profound. They change chess quite dramatically!! I shall briefly provide a few such observations.


The first observation is that stalemate and zugzwang are no longer present in the game. They were a scourge anyway, so good riddance to them.


The next observation is that the pieces are much more powerful. Any piece in isolation can deliver a checkmate against the lone opposing king with just the help of its own king. Thus, draw by insufficient material has been reduced to just the two kings.


Next, pawns are substantially more powerful, too. They cannot be "blockaded" anymore. And, they can forcibly promote against the bare king if protected by their own king. Thus, winning a single pawn now translates into a win if that material advantage continues all the way to the end of the game (barring an error like walking into a checkmate, of course).


Finally, opening theory is turned on its head as well as what constitutes effective middlegame and endgame tactics and strategies.