What is Chess960?
Chess960, also known as Fischer Random or Freestyle Chess, is one of the most popular chess variants.
The variation follows all of the same rules of standard chess, but randomizes the positions of all the pieces on each player's back rank. 960 refers to the number of possible starting positions. This great variety of starting positions makes it very difficult to prepare specific openings, leading to exciting, sometimes chaotic, games.
History
The idea for Chess960 came from World Champion, Bobby Fischer. In his later years, Fischer was disillusioned with “modern” chess, which he thought relied too much on memorization of opening theory.
Fischer Random Chess, which he introduced in 1996, aimed to solve this problem by randomizing the starting positions of the pieces. There are so many possible variations that it is much more difficult to prepare specific openings. Instead, the game comes down to pure calculation.
Other similar versions had existed before, but Chess960 gained widespread acceptance and became a popular chess variant after Fischer's introduction. Grandmaster Levon Aronian was an early proponent of the variant and was the Chess960 World Champion in 2006 and 2007. The World Chess Federation (FIDE) now recognizes it as a chess variant and hosts several Chess960 tournaments.
How it Works
As we’ve seen, the idea of Chess960 is simple. By randomizing the starting positions of the back rank pieces, opening theory is thrown out the window and players must calculate from the very first move.
There are a few rules about how the pieces are randomized:
- The starting positions are the same for both players
- Bishops must be on opposite-colored squares
- The king must be placed between two rooks (this allows for castling, which we will explore later)
- All pieces are still on the back rank and the pawns retain their usual positions
That's it! Aside from this, a Chess960 game is played like any other chess game.
Castling Rules
While castling follows the same basic rules, there are a few nuances to understand when it comes to this variant. In Chess960, you castle to exactly the same squares as you would in normal chess, regardless of the position of the rook or king.
So, with a kingside castle, your king will end up on the g file and the rook will end up on the f file. For queenside castling, your king goes to the c file and your rook goes to the d file.
Here’s an example:
In this position, White’s king and rook are in their starting positions, different from those in normal chess. They have developed all of the pieces on the queenside, so are now free to castle that way.
Here we can see that by castling the king and rook have gone to the same squares they would in a normal chess game, despite their different starting positions.
There are other slightly curious examples. For example, when the rook is already in the position it would castle into. In this case, only the king moves.
Another would be when the king and the rooks are huddled together on one side of the board. Castling still takes place as described, but the king and the rook jumping across the board can be quite disorientating.
Normal Castling Rules
The other thing to remember is that standard castling rules also apply. Meaning:
- You cannot castle through check
- You cannot castle while in check
- You cannot castle after making king moves
- You cannot castle after moving the rook you wish to castle with
- The squares between the starting castling position and the end castling position must be empty
Overall, castling tends to serve the same purpose in Chess960: protecting the king and activating the rook. Of course, the number of pieces you must develop, how quickly you can castle, and how it affects king safety can all be quite different.
Tips to Win in Chess960
As a chess variant with only one key difference, the same principles of chess apply. You will need to calculate moves, recognize patterns, identify positional advantages and weaknesses, and spot tactics. However, there are a few special things to consider that can help you quickly get to grips with this version of the game.
Don't Forget About the Center
One of the mistakes made by newcomers to Chess960 is abandoning opening principles. In normal chess, many players rely too much on memorization in the opening, and this becomes clear in Freestyle Chess.
While specific openings will not work in Chess960, the ideas behind them are still true. The most important? Control the center. One of the main goals in the opening is to use pawns and pieces to control, defend, and attack the d4, d5, e4, and e5 squares.
In this position, c4 might be a strong opening move. It uses a pawn to control a central square and opens up a strong diagonal for the light-squared bishop hitting e4.
Plan Your Piece Development
Development is especially important in Chess960. In many starting positions, the pieces are in uncoordinated positions that make it difficult to create a solid structure.
The best way to do this is to create a plan of how you want to develop your pieces. Depending on time controls, your opponent's moves, and the starting position this can be tricky or relatively straightforward.
As with regular chess, you are most likely to develop your knights and bishops first and make space to castle. Because of the unusual starting positions in Chess960, there may be instances in which trying to develop your rooks or queen early can make good sense; which brings us to our next tip.
Calculate From the First Move
Memorizing opening moves will not help you in Chess960. While the principles of opening theory hold true, there are no specific moves you can make in every game that will guarantee king safety, solid pawn structures, and good piece development. In this chess variant, you have to calculate from the first move.
This sounds daunting, but you can quickly get used to it. It helps to ask yourself the sort of questions you often ask in the middlegame: do I have vulnerable pawns? Which are my strongest pieces? Is there an opportunity to make a move with tempo?
By applying your calculation skills from the first move, you will have much better luck with this variant.
Focus on King Safety
As we've seen, one of the big differences in Fischer Random is castling. In many of the opening positions, the king is vulnerable and castling may require moving a lot of pieces around. This is why it is important to think carefully about how you can protect your king in the opening and create a safe haven for it through the middlegame.
In this position, for example, to castle short you need to move four pieces (instead of the usual 2), and to castle long you need to move at least three. As such, in this game, one of your key concerns will be how to protect your king.
Recognizing Types of Starting Positions
While it is impractical/impossible to memorize variations in 960 possible opening positions, you can identify common development patterns related to certain positions. In other words, you may immediately start to think of certain ways of starting the game if your pieces are in familiar positions.
For example, bishops already on flank squares can function in similar ways to fianchettoed bishops. Bishops on a1, h1, a8, and h8 can immediately become active by playing pawn moves like b3, g3, b6, and g6.
Another example would be rooks on the flank. Similarly, to normal chess, you would focus on castling your rook into the center or opening the file in front of the rook.
This is something that will come naturally if you play or study a lot of Chess960 games, but it is worth considering early on to help you master the variant.
Chess960 Tournaments
Today, Chess960 is a popular and FIDE-recognized chess variant. As such, there are been some high-level tournaments that have drawn the world's best players to compete.
The first FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship took place in 2019. The qualifiers took place online and the semi-finals onwards in over-the-board games. With top players competing, the tournament featured some fascinating games and positions.
The recent recognition of Chess960 and its growing popularity raise some interesting questions about its future prevalence.
Online Tournaments
For those of us looking to compete at lower levels, the easiest option is online tournaments. Hosted by common chess platforms and national chess federations, smaller Chess960 tournaments are regular fixtures. As always, in the growing world of chess, there are plenty of arenas where you can test your skills.
Chess960: The Best Chess Variant?
There are plenty of chess variants ranging from the wildly complicated "Bughouse Chess" or the wacky "Duck Chess." These are fun and interesting ways to engage with the game of chess and test your ability to adapt to new rules. However, most of these do not present legitimate alternatives to the game of chess, which is what Chess960 originally set out to do.
Like most people, I am a fan of the original, but it is true that the immediate calculation and opening variation of Chess960 make it a fantastic alternative. For the skeptics, I encourage you to try out a few games and explore a new version of your favorite game.