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Dunsany's chess facts for kids

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Dunsany's chess starting setup

Dunsany's chess, also known as Dunsany's game, is a special type of chess variant. In this game, the two players do not have the same pieces. One player, Black, has a normal set of chess pieces. The other player, White, has 32 pawns.

This unique game was created by Lord Dunsany in 1942. It was first shared in a magazine called Fairy Chess Review that same year. Another similar game is called Horde chess.

How to Play Dunsany's Chess

The way the board is set up for Dunsany's chess is different from regular chess. Black's pieces are set up just like in a normal chess game. White's army is made up of 32 pawns. These pawns fill the first four rows, or ranks, of the board. You can see this setup in the diagram above.

The basic rules of Dunsany's chess are the same as regular chess, but there are a few important changes:

  • Black always makes the first move in the game.
  • Only Black's pawns can move two steps forward on their very first move. White's pawns can only move one step at a time.
  • Black wins the game by capturing all 32 of White's pawns.
  • White wins by putting Black's king in checkmate, just like in regular chess.

Just like in regular chess, pawns can promote to a stronger piece if they reach the final row of the board. A stalemate can also happen if White's pawns have no legal moves left.

Discovering Horde Chess

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Horde chess starting setup

Horde chess is another interesting chess variant. It was created by Filip Rachunek in 2002. It is similar to Dunsany's chess but has some key differences:

  • In Horde chess, White has the normal set of chess pieces. Black, on the other hand, has 32 pawns.
  • Black's pawns are set up on rows five through eight. However, two pawns are placed on d4 and e4 instead of d8 and e8.
  • White is the player who moves first in Horde chess.
  • Only Black's pawns that start on the seventh row can move two steps forward on their first move.

Horde chess is quite popular. It is one of the few chess variants that even has a whole book written about how to play it well.

Horde Chess Variant

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Horde variant starting setup

There is also a special version of Horde chess called the Horde variant. Its starting setup is a bit different, as you can see in the diagram. In this variant, White's pawns on the first and second rows have a special ability. They can move one or two steps forward at any time, not just on their first move. This is different from how pawns usually move in chess.

You can play this Horde variant on popular online chess websites like Lichess and Chess.com.

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