Pychess

PyChess is a chess software created by gbtami, a lichess user and a coder. For login in Pychess you need to be logged-in in lichess, because when you log-in in pychess, you need to have a Lichess Account.

This chess server has many rare variants, also other types of chess (Shogi, Ouk Chatrang, Xiangqi) created in Asia.

## Trivia

1. The logo of PyChess is a Elephant (Xiangqi piece, not the fairy piece)
2. If you not logged in in PyChess, your username is Anon with random letters (example, Anon-N7Kla9)
3. You need a Lichess account to login at PyChess!

## Chess960

Chess960 was created by Bobby Fischer to make the game more variable and remove a lot of the rote memorization for openings that standard chess forces you into. This is one of the most popular variants, and it will separate those who have truly mastered strategy and tactics from those who rely on memorizing opening lines. It is also known as "Fischer Random Chess".

This can be played by checking the 960 box for a standard chess game.

> 1. Rules
>
>

The starting bottom ranks are randomized, but two rules must be followed:

* The bishops must be placed on opposite-color squares.
* The king must be placed on a square between the rooks.

Castling is the other major rule to take note of. Basically, regardless of where the rooks are, if you castle, the end position will be the same as if the rooks were in standard position. For example, a queenside castle will result with the king on the c file and the rook on the d file (notation: 0-0-0).

All other rules are the same.

> 2. Strategy
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>

Normal chess strategy and tactics apply, except for openings! Since the starting position is random, standard opening lines don’t apply.

## Crazyhouse

> Rules
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>

As above, drops can be performed with captured pieces. This would be in lieu of moving a piece on the board. These are noted with @. So for example,R@e4 means rook drop at e4. The rules for dropping pieces are as follows:

* Drops resulting in immediate checkmate are permitted. Unlike in shogi, this includes pawn drops.
* Pawns may not be dropped on the players' 1st or 8th ranks.
* Pawns that have been promoted and later captured are dropped as pawns.
* Dropped white and black pawns on the 2nd and 7th ranks, respectively, are permitted to make a two-square move as their first move after the drop.
* A dropped rook can't castle.

> Strategy
>
>

Strategy as on Lichess

* Pawns and knights increase in relative importance in Crazyhouse, while rooks, queens, and bishops decrease in relative importance. If a king is put in check by any of the latter three pieces, from two or more squares away, dropping a pawn next to the king becomes defensively useful. A knight, on the other hand, cannot be blocked by anything and its offensive value is more manifest. That piece can be used effectively to maintain a strategic influence over a region.
* After an early exchange of queens, it is usually unwise to reintroduce the queen too soon, particularly if she can be harassed by dropped minor pieces. Careful preparation is needed in order to reintroduce the queen to maximum effect
* Pawns could be dropped deep in the enemy position where, for example, they can fork pieces or give an uncomfortable check.
* Initiative is paramount.

## Crazyhouse960

Crazyhouse 960 is a custom variant combining the rules of Crazyhouse with the random placement of Chess 960. The same rules apply to both games. As this is considered a derivative of Crazyhouse, please check the Crazyhouse rules in its separate guide. 960 rules are as below for a reminder.

This variant can be played by checking the "Chess960" option when creating a Crazyhouse game.

> 960 Rules
>
>

The starting bottom ranks are randomized, but two rules must be followed:

The bishops must be placed on opposite-color squares.

The king must be placed on a square between the rooks.

Castling is the other major rule to take note of. Basically, regardless of where the rooks are, if you castle, the end position will be the same as if the rooks were in standard position. For example, a queenside castle will result with the king on the c file and the rook on the d file (notation: 0-0-0).

All other rules are as in Crazyhouse.

> Clarifications
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>

A king may not castle with a dropped rook.

## Placement

Pal Benko credited the idea of “Pre-Chess” or “Shuffle-Chess” to David Bronstein.

Different than the “Placement Chess” described on the Chess Variants site, this variant is simply a modification where players take turns placing their back rank pieces. Castling only works when the king and the corresponding rook are in their normal position.

See here for more about history

## Makruk

*Makruk*, or Thai Chess, is a classic board game native to Thailand and is closely descended from Chaturanga, the same ancestor as Chess. The game is played in Thailand and Cambodia, where it is known as *Ouk Chatrang* (with slightly different rules). Markuk offers a taste of ancient Chess in the original form before the introduction of modern rules quickened the pace. The game is plenty of fun in its own right, with its own balance/dynamics. The slightly slower pace can provide a good way to cultivate patience, and to hone strategic thinking.

Kramnik has tried his hand at Makruk, and had this insight to offer, "Makruk Thai is more strategic than International Chess. You have to plan your operations with total care since Makruk Thai can be compared to an anticipated endgame of International Chess."

From a Chess player's standpoint, that is fairly accurate. In fact, one obvious approach would be to trade off the unfamiliar Bishop (Khon) and Queen (Met), and enter a (hopefully) favorable endgame. But this approach will be dull and drawish. It is much more fun to embrace the different dynamics instead, and try to play with the new piece types.

> Rules
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>

The general rules are extremely similar to Chess, so this guide will focus on the few differences. The objective is the same: checkmating your opponent's king. The major difference is some pieces having different moves and the starting positions: the pawns start on the third rank, and the king is always on the left side of the player regardless of color. Stalemates are draws, as in chess.

> The Pieces
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Thai piece names are in parentheses.

> King
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>

The king moves one square orthogonally or diagonally. There is no castling as in chess.

> Queen
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Unlike the queen in chess, the queen is a relatively weak piece that only moves one square diagonally.

The queen is worth about 1.5 to 2 pawns in general. The queen is a good piece to lead the attacks, useful for harassing more valuable enemy pieces. On occasion, they can also be sacrificed in exchange for well-positioned enemy pawns, to make way for the invasion.

> Bishop
>
>

The bishop moves one square diagonally or one square forward, just like the silver general in shogi.

The bishop is a powerful piece for controlling squares immediately in front of it, and for shouldering off enemy forces. It is also a good defender around its King.

The bishop is worth more than the queen, but generally not as much as a knight. The justification may be that isolated knights have little trouble escaping from an enemy king, while isolated bishops can fall.

Bishops can sometimes prove slow/awkward to maneuver or retreat. It is therefore advisable to have some friendly pieces nearby to support and rescue them. In the endgame, it's usually safer to get a lone king behind the enemy bishop, compared to staying in its front.

> Knight
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>

The knight moves exactly the same as in chess.

The knights are not "minor pieces" in Makruk. They are major forces. Centralize and utilize them.

> Rook
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The rook moves exactly the same as in chess.

In the absence of mighty chess queens, the rooks dominate the board. Lateral rook checks can be especially annoying. Aim for the seventh rank or even the sixth rank.

>
> Pawn
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The pawn moves and attacks the same as in chess. However, there is no double-step first move. Pawns promote and move like queens when they reach the sixth rank.

Since it is rare for one side to be up by two pieces, the promoted pawn is commonly present in most endgames, assisting the stronger side in delivering checkmate.

For the disadvantaged side, a promoted pawn is a good decoy which must be trapped and captured before the bare king can be forced into checkmate. It can either stay near the king for additional protection, or failing that, lead enemy pieces away from it. Scattering the enemy pieces in this fashion can cost them valuable time to reorganize, thus giving the defending side some extra chance to draw the game under counting rules (see below).

> Counting Rules
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>

When neither side has any unpromoted pawns, the game must be completed within a certain number of moves or it is declared a draw. In real games, the disadvantaged player verbally counts his moves according to these rules.

### Board's Honor Counting

When there are no unpromoted pawns left on the board, the disadvantaged player may start the board's honor counting. The count starts from 1, and mate must be achieved in 64 moves (that is, before the count goes to 65) or the game is a draw. The player may choose to stop counting at any time, but if either player wants to start counting again, the count will restart from 1. If the disadvantaged player checkmates the advantaged side and did not stop counting, the game is declared a draw.

### Piece's Honor Counting

When there are no unpromoted pawns left on the board, and the last piece (that is not the king) of the disadvantaged player is captured, the piece's honor counting will start. This overrides the board's honor counting. The count starts from the number of pieces left on the board, including both kings, plus one. The limit of the count is based on the pieces the advantaged player has on the board, determined by the minimum number from these conditions:

* If there are two rooks: 8
* If there is one rook: 16
* If there are two bishops: 22
* If there are two knights: 32
* If there is one bishop: 44
* If there is one knight: 64
* If there are only (any number of) queen and promoted pawns: 64

The winning player has to checkmate his opponent's king before the count exceeds the limit. Otherwise, the game is declared a draw. Once the piece's honor counting is started, the limit is set in stone, and it will not change in any case, even if the pieces on the board get captured.

For example, if White has two rooks against a lone black king, the piece's honor counting will go from 5 to 8. If Black captures one of the white rooks, the count does not restart, nor is the limit recalculated. The game is still drawn after Black counts to 9.

> Makruk vs Sittuyin
>
>

> Sittuyin is a game very similar to Makruk, but played in Myanmar. In a sense, Sittuyin can be thought of as a kind of accelerated Makruk, potentially skipping ahead about a dozen opening moves. Half of the Sittuyin pawns start on the fourth rank, as opposed to all Makruk pawns starting from the third rank.
>
>

Makruk players must negotiate their way towards getting a good opening setup from scratch, a vital skill for Makruk. Sittuyin players get to just set up their dream positions. Experience in either variant would be useful/beneficial in the other.
Makruk allows promoting pawns to multiple queens, which can quickly become dangerous. This makes Makruk pawns more valuable than Sittuyin pawns.

> Strategy
>
>

The pace is rather slow, with most pieces stepping only one square at a time. It's a good idea to organize and group together the pieces. Move them in formation as a group to provide mutual support. Do not try to open up the game on too many fronts. Coordination is key.

> Tactics
>
>

**Rooks are the only pieces that can pin or skewer pieces. The rest of the tactics mostly consist of forks.**

Most Sittuyin and Makruk games will actually reach the bitter (near) end.

When one side has only a bare King remaining, there are certain "counting rules" (see above) which come into effect and put pressure on the stronger side. Such requirements offer the weaker side an incentive to play out the whole game. Therefore it is crucial to master all the basic checkmates against a lone King. There just isn't much point in playing these games if one can't finish off the bare King at the end.

Because there is no promotion to heavy pieces, it becomes harder to force a checkmate after the existing pieces have left the board. Plan accordingly and leave yourself with enough fire power.

Please allow yourself enough time on the clock, as many of those mates require precision.

## Ouk Chatrang

Cambodian chess, also known as "Ok" (Khmer: អុក) or "Ouk Chatrang" is a variant of Makruk (Thai chess) played in Cambodia.

If you are not familiar with the rules of Makruk, please see that first.

> Rules
>
>

The only differences from Makruk are as follows:

If no pieces have been captured, the players have the options:

* on the king's first move, and only if not in check, of moving the king like a knight; and
* on the queen's first move, of moving the queen two squares straight ahead

## Makpong

Makpong is a variant of Makruk (Thai chess) designed to reduce draws. It is played in Makruk single elimination tournaments in Thailand to decide a winner after a certain number of Makruk games have been drawn.

If you are not familiar with the rules of Makruk, please see that first.

> Rules
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>

> The only difference from Makruk is as follows:
>
>

* The king may not move away from check

There were generally three ways to answer a check: move the king away, block with another piece, or capture the attacker. In Makpong, you are not allowed to move away from check, so you can only answer it by blocking the check or capturing the attacker. You are allowed to capture the attacker with the king, provided that it is legal to do so.

## Sittuyin

*Sittuyin*, or Burmese Chess is a classic board game native to Myanmar and is very similar to Makruk. The game is played in Myanmar, and although western chess is more popular there, there are efforts to revitalize the game. The pieces have the same movements as Makruk (Thai Chess), but the rules are slightly different. The game is plenty of fun in its own right, with its own balance/dynamics. The slightly slower pace can provide a good way to cultivate patience, and to hone strategic thinking.

> Rules
>
>

The general rules are extremely similar to Chess, so this guide will focus on the few differences. The boards are slightly different, with Sittuyin having two big diagonal lines dividing through the board. The sides are also red and black, with the red player moving first. The piece position in Sittuyin is much different compared to chess or Makruk. Key differences are as follows.

* For starters, the feudal lords (pawns) start on staggered ranks (as you can see in the board above).
* To start the game, the players (starting with the red player) alternate back and forth placing the remainder of their pieces on their halves of the boards.
* Pawn (feudal lord) promotion works much differently. See the movement section below.

Additional conditions for draws:

* The game is drawn when the player to move has no legal move and his king is not in check. The game is said to end in 'stalemate'. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the stalemate position was legal.
* The game is drawn when a position has arisen in which neither player can checkmate the opponent's king with any series of legal moves. The game is said to end in a ‘dead position’. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the position was legal.
* The game is drawn upon agreement between the two players during the game. This immediately ends the game.
* The game may be drawn if each player has made at least the last 50 consecutive moves without the movement of any pawn and without any capture.
* As soon as a player has only a king left on his side, the number of pieces belong to the opponent shall be observed. The game may be drawn if the player having only a king (lone king) left on his side can manage to escape in a number of fixed moves (move count shall be done starting from the very first move of lonely king) against the opponent of having particular pieces shown below:
	+ Lone King vs. King & A Rook - 16 moves
	+ Lone King vs. King & An Elephant & A General - 44 moves
	+ Lone King vs. King & A Knight & A General - 64 moves

> King
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The king moves exactly the same as in chess.

> General
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Unlike the queen in chess, the general is a relatively weak piece that only moves one space diagonally. Additional generals are gained through pawn promotion.

The general is worth about 1.5 to 2 pawns in general. It is also the only renewable piece type. The general is a good piece to lead the attacks, useful for harassing more valuable enemy pieces. On occasion, they can also be sacrificed in exchange for well-positioned enemy pawns, to make way for the invasion.

Since it is rare for one side to be up by two pieces, the easy-to-promote-to general is commonly present in most endgames, assisting the stronger side in delivering checkmate.

For the disadvantaged side, a general is a good decoy which must be trapped and captured before the bare king can be forced into checkmate. It can either stay near the general for additional protection, or failing that, lead enemy pieces away from it. Scattering the enemy pieces in this fashion can cost them valuable time to reorganize, thus giving the defending side some extra chance to draw the game under counting rules.

> Elephant
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>

The elephant moves one step diagonally or one step forward, just like the silver general in shogi.

The elephant is a powerful piece for controlling squares immediately in front of it, and for shouldering off enemy forces. It is also a good defender around its king.

The elephant is worth more than the queen, but generally not as much as a knight. The justification may be that isolated knights have little trouble escaping from an enemy king, while isolated bishops can fall.

Elephants can sometimes prove slow/awkward to maneuver or retreat. It is therefore advisable to have some friendly pieces nearby to support and rescue them. In the endgame, it's usually safer to get a lone king behind the enemy bishop, compared to staying in its front.

> Horse
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>

The horse moves exactly the same as a knight in chess.

The horses are not "minor pieces" in Sittuyin. They are major forces. Centralize and utilize them.

> Chariot
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>
>

The chariot moves exactly the same as a rook in chess.

In the absence of mighty chess queens, the chariots dominate the board. Lateral chariot checks can be especially annoying. Aim for the seventh rank or even the sixth rank.

> Feudal lord
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>
>

The pawn, or feudal lord, moves and attacks the same as a pawn in chess. However, there is no double-step first move.

**Promotion**: After a feudal lord reaches the diagonal line on the opponent's side of the board, the player can choose to promote that piece into a general instead of moving. This can only occur *if* their general has already been captured. Promotion does not happen on the move where the feudal lord reaches the promotion square, but rather any move after that. In the act of promotion, the feuudal lord can promote in place, or it can promote in any one of the adjacent diagonal squres. However, promotion cannot be made in a square in which the new general will be in an attacking position (threatening an enemy piece). If there is one feudal lord left on the board, then it has the ability to promote on its turn.

Finally, you may opt not to promote a feudal lord that reaches the final rank, which would result in stalemate if this is the last piece left.

> Makruk vs Sittuyin
>
>

Makruk is a game very similar to Sittuyin, but played in Thailand. In a sense, Sittuyin can be thought of as a kind of accelerated Makruk, potentially skipping ahead about a dozen opening moves. Half of the Sittuyin pawns start on the fourth rank, as opposed to all Makruk pawns starting from the third rank.

Makruk players must negotiate their way towards getting a good opening setup from scratch, a vital skill for Makruk. Sittuyin players get to just set up their dream positions. Experience in either variant would be useful/beneficial in the other.

Makruk allows promoting pawns to multiple queens, which can quickly become dangerous. This makes Makruk pawns more valuable than Sittuyin pawns.

> Strategy
>
>

The pace is rather slow, with most pieces stepping only one square at a time. It's a good idea to organize and group together the pieces. Move them in formation as a group to provide mutual support. Do not try to open up the game on too many fronts. Coordination is key.

> Tactics
>
>

**Chariots are the only pieces that can pin or skewer pieces. The rest of the tactics mostly consist of forks.**

Most Sittuyin and Makruk games will actually reach the bitter (near) end.

When one side has only a bare king remaining, there are certain "counting rules" (see above) which come into effect and put pressure on the stronger side. Such requirements offer the weaker side an incentive to play out the whole game. Therefore it is crucial to master all the basic checkmates against a lone king. There just isn't much point in playing these games if one can't finish off the bare King at the end.

Because there is no promotion to heavy pieces, it becomes harder to force a checkmate after the existing pieces have left the board. Plan accordingly and leave yourself with enough fire power.

Please allow yourself enough time on the clock, as many of those mates require precision.

## Shogi (Japanese chess)

Shogi (将棋), or Japanese Chess is a classic board game native to Japan and descended from Chatturanga, the same ancestor as Chess. In its modern form, it has been around since the 16th century. The game is very popular in Japan, where it is more played than western chess and there is a thriving professional scene. The game itself is both similar yet very distinct from western chess, introducing the ability to drop captured pieces back onto the board.

Why learn Shogi?

If you enjoy Chess, Shogi is definitely worth trying. While slightly slower paced and longer than Chess, the game is also more dynamic and complex, leading to a very different experience. Shogi is between Chess and Go in terms of complexity, but don’t let that deter you. As with other chess variants, improving your skill in Shogi can also improve your skills in Chess as well as open up new ways of thinking! See here for more about that.

Rules

The rules are similar to Chess, so this guide will focus on the differences. Shogi is played on a 9 x 9 board. Players take turns moving pieces on a board to checkmate the enemy king. The black player, or sente (先手 first player), moves first, followed by white or gote (後手 second player), which is the opposite of chess. These colors are just arbitrary and do not reflect the actual color of pieces.

A significant difference from Chess but similar to its Crazyhouse variant is that you can drop captured pieces onto the board as a move. There are a few restrictions to dropping notably with pawns, which are discussed later, but otherwise pieces can be generally dropped anywhere. Additionally, almost all pieces can be promoted. Pieces are promoted upon entering the promotion zone / enemy camp (last three ranks) or moving a piece already in the enemy camp. The piece will then flip over. Captured promoted pieces are returned to their unpromoted side when added to your hand.

Pieces

This guide will be based on the internationalized set. Traditional sets use Chinese characters, kanji, and piece sets come in either a full 2-kanji form, a 1-kanji abbreviated form. As it is now, knowledge of the kanji will be required if you want to utilize all English resources.

In general, shogi pieces are much more restricted than chess pieces. Minor pieces (i.e. not the rook or bishop) often move forward and not so much backwards.

Regarding promoted pieces, most sets, including the ones used on this site, distinguish them by being colored red. There are two basic rules that will make learning all the pieces much less intimidating. All minor pieces move like a gold general when promoted. The gold general, therefore, cannot promote. Secondly, the two major pieces (rook and bishop), both gain the moves of a king on top of their original moves. The king does not promote.

> King
>
>

The king moves exactly like a chess king: one step in any direction. In kanji piece sets, the king with a dot, 玉將 gyokushō, is the black player, while the king without, 王將 ōshō, is the white player.

This is the only piece in the internationalized set to maintain its kanji form, 王. In these sets, the color black or white is also depicted in this piece. The wooden set uses a bar below the 王.

> Rook
>
>

The rook moves exactly like a chess rook: any number of squares orthogonally. The international piece depicts a chariot, which refers to the Japanese name “flying chariot.” In English, the name rook is based off the Persian word for chariot. This is the most valuable unpromoted piece in the game, excluding the king.

> Bishop
>
>

The bishop moves exactly like a chess bishop: any number of squares diagonally. The international piece depicts a traditional hat worn by a Japanese official. The is the second most valuable unpromoted piece in the game, excluding the king.

Dragon King (Dragon, Promoted Rook)

The dragon king is a promoted rook, which gains the king’s moves on top of a rook’s. This is the most valuable piece in the game, excluding the king.