swap_horiz Byzantine Chess Alternatives

1

Correspondence Chess

Correspondence chess offers a unique approach to playing chess. It’s a variant designed for remote play, typically utili...

Modern Historical Long Distance Slow

9.0 Excellent

2

Chu Shogi

Chu Shogi is a historical Japanese variant played on a 12x12 board that originated in the 14th century, distinguished by...

Japanese Historical 12x12 Shogi Family

8.8 Great

3

Shatranj

Shatranj is the medieval Persian form of chess that introduced the game to the Islamic world and medieval Europe, lackin...

Classical Medieval Historical Arabic

7.8 Good

4

Courier Chess

Played on an 8x12 board, Courier Chess was a prominent 12th-century German variant that introduced new pieces like the f...

European Medieval Historical Extended

7.7 Good

5

Tori Shogi

Tori Shogi, or Bird Chess, is a 7x7 Japanese variant invented in 1799 by Ohashi Soei, uniquely featuring pieces named af...

Japanese Historical Shogi Family Bird Pieces

7.7 Good

6

Chaturanga

Originating in India during the sixth century, Chaturanga is the earliest known ancestor of modern chess, featuring simi...

Indian Historical Origin Ancient

7.6 Good

7

Carrera's Chess

Invented by Italian author Pietro Carrera in 1617, this historical variant is played on a 10x8 board and introduced the...

Champion Historical Extended Centaur

7.6 Good

8

Odds Chess

Odds Chess is a historical handicap format where a stronger player removes one or more pieces from their starting positi...

Teaching Historical Imbalanced Handicap

7.6 Good

9

Dai Shogi

Dai Shogi is an ancient Japanese variant played on a massive 15x15 grid with 65 pieces per player, serving as the histor...

Japanese Historical Shogi Family Large Board

7.3 Good

10

Bird's Chess

Bird's Chess is an 8x10 variant created by 19th-century English player Henry Bird, notable for adding two extra pieces p...

19TH Century Historical Extended 10x8 Board

7.1 Good

11

Tamerlane Chess

Developed in medieval Persia, Tamerlane Chess is an expansive variant played on a large 11x10 grid, featuring numerous u...

Medieval Historical Persian Extended

6.9 Fair

12

Los Alamos Chess

Los Alamos Chess is a 6x6 miniaturized variant invented in 1956 to test the MANIAC I computer, notably removing bishops...

Historical 6x6 Board No Bishops Early Computer

6.9 Fair

13

Wa Shogi

Wa Shogi, meaning Ring Chess, is a traditional Japanese variant played on an 11x11 board where pieces are uniquely named...

Japanese Historical Promotion Shogi Family

6.9 Fair

14

Circular Chess

Circular Chess is played on a round board divided into concentric rings and radial files, reviving a historical medieval...

Modern Commercial Ring Topology

6.5 Fair

15

Peasant's Revolt

Peasant's Revolt is an asymmetric chess variant where a small force of royal pieces defends against a massive army of pa...

Historical Asymmetric Imbalanced Handicap

6.4 Fair

16

Decimal Chess

Decimal Chess is a historical variant played on a 10x10 grid, utilizing an expanded set of pieces to reduce the impact o...

Modern Historical Dutch Extended

6.2 Fair

17

Wellisch Hexagonal Chess

Wellisch Hexagonal Chess is an early variant played on a three-colored hexagonal board, designed by Charles L. Wellisch...

Hex Historical Three Player Hexagonal Board

5.9 Mediocre

18

Raumschach

Raumschach is a three-dimensional chess variant invented by Ferdinand Maack in 1907, played on a 5x5x5 cube where pieces...

German Three Dimensional Historical 3D Chess

5.8 Mediocre

19

Grant Acedrex

Grant Acedrex is a medieval Spanish variant documented in the 1283 Libro de los Juegos, notable for its large 12x12 boar...

Spanish Medieval Historical Extended

5.8 Mediocre

20

Ajedrez de los Cuatro Elementos

Ajedrez de los Cuatro Elementos is a historical four-player Spanish variant where participants represent the classical e...

Spanish Medieval Historical Four Player

4.7 Poor