Chess960 rules
How to play Chess960
Chess960, also called Fischer Random Chess, uses the pieces and objective of standard chess but starts the back-rank pieces in one of 960 possible arrangements.
The starting position
White’s back-rank pieces are shuffled before the game, and Black receives the mirrored arrangement. Pawns remain on their usual squares.
- The bishops start on opposite-colored squares.
- The king starts somewhere between the two rooks.
- These conditions produce exactly 960 possible positions, including the standard chess position.
Normal chess rules still apply
Pieces move exactly as in standard chess. Check, checkmate, stalemate, en passant, pawn promotion, and the usual draw rules all work normally. Only the starting arrangement and the way castling is carried out need special attention.
Castling
After castling, the king and rook finish on the same squares they use in standard chess:
- Kingside: the king finishes on the g-file and the rook on the f-file.
- Queenside: the king finishes on the c-file and the rook on the d-file.
The squares between the king’s and rook’s starting and final squares must be clear, apart from the moving king and rook. The king may not castle while in check, cross an attacked square, or finish in check. As in standard chess, castling is unavailable after the king or relevant rook has moved.
Castling in Chessboard
Select or drag the king to the rook on the side where you want to castle. Chessboard then places both pieces on their correct final squares. This gesture also covers unusual positions where the king or rook already occupies one of those final squares.
New to chess?
Read the basic chess rules first if you want to learn how the pieces move, how check works, and how checkmate wins the game.
Chessboard
Play chess online with friends. No account, no ads. Get it for iOS, Android, or play on the web.
