Chess960

Chess with a randomized starting position Chess960 abcdefgh8877665544332211abcdefghOne of 960 possible starting setups. (Example Chess960 position on the image: 760.) Black's setup always mirrors White's.Years activeSince June 19, 1996GenresBoard gameChess variantPlayers2Setup time≈1 min + 1 min to determine starting positionPlaying timeCasual games: 10–60 minTournament games: from 10 min (fast chess) to 6 hoursChancePieces are randomizedSkillsStrategy, tacticsSynonymsFischer Random Chess Chess960, also known as Fischer Random Chess, is a chess variant that randomizes the starting position of the pieces on the back rank. It was introduced by former world chess champion Bobby Fischer in 1996 to reduce the emphasis on opening preparation and to encourage creativity in play. Chess960 uses the same board and pieces as classical chess, but the starting position of the pieces on the players' home ranks is randomized, following certain rules. The random setup makes gaining an advantage through the memorization of openings unfeasible. Players instead must rely on their skill and creativity. Randomizing the main pieces had long been known as shuffle chess, but Fischer introduced new rul