Check out Symmetric Chess, our featured variant for March, 2024.

Tauschach

This simple but interesting chess variant idea was sent by Uwe Wiedemann. Origins of the game are yet unknown.

Rules

The game is played as orthodox chess, but with the following modification to its rules:

At the start of the game, each player takes one of his pieces, but not the king off the board. Each turn, a player may either make a normal legal move, or he may switch the piece `in reserve' with one of his pieces on the board, but not the king. That other piece now becomes `in reserve' and may be switched on a later turn. Switching can be done as often as one wants, but one never can switch with the king, and cannot switch when in check (as switching cannot relieve check).

Link

If you own Zillions of Games, you can play this game with help of the ZRF-file, made by Uwe Wiedemann.
Written by Hans Bodlaender.
WWW page created: August 2, 2001.