Dunsany's chess

Dunsany's chess, also known as Dunsany's game, is an asymmetric chess variant in which one side has standard chess pieces, and the other side has 32 pawns. Unlike many chess variants, this one does not feature any fairy pieces, which are pieces not found in conventional chess. This game was invented by Lord Dunsany in 1942. A similar game is called 'horde chess'.

Rules

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Dunsany's chess, the starting position.

Rules are the same as regular chess, with the following amendments.

Piece setup (see board on right):

• Black piece setup is identical to regular chess.
• White's pieces are composed of 32 pawns, on all of the squares from rank one to rank four.

Object of the game:

• The standard pieces win by capturing all 32 pawns before the pawns run out of legal moves.
• The pawns win by checkmating the king.
• The pawns can also accomplish a draw by running out of legal moves.

Piece movement is the same as in regular chess, except that only the eight black pawns have the option to move forward two spaces on their first move.

Horde chess

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Horde chess, the starting position.

There exists an almost identical game called Horde chess. It is identical to Dunsany's chess except with three amendments:

• Black's pieces are 32 pawns, occupying all of rank five through to rank eight, but with pawns on d4 and e4 instead of d8 and e8.
• White's pieces are identical to regular chess.
• Black's pawns on rank seven can move one or two spaces on their first move.

Horde variant

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Horde variant, the starting position.

A horde variant uses the following opening pattern given in this diagram. In this variant, white's pawns on the first and second ranks may advance one or two spaces, given that the path in the file is free. Unlike in regular chess, this does not have to be the pawn's first move.