Aliya Explains Chess Variants: Horde Chess

Horde Chess is the variant version of a zombie apocalypse, but with more strategy and fewer brain-eating undead.

Picture courtesy of Microsoft Copilot

BY ALIYA SALDANHA-SURI
Bronx High School of Science
COACH AND COLUMNIST

Horde Chess courtesy of Chess.com

Horde Chess variant is the eighth of fifteen variants in our special article series focusing on other chess playing games. Chess variants are one of the most enjoyable parts of chess. Whether you’re goofing off with your friends, playing by yourself on a computer, or even competing in a chess variant tournament. Chess variants offer many different ways to have fun playing chess and improve in different aspects of the game.

Horde Chess Variant

Horde Chess: Horde Chess is the variant version of a zombie apocalypse, but with more strategy and fewer brain-eating undead.

How to win the game: In Horde, white’s goal is to checkmate black, and black’s goal is to capture all of white’s pawns and promoted pieces.

Rules: In this chess variant, black has a regular piece setup and white has nothing but 36 pawns. Pawns that are both on the first and second rank can move two spaces. Pawns that started on the first rank can move two spaces up if they move to the second rank even if it isn’t their first time moving in the game.