Chess960

Chess960, also known as Fischer Random Chess, after its inventor, former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer, provides a new variety of chess opening positions, thus obviating in most cases reliance on opening theory.

The pieces are set up as follows:

The pawns are on the second rank, exactly as in normal chess. Also normal is that the pieces occupy the first rank, but they are distributed randomly according to an accepted method, leaving three empty squares for the king to be placed on the central empty square, and the rooks on the other two. The positions of black and white are, as in regular chess, arranged to mirror each other.