Nine hundred sixty startsSourced
Chess can begin with a randomized back rank
Chess960 randomizes the back-rank pieces subject to rules: bishops occupy opposite-colored squares, and the king sits between the rooks. There are 960 valid arrangements. The board and pieces are familiar, but the opening is less suited to a memorized standard sequence.
The game can look new before the first move.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
Source and reuse details
Chess960 · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-05