Antichess Basics

Antichess (also known as losing chess or suicide chess) is one of the most popular chess variants. The overall goal of each player is to lose all of their pieces or be stalemated.

Rules

The rules are the same as those for standard chess, except for the following special rules:

• Capturing is compulsory.
• When more than one capture is available, the player may choose.
• The king has no royal power and accordingly:
  • it may be captured as any other piece;
  • There is no check or checkmate;
  • The king may expose itself to capture;
  • There is no castling;
  • A pawn may also promote to a king.
• Stalemate is a win for the stalemated player (the player with no legal moves).

A player wins by being unable to make a move (which includes having no remaining pieces on the board). Apart from move repetition, draw by agreement, and the fifty-move rule, the game is also drawn when neither player can win (for example, when the only pieces remaining are bishops of opposite colors).