#1 · Luis BolaNos
25 Dec 2018
Razor Chess
Razor Chess is a modest, try-at-your-own-risk chess variant that eliminates draws by keeping track of non-progressing moves. A script to play this game on Zillions of Games is freely available for download.
In Razor Chess, the usual chess moves are divided into three types:
\* *Type 1* includes pawn moves, captures and the first king move of the game (castling or otherwise).
\* *Type 2* includes non-capturing forward moves by pieces other than pawns, non-capturing sideways moves that bring a piece closer to the center (like moving a rook from a1 to g1) and non-capturing king moves in any direction to get out of check.
\* *Type 3* includes non-capturing backward moves and non-capturing sideways moves that increase a piece distance to the center (like moving a rook from b1 to h1), except king moves to get out of check.
Each player has an 8-square progress track next to the board. At the start of the game, a counter of your color is placed on the first square of your progress track. It will be moved back there whenever you make a type 1 move. When you make a type 2 move, your counter stays in place. When you make a type 3 move, your counter is moved forward one square. When your counter is on the last square of the track, you can only make type 1 and type 2 moves.
If you have no moves available on your turn, you lose. The 50-move, stalemate, threefold repetition and insufficient material draw rules from chess are not used. Otherwise, normal chess rules apply.