Explore the infinite expanse beyond the solved space of the traditional board.
Traditional chess is an extraordinary game, in which a single, familiar set-up of a few types of game pieces creates a space of playable games that seemed practically infinite for centuries, until first the weight of study, and subsequently, artificial intelligence, progressively shifted the focus of competitive play toward: preparation, memorization, and more recently a focus on preventing the use of AI for cheating.
Otherchess is a minimal-rule-change variant designed to expand the space again, so humans can compete on creativity, strategy, and adaptation. No modern AI can play Otherchess, and it would take a generational paradigm shift in AI for humans to be threated in the larger, shifting strategic universe this variant opens, compared to traditional chess.
The solution: Free the pawns, expand the space
Otherchess is built on one fundamental rule change: pawns can move in any cardinal direction and capture diagonally in any direction. That single change breaks the board’s global “forward” axis.
Once the game loses a fixed orientation, the space of viable starting positions and board geometries expands dramatically — and engine “opening books” stop being a universal crutch.
Learn more
- Start with How to play for the rules and examples.
- Read the White paper (PDF) for mechanics and motivation.
- If you want to get involved, see Community.