Rules of Anti Horde Chess: Stampede

A two-sided variant: Black plays pure antichess, while White's Horde has a second path to victory — charge a pawn to the far rank.

Starting position

Black starts with a full standard back rank and pawns on the 7th rank. White (the Horde) starts with rooks on a1 and h1, pawns on b1–g1, full pawn rows on ranks 2, 3, and 4, plus one pawn on e5.

How pieces move

• All pieces move and capture exactly as in standard chess.
• No castling.
• White pawns on rank 1 or rank 2 may advance one or two squares (horde rule).
• En passant works as normal.

King is just a piece

There is no check and no checkmate. The king is a normal piece that can be captured like any other — and Black may even promote to a king.

Forced capture

If you have any legal capture, you must capture. If multiple captures are available, you may choose which one to play.

How to win

Black wins if:

• Black loses all of its pieces, OR
• Black has no legal moves on its turn (stalemate wins).

White wins if EITHER:

• White loses all of its pieces (classic antichess win), OR
• Stampede: any white pawn reaches the 8th rank. The pawn does not promote — arriving wins the game instantly.
• White has no legal moves on its turn (stalemate wins).

Promotion

Black pawns reaching the 1st rank promote to Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight, or King. White pawns do not promote — reaching the 8th rank wins outright (Stampede).

Strategy notes

Black wants to force trades to dump its army. White is pulled in two directions: shed pieces to win by antichess, or shepherd a runner pawn up the board. Forced captures often decide which path opens up.