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This page is written by the game's inventor, M Winther.

External Link: Arrangement Chess

One can, by a procedure of relocation, easily reconfigure the initial array according to the players' choice. This also answers to the chessplayer's predilection for remaining in control. In this variant the positions of the kings are mirrored, but the queens are placed independently. Rules:

The players can, before play begins, swap places of the king + queen and another piece except the rooks. Thus, if the king is swapped (relocated), the other piece (the relocatee) ends up on the king's square. If the queen is swapped, the relocatee ends up on the queen's square. One restriction is that the bishops mustn't end up on the same square colour. Note that black begins by making the initial swap of the king. Alternatively he can choose to leave the position as it is. White must mirror this move. Black then has the option to relocate his queen. White makes the final relocation of his queen and starts the game by making the first move. Note that the king retains his castling rights even if it has been relocated. The castling rules derive from Fischer Random Chess.

With these relocation rules the rooks remain in their natural positions, and the bishops are always positioned so that there is still a choice to develop them on either of the queen's or the king's wing. This maintains the strategical ambiguity of the initial position, while sound positions are produced where no definitive advantage can be obtained. White makes the last relocation. Thusly white gets a chance to make a strategical decision and create an initiative, as in the standard position. Although the initial positions are, as such, a subgroup of Fischer Random, the two parties may choose different setups.

Note that there is also a randomized version of this variant, named Chess100.
A Zillions program and more information is here.

External Link: http://www.two-paths.com/bg/arrangementchess.htm

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By M Winther.
Web page created: 2009-04-30. Web page last updated: 2009-04-30