FISCHERANDOM CHESS: Chess960 Random Position Generator

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position # random

FEN: rqnkrnbb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RQNKRNBB w KQkq -

How to Use This Page

This page is used for generating a random position to play Fischerandom Chess. Every time you reload this page, or press the new position button, a different position will appear. Just set up a chessboard based on the diagram above, find an opponent, and have fun.

Quick Rules for Fischerandom Chess

Fischerandom Chess is played with a normal chess board and pieces. All rules of Orthodox Chess apply except as otherwise noted.
The initial configuration of the chess pieces is determined randomly for White, and the black pieces are placed equal and opposite the white pieces. The piece placement is subject to the constraints:

the king is placed somewhere between the two rooks, and
the bishops are on opposite colors.
pawns are placed on each player's second rank as in Orthodox Chess.
There are 960 such configurations.
Castling, as in Orthodox chess, is an exceptional move involving both the King and Rook. Castling is a valid move under these circumstances:

Neither King nor Rook has moved.
The King is not in check before or after castling.
All squares between the castling King's initial and final squares (including the final square), and all of the squares between the castling Rook's initial and final squares (including the final square), must be vacant except for the King and Rook.
No square through which the King moves is under enemy attack.
The movement of the King and Rook during castling should be easily understood by players of Orthodox Chess:

When castling on the h-side (White's right side), the King ends on g1 (g8), and the rook on f1 (f8), just like the O-O move in Orthodox chess.
When castling on the a-side (White's left side), the King ends on c1 (c8), and the rook on d1 (d8), just like the O-O-O move in Orthodox chess.
Sometimes the King will not need to move; sometimes the Rook will not need to move. That's OK.

The object is to checkmate the opponent's King. Have fun!

Audio file of Bobby Fischer explaining Fischerandom

fischerandom.mp3 (MP3 format)

< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 23 OF 52 · Later Kibitzing>
Mar-19-05		The Black King: ♖♗♗♘♕♔♘♖

Mar-21-05		inhalaattori: chessgames.com, I just figured out that it would be useful if there was a link on this page which allows one play to the generated position with Little Chesspartner. It would be quite easy to set up since the position can be inputted as fen code into the Chesspartner.

Mar-21-05		The Black King: Look at position 600! Knight, Queen, Bishop, Bishop, Knight, Rook, King, Rook.

Mar-21-05		The Black King: 960 looks like ♕♗♗♘♘♖♔♖

Mar-21-05		aw1988: <Whitehat1963> In Abu Ghraib they do it Hussein's way.

Mar-21-05		RookFile: Well, they tell me that Fischer himself will be executing a castling maneuver, by being shipped off to Iceland soon, assuming the Japanese recognize his valid passport.

Mar-21-05		nasmichael: <inhalaattori> The alignment of Little ChessPartner for FRC is a good idea. <chessgames>, if it is possible, maybe you could work it out.

Mar-22-05		MUG: In positions like 600,960 and 800, how would a player castle queenside? This is the first time I've really closely looked at Fischerandom, and I have to say, it all seems kind of 'unnatural'. The chess equivalent of Frankenstein’s monster!

Mar-23-05		inhalaattori: <MUG> In positions you mentioned, I think it goes like this: Rf1-d1, Kg1-c1. While castling queenside, you have to always move the left rook (if it's not already in the right square), right?

Mar-23-05		MUG: <inhalaattori> Thanks for that. I assume you move the King first? The whole manoeuvre seems other-worldly! (and rather annoying too if you've just built up a king-side attack!)

Mar-23-05		pubs r us: Call me crazy, but shouldn't position 1 be the standard chess configuration?

Mar-24-05		MUG: <pubs r us> I think the standard chess configuration has been removed from the Fischerandom generator, because otherwise, should it be selected, you aren't really playing Fischerandom!!

Mar-24-05		Orbitkind: I'm sure it is in the rules of Fischerandom that the one position not included out of those that satisfy the criterion is the chess position.

Mar-24-05		Orbitkind: I'm starting to think that Fischerandom is actually a superb idea. It still feels like playing chess. Resourcefulness is required from move one though, which I like.

Mar-24-05		MUG: I imagine most games will be decided by blunders in the opening! Are the time controls increased for Fischerandom? (when you consider that players will be thinking from move one!)

Mar-24-05		Orbitkind: If everyone made blunders in the opening to start with, then both players would, and they would still be on equal footing. But why would an opening blunder occur with a standard time control? A good time control on the internet for a game of chess is 30 45 or 45 45 in my opinion, and over the board between 75 0 and 100 0 with extra time at move 36 or 40. I'd say the same time controls suit Fischerandom. The player will have to think before making their first move unless they've remembered a good first move for all 900 positions. Isn't that the point of chess - thinking? There is plenty of time to do that.

Mar-24-05		Orbitkind: Fischerandom is like taking something that has gone stale and shaking it up, bringing loads of fresh stuff to the surface.

Mar-24-05		azaris: <Orbitkind> I wish someone would do the same for Fischer himself.

Mar-24-05		WMD: One problem with FR is that most players will spend the first 10-15 moves trying to get their position back to something like familiar.

Mar-24-05		fsevenmate: I do agree with WMD and these position be tested by strong players 1900 to grandmasters becouse in normal chess we learn from grandmaster any way.

Mar-24-05		cuendillar: Do I understand the rules wrong, or is allowed to take a piece with the king while castling?! (III c)

Mar-24-05		Orbitkind: You can't take a piece while castling cuendillar, because by Rule III c:"All squares between the King and Rook must be empty, and the final square of the Rook must be clear."

Mar-24-05		MUG: <Orbitkind> It's just I believe that if the thinking times were not increased for Fischerandom then we may have many games decided on time as early as move 20! (or else moves are rushed and we have a game full of blunders - which is not much fun to watch!).

Mar-24-05		Orbitkind: I'd like to be able to access fischerandom games that have been played at a high level, such as the Adams-Leko match and the Polgar-Karpov games.

Mar-24-05		Orbitkind: MUG: "It's just I believe that if the thinking times were not increased for Fischerandom then we may have many games decided on time as early as move 20! (or else moves are rushed and we have a game full of blunders - which is not much fun to watch!)." In that case, the appropriate timer would be used. I still think the normal chess timer for classical chess would be appropriate. What you are saying is very speculative. And many many brilliant miniatures in chess have ended by move 20, and if what you say is true (and I'm only saying if) then I would certainly not have any disinterest in seeing many more brilliant miniatures. I'd love to see a rule in fischerandom that no draws can be agreed before say move 30 or 40 like Maurice Ashley has instilled for his massive open tournament. I'd certainly enjoy watching high level games of Fischerandom. The first excitement would be in seeing the initial position and then seeing how the grandmasters go about their plans.

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