The History of Chess960
Robert James Fischer was not just a legendary chess champion. He was also the creator of Chess960, also known as Fischer Random Chess (The History of Chess960). This unique chess variant changed the game forever.
Early Contributions
The History of Chess960, The idea of shuffle chess was first introduced by Dutch chess enthusiast Philip Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt in the 18th century. In 1792, he wrote a book called La Supériorité aux Échecs. He criticized the repetitive nature of traditional chess openings and suggested randomizing piece positions. This idea later evolved into Chess960.
The first recorded games of shuffle chess took place in 1842. The matches were played between Van der Hoeven and Alexandre in Mannheim. Later, Van der Hoeven played against Baron von der Lasa, following similar rules. In 1851, a shuffle chess tournament was held in Amsterdam, where Maarten Van’t Kruijs won. The event proved that removing opening theory allowed true chess talent to shine.
Support from Bronstein and Benko
In the late 1940s, David Bronstein, a World Championship challenger, promoted a similar idea. Later, in the 1970s, chess grandmaster Pal Benko also supported it.
They called their version Placement Chess, Pre-Chess, or Shuffle-Chess. In their version, players took turns placing their pieces on the back rank. The only rule was that bishops must be on opposite-colored squares. The game then continued like normal chess.
Fischer’s Influence and the Birth of Chess960
After his return to chess in 1992, Bobby Fischer moved to Budapest. He collaborated with Susan Polgar to refine the shuffle chess rules. Pal Benko also joined them in discussions.
Fischer believed modern chess relied too much on memorization. He wanted a version of the game that tested creativity and raw talent. The main points of debate were:
- Should piece placement be symmetrical?
- Should castling be allowed?
- Should bishops start on opposite colors?
Fischer and Polgar finalized the following rules:
- Castling should be included, with the king placed between the rooks.
- Bishops must start on opposite-colored squares.
- Both sides should have symmetrical piece placement.
At first, this variant was called Fischerandom Chess, a name Fischer himself gave. While in Budapest, he consulted mathematicians and found that there were exactly 960 possible starting positions. This led to the name Chess960.
Fischer publicly introduced Chess960 on June 19, 1996, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Here is a link to all possible 960 starting positions:
https://web.archive.org/web/20070402110500/http://www.playchess960.com/images/AllPositionsChess960.gif
Chess960 Tournaments
The first Chess960 tournament was held in Kaniza, Yugoslavia, in 1996. Since then, many tournaments have taken place, including:
- Mainz Championship Series (2001-2009): Organized by Hans-Walter Schmitt.
- Battle of the Sexes (Lindsborg, Kansas): Anatoly Karpov vs. Susan Polgar (1 win each in Chess960 games).
- European Fischer Random Cup (2018): Held in Reykjavík on Fischer’s 75th birthday.
- Carlsen vs. Nakamura (2018): A Chess960 match between Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura in Norway. Carlsen won 14-10.
- Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge (2024) & Grand Slam Tour (2025): Recent Chess960 tournaments using the name Freestyle Chess.
Official Recognition by FIDE
In 2008, FIDE recognized Chess960 as an official chess variant. The first FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship was held in 2019. Wesley So won the title.
In 2022, Hikaru Nakamura became the second World Fischer Random Champion.
Chess960 remains the only chess variant officially recognized by FIDE.
Photos: Lennart Ootes, Maria Emelianova / FIDE_chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
