What is Horde?
In Horde, the two sides play with completely different armies. Black has the usual sixteen pieces in the usual places. White has no pieces at all, only a horde of 36 pawns filling the first four ranks plus b5, c5, f5 and g5.
White has no king, so White can never be in check. Black wins by capturing every white piece; White wins by checkmating Black's king. White's pawns promote as usual, so a single pawn that breaks through can change the game.
The pawns on White's first rank may move two squares on their first move, just as the pawns on the second rank can. The horde is slow but hard to break, and Black has to find a way through the wall before it reaches the king.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Chess | Horde |
|---|---|---|
| Starting position | Standard ChessSixteen pieces each, set up the same way on both sides. | HordeBlack starts as usual. White has 36 pawns: every square of ranks 1 to 4, plus b5, c5, f5 and g5. White has no king. |
| Pawns | Standard ChessA pawn may move two squares on its first move from its own second rank. | HordeWhite's pawns on the first rank may also move two squares from there. That step cannot be captured en passant. |
| Castling | Standard ChessBoth sides may castle. | HordeOnly Black can castle; White has no king or rooks to castle with. |
| How to win | Standard ChessCheckmate the opponent's king. | HordeWhite wins by checkmating Black. Black wins by capturing every white piece, including any pieces White promotes. |
| Draws | Standard ChessStalemate, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule and insufficient material. | HordeStalemate, threefold repetition and the fifty-move rule. Lack of material never draws. |
History
Horde grows out of Dunsany's chess, invented in 1942 by the Irish writer Lord Dunsany, in which a full army of pieces faces 32 pawns and no king.
The version played here, with 36 pawns including four advanced ones, was developed for online play and has become a popular variant on chess sites, where the extra pawns make the battle between horde and army close to even.