What is Racing Kings?
Racing Kings is a race instead of a hunt. Both armies start side by side on the first two ranks, without pawns, and the goal is to be first to bring your king to the eighth rank, the far side of the board.
The key rule is that nobody may give check. A move that puts either king in check is illegal, so you can never stop the enemy king by attacking it directly. Instead, you block its path, control the squares in front of it and race your own king forward.
White moves first, so to keep the race fair, if White's king reaches the eighth rank and Black's king can reach it on the very next move, Black gets that move: if Black makes it, the game is a draw.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Chess | Racing Kings |
|---|---|---|
| Starting position | Standard ChessEach side has sixteen pieces, pawns included, on its own two ranks. | Racing KingsNo pawns. Both sides share the first two ranks: Black on files a to d, White on files e to h, each with a king, a queen and two each of rooks, bishops and knights. |
| Check | Standard ChessAllowed; the king in check must escape it. | Racing KingsForbidden: no move may put either king in check, so there is no checkmate. |
| Castling | Standard ChessAllowed once per game on either side. | Racing KingsNot allowed. |
| How to win | Standard ChessCheckmate the opponent's king. | Racing KingsBe first to move your king onto the eighth rank. If White gets there and Black can follow on the next move, Black may do so and the game is drawn. |
| Draws | Standard ChessStalemate, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule and insufficient material. | Racing KingsBoth kings reaching the eighth rank one after the other, stalemate, threefold repetition and the fifty-move rule. |
History
Racing Kings was invented in 1961 by Vernon Rylands Parton, a British designer of many chess variants, best known for Alice chess. In his game the kings run for the far side of the board instead of hiding behind their pieces.
The variant stayed a curiosity for decades until online chess sites took it up. With its short games and no opening theory to learn, it is now one of the standard variants offered online.