Fischer random chess

• The bishops are on opposite-coloured squares
• One rook is somewhere to the left of the king, and the other to the right
• Black's pieces are on the same files as their White counterparts (i.e., a1 and a8 contain the same type of piece, and so on)

Fischer random chess is an attempt to revive the game of chess, which Fischer considers to have been "played out". The standard setup has been analysed in such detail that memorisation of opening variations now plays a large part in determining a player's success. By increasing the number of possible games a thousand-fold, Fischer random chess makes memorisation near-impossible and puts the emphasis back onto raw calculation and tactical ability. Whether or not the world's top players lend their support to Fischer's cause by adopting the game remains to be seen.

A chess variant designed by Bobby Fischer, and an odd one at that.

Confronted by the possibility of computers overtaking human players and also confounded by a sharp decline in an interest in chess in the 1990's, Fischer came upon a way of enlivening the rules of the game so that interest would continue.

Basically, Fischerandom chess randomizes the placement of the home row of pieces on a game-by-game basis so that gameplay is as unique as possible.

There are other placement requirements - the bishops must start on opposite-colored squares, the king MUST be placed within the two rooks and castling is a tiny bit more complicated - but essentially the game plays like standard chess. The advantages are two-fold: computerized opponents have a difficult time coping with opening strategies when the board's initial position is the definition of uncertain (there are over 900 different legal opening home row combinations), and human players are conversely invigorated by the abrupt change in strategy.

While not played on a tournament level, Fischer random chess remains an important part of the chess pedagogy as the definition of 'out-of-the-box' thinking.