- Created
- 20th century roots
- Creator
- Unknown
- Where
- Online
- Board
- 8×8
- What changes
- 36 pawns against an army
Where it came from
Commonly attributed; details vary between sources
Horde descends from Dunsany’s Chess, devised in 1942 by the Irish writer Lord Dunsany, in which one side’s army is replaced entirely by pawns.
The modern 36-pawn version, with White as the horde and the extra pawns stacked on the first ranks, was popularized online by Lichess. Who first proposed that exact setup is not clear.
Why it was made: Asymmetry: two completely different armies, with completely different goals.
How it differs from chess
- The hordeWhite starts with 36 pawns filling ranks 1 to 4 and part of rank 5. White has no king, so White cannot be checkmated.
- First-rank pawnsPawns on the first rank may move two squares, like pawns on the second rank.
- WinningBlack wins by capturing every white piece. White wins by checkmating Black’s king.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Your first game
- As the horde, advance in chains so every pawn is protected, and aim to promote.
- As Black, open lines for your rooks and queen, and avoid letting your king get boxed in by the wall of pawns.
Questions
- Is Horde balanced?
- Roughly. Engines and online results suggest it is close, and which side is better has shifted as players learned the variant.
- Can White promote in Horde?
- Yes. Promoting pawns is White’s main way to build an attacking force.
Sources
- D. B. Pritchard, The Classified Encyclopedia of Chess Variants (2nd ed., ed. John Beasley, 2007)
- Lichess: Horde