Chess 960

Chess 960 

(evening event)

Date	Saturday, January 23, 2016,     6 pm
Event Format	4SS
Time Control	G/15 d3
Sections	One Section
Entry Fee	$20, $10 for players in Winter Action Swiss
Prizes	$200 based on 20 paid entries: $100-$50, U1800 $50
Registration Round Time:	Ends at 6:00pm First round at 6:20pm, rest ASAP
	Chess 960, also called Fischer Random Chess, is played with the same rules as "normal" chess.  The major exception is that the pieces (but not pawns) are shuffled randomly along the first and eighth ranks.  The pieces are arranged in an identical fashion for both white and black, so if white has a queen on b1, then black will have a queen on b8.  This unique starting position removes opening theory from the game and forces players to come up with innovative plans from the very first move of the game.  This coming Saturday, we will generate starting positions for each round using online chess 960 position generators, and then all games played in a specific round will start from the same position. A few minor rules to keep in mind.  The king must start between the two rooks.  This allows castling for castling.  When castling, the king and the rook go to the "normal" squares as proscribed in normal chess.  So kingside castling always ends with the king on g1/g8 and the rook on f1/f8.  Similarly, queenside castling ends with the rook on c1/c8 and the rook on d1/d8.  In order to castle, the squares (if any) between the rook and the king must be empty.  Additionally, the king must not start or end in check, and the king must not pass through a square that is attacked by an enemy piece. Andrew Hoy  For more information about chess960, you can visit: http://chess960.net/ http://www.caissa.com/encyclopedia/chess960.php http://www.dwheeler.com/essays/Fischer_Random_Chess.html