Horde Chess
One army of pawns against a full chess set.
Horde is the most asymmetric popular variant. White has no king and no pieces — only a wall of pawns advancing relentlessly — while Black has a standard chess army and must eliminate all of them before one promotes and overwhelms the position.
- Players
- 2
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Changes
- Setup
- Where to play
- Lichess
Horde Chess rules
- 01
White starts with 36 pawns filling ranks 1 to 4 (plus two extra pawns on b5 and g5 in the standard setup), and no king.
- 02
Black has the standard chess army and starting position.
- 03
Black wins by capturing every white pawn. White wins by checkmating the black king.
- 04
White pawns on the first rank may still advance two squares.
- 05
White cannot be checkmated or stalemated in the usual sense — with no king, White loses only when the horde is destroyed.
How it changes your play
As Black, piece activity beats material grabbing: a queen that takes one pawn per move loses to a wall that advances on a broad front.
As White, the goal is to open a single file and promote. Sacrificing ten pawns to queen one is a normal plan.
Questions about Horde Chess
- Is Horde balanced?
- Engine analysis gives Black a modest edge with accurate play, but at club level the horde wins often — the position is unfamiliar and one careless move lets pawns through.
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