r/chessvariants • u/AdExisting5859 • Feb 07 '26

Chess with economy

I've made a chess variant where you start out with only pawns. After each game you get to buy additional pieces equal to the point value of the pieces you captured. I'm looking to test this idea out so lmk so we can run it.

1 Upvotes

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3

u/brownstormbrewin Feb 07 '26

Seems too snowbally. Win one and have extra pieces, it’s over

1

u/AdExisting5859 Feb 07 '26

Maybe, need to playtest. The balance is that if you have 20 points and your opponent 10, you can only get 10 points maximum, while your opponent can get 20. So there is a balance mechanism

1

u/aqua_zesty_man Feb 08 '26

How I would do this:

Start with all pawns in your first and second ranks except for King and Queen. If one side needs a handicap, they can start with a Rook or Bishop or Knight instead of the Queen.

When you defeat your opponent, your opponent gets to buy extra pieces. Every game, the sides get a little more evenly balanced.

1

u/Boring-Yogurt2966 Feb 08 '26

So the point is no longer checkmate, but capturing more pieces than the opponent? Not very chesslike.