SpyChess

This is a chess variant with a key change: The types of each piece is hidden from ones opponent, who must deduce which piece is which from gameplay.

Alternative names

• Anonymous Chess
• Undercover Chess
• "Guess Who" Chess

Game play

Custom pieces must be used, where each piece has a front and a back. The fronts face the enemy lines, and are undifferentiated. The backs name each piece for the controlling player.

Setup would need to be some random chess, variant so that initial layout does not give it away! (see also 'variants' below)

Pieces

I'd recommend scavenging pawns from other chess sets, and labelling them for player identification. I imagine that obelisks would suit a custom set quite well however.

Expected tactics

I foresee two potential game styles:

early bloodbath

when a strong piece gets out early

early caution

nobody wants to suffer an early bloodbath without it being reciprocated!

For my taste, I'd allow opponents to tag pieces (eg with small post it notes?) of the enemy with their observations and suspicions of what each piece is.

Variants

Lite

• Pawns are identified
• Royalty (King and Queen) are identified
• Rooks/Knights/Bishops are anonymised

Standard

Royalty pieces are also anonymised

Extreme

Pawns are also anonymised, in which case shuffling of pieces can take place over all 16 squares (how this affects the shuffling rules, esp for eg, wrt castling, should be agreed before play)