Three-check chess

Three-check chess is a variation of chess, in which a player wins if they check their opponent three times. Anatoly Karpov is said to excel in this chess variant (Pritchard 2007:83).

This chess variant is much more tactical than standard chess: sacrifices are very common, and there can be lots of traps in the opening. Two checks is already a big advantage and may be worth more than a piece in the evaluation of a position. The game rarely reaches the endgame – usually it is decided before queens are traded.

Example game

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Position after 4...Qh4

1. e4 e6 2. d4??

This typical opening in standard chess immediately loses in Three-check chess.

2... Bb4+

First check.

3. c3 Bxc3+!

Second check.

4. Nxc3 Qh4! (see diagram) 0–1

White resigned. There is no way to prevent a third check by Qxf2+ or Qxe4+.

See also

• ChessV - allows to play three-check chess against computer.
• Internet Chess Club - online chess server which supports three-check chess
• Shane's Chess Information Database - Chess database which supports three-check chess
• Lichess - online chess server supporting three-check chess