Rules of chess are variations of the rules for fast chess, correspondence chess, online chess, and Chess960. Chess is a two-player board game utilizing a chessboard and sixteen pieces of six types for each player. Each type of piece moves in a distinct way. The goal of the game is to checkmate (threaten with unescapable capture) the opponent's king. Games do not necessarily end with checkmate; players often resign if they believe they will lose. A game can also end in a draw in several ways. Besides the basic moves of the pieces, rules also govern the equipment used, time control, conduct and
Hostage Chess Hostage Chess Hostage Chess is a chess variant invented by John Leslie in 1997. pieces are not eliminated from the game but can reenter active play through drops, similar to shogi. Unlike shogi, the piece a player may drop is one of his own pieces previously captured by the opponent. In exchange, the player returns a previously captured enemy piece which the opponent may drop on a future turn. This is the characteristic feature of the game. Hostage Chess has tactical subtlety and "tends to favour the attacker". In 1999, David Pritchard called the game "the variant of the decade".