The set-up rules
According to Guidelines II of the FIDE Laws of Chess, “before a Chess960 game a starting position is randomly set up, subject to certain rules”. After that the game is played exactly like normal chess.
- Pawns stay where they are.
All 16 pawns start on the second and seventh ranks, as usual.
- The bishops go on opposite-coloured squares.
One light-squared bishop, one dark-squared bishop (II.2.2).
- The king goes somewhere between the two rooks.
So that castling is still possible on both sides (II.2.1). The king is never on the a- or h-file.
- Black mirrors White.
“The black pieces are placed opposite the white pieces” (II.2.3), so both sides start with the same position.
The position can be chosen by a computer program or with dice, coins or cards (II.2). In events, it is usually drawn just before the round, so nobody can prepare it in advance.
Try it: Chess960 starting-position generator
Pick a number from 0 to 959 or roll a random one. Each number gives one starting position, using the standard numbering scheme (Reinhard Scharnagl’s), in which normal chess is number 518.
Checked before publishing: the numbering produces all 960 legal arrangements exactly once (we generated every one of the 5,040 distinct back-rank arrangements and kept the 960 that obey the rules), and every resulting position loads in chess.js. Depending on the position, White has between 18 and 20 legal first moves.
Why exactly 960 positions?
Place the pieces one type at a time:
| Step | Choices |
|---|---|
| Light-squared bishop (b, d, f or h file) | 4 |
| Dark-squared bishop (a, c, e or g file) | 4 |
| Queen, on any of the 6 empty squares | 6 |
| Two knights, on 2 of the remaining 5 squares | 10 |
| Rook, king, rook on the last 3 squares, in that order | 1 |
| Total | 4 × 4 × 6 × 10 = 960 |
Without the bishop and king rules there would be 5,040 different ways to arrange the eight pieces.
How castling works in Chess960
The rule that confuses people most is actually simple: after castling, the king and rook end up on exactly the same squares as in normal chess (Guidelines II.3.2.5).
- O-O (g-side): king on g1, rook on f1 (g8 and f8 for Black).
- O-O-O (c-side): king on c1, rook on d1 (c8 and d8 for Black).
- The normal conditions still apply: neither the king nor that rook has moved, every square between their start and end squares is empty apart from the king and rook themselves, and the king is not in check, does not pass through an attacked square and does not end on one.
White king on b1, rooks on a1 and f1.
King ends on g1, rook on f1: the same squares as normal kingside castling. Here the rook does not even move.
King ends on c1, rook from a1 on d1: the same squares as normal queenside castling.
Because the king and rook can start almost anywhere, sometimes only the king moves, sometimes only the rook, and sometimes they swap squares. Online, you usually castle by moving the king onto its own rook. Over the board, FIDE allows several ways to perform the move, but it must be clear that you are castling. For normal castling rules, see how to castle in chess.
These castling diagrams are illustrations of the FIDE rule. chess.js does not model Chess960 castling, so we checked only that each pictured position is legal.
Freestyle, Chess960 or Fischer Random?
They are the same game. Fischer Random honours Bobby Fischer, who proposed it in 1996 to reduce the weight of memorised openings. Chess960 counts the starting positions and is the name used in the FIDE Laws. Freestyle is the name popularised by Freestyle Chess, the company co-founded by Magnus Carlsen and Jan Henric Buettner, and FIDE now uses it for its championship. FIDE states that Freestyle Chess is also known as Chess960 or FIDE Fischer Random Chess (FIDE).
Freestyle Chess events (as of 11 November 2026)
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2019 and 2022 | FIDE held World Fischer Random Championships, won by Wesley So (2019) and Hikaru Nakamura (2022). |
| 2025 | Freestyle Chess ran a five-event Grand Slam Tour; Magnus Carlsen was the overall champion. A dispute with FIDE over using the “World Championship” name was settled only later. |
| 7 January 2026 | FIDE and Freestyle Chess signed a cooperation agreement for an official world championship (FIDE). |
| 13–15 February 2026 | First FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship, Weissenhaus, Germany: Magnus Carlsen beat Fabiano Caruana 2½–1½ in the final. Carlsen, Caruana and Nodirbek Abdusattorov qualified for 2027 (FIDE). |
| April 2026 | Vincent Keymer won the grenke Freestyle Chess Open in Karlsruhe and qualified for the 2027 championship (FIDE). |
| February 2027 (scheduled) | FIDE Women’s Freestyle Chess World Championship (5–7 Feb) and the open championship (12–14 Feb), both in Weissenhaus (ChessBase). |
Event details change. We recheck this table when FIDE or Freestyle Chess announces new dates or results; see also the Freestyle Chess website.
How to play Chess960 well
- Look for weak points at move one. In many set-ups a pawn or square is undefended from the start, for example when the bishops aim straight at each other.
- Use ordinary principles. Control the centre, develop pieces, keep your king safe. They work in every position.
- Plan your castling early. Work out which side is easier to clear before you commit your pieces.
- Check the corners. Pieces that start in a corner, especially bishops and queens, can be hard to activate.
To practise ordinary chess against Stockfish, use play chess; to learn the underlying principles, start with chess strategies for beginners.
Freestyle chess FAQ
What is freestyle chess?
Another name for Chess960 (Fischer Random chess): normal chess rules, but the back-rank pieces start in one of 960 shuffled positions. Bishops stay on opposite colours, the king stands between the rooks, and Black mirrors White.
Is freestyle chess the same as Chess960?
Yes. FIDE treats Freestyle Chess, Chess960 and Fischer Random Chess as names for the same game. “Freestyle” is also the brand of Freestyle Chess, the company co-founded by Magnus Carlsen and Jan Henric Buettner.
Why are there 960 starting positions?
4 squares for the light-squared bishop × 4 for the dark-squared bishop × 6 for the queen × 10 ways to place the two knights = 960. The king and rooks then fill the last three squares, king in the middle.
Is normal chess one of the 960 positions?
Yes. The standard set-up is position number 518.
How does castling work in Chess960?
After castling, the king and rook end on the same squares as in normal chess: king g1 and rook f1 for O-O, king c1 and rook d1 for O-O-O (g8/f8 and c8/d8 for Black). The usual conditions apply: neither piece has moved, the squares in between are empty, and the king is not in check and does not pass through or land on an attacked square.
Who invented Chess960?
Bobby Fischer, who proposed it in 1996 as a way to reduce the role of memorised opening theory.
Who is the Freestyle Chess world champion?
Magnus Carlsen. He beat Fabiano Caruana 2½–1½ in the final of the first FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship in Weissenhaus, Germany, in February 2026 (as of 11 November 2026).
Is freestyle chess harder than regular chess?
The rules are no harder. What changes is that opening preparation stops helping, so players must think for themselves from move one. Many find it more demanding at first.
Sources and how we checked
The generator’s numbering was tested against an exhaustive list of legal arrangements, and every starting position was loaded into chess.js 1.4.0 to confirm it is legal and to count White’s first moves. Event facts were checked against FIDE and ChessBase reports on 11 November 2026.
- FIDE Laws of Chess (in force from 1 January 2023), Guidelines II: Chess960 rules (II.1, II.2.1–II.2.3, II.3.1–II.3.2.6).
- FIDE: cooperation agreement and first championship; Carlsen wins 2026 title; Keymer wins Freestyle Open; women’s championship qualification.
- ChessBase: 2027 championship dates (2 July 2026).