WILD

***** WILD *****   

"Wild" is the name given to different types of chess that you can play on
ICC.  These include different setup of the pieces, material-odds games,
bughouse, crazyhouse, and Kriegspiel.

To play a wild game, you can do a "seek".  For example, "seek w5" will
offer to play a "wild 5" game.  Here is a description of the various wild
types:

In variants 0 through 4, each side has eight pawns, in their usual
positions, and only the ranks 1 and 8 differ from normal chess.  Here are
the meanings of each type of wild game.  Material-odds wilds and wild 7
are unrated.

Bughouse and Crazyhouse each have their own rating category, and Losers
together with Giveaway have a rating category.

0:  This is regular old chess.

1:  In this variant both sides have the same set of pieces as in normal
chess.  The white king starts on d1 or e1 and the black king starts on d8
or e8, and the rooks are in their usual positions.  Bishops are always on
opposite colors.  Subject to these constraints the position is random.
Castling is similar to normal chess: o-o-o indicates long castling and o-o
short castling.

2:  Here the usual set of pieces is arranged randomly on the first and
eighth ranks.  Black's arrangement is always a mirror image of White's.
Castling is not allowed.

3:  Here the set of pieces itself is randomly chosen (subject to the
constraint that there is one king of each color).  Black's pieces mirror
White's, and castling is not allowed.

4:  A random set of pieces is generated.  These are placed randomly for
white and black, subject to the constraint that the bishops must be
balanced.

5: This game is played exactly like regular chess with one twist.  All of
the pawns are one move from queening.  This means that your first move
will always be with a knight, because all of the pawns are blocked by your
own pieces.The color that you are chosen to play will seem to be on the
wrong side of the board, but that's to make it so that your pawns queen at
the same place.  Ex. If you are white, your first move could be N-f6.

6: Empty position for setting up positions in examine mode.  

7: Position: White King d1, pawns a2, b2 and c2, Black: King e8, pawns f7,
g7 and h7.

8: The same as normal chess, except the pawns start on the 4th rank
instead of the 2nd.

9: There are two kings.  You win if you checkmate the king that is closest
to the a-file.  If both kings are on the same file, you win if you
checkmate the one that is closer to rank 1.  For example, if your opponent
has kings on a7 and c5, you win if you checkmate the king on a7.
The other king is just an ordinary piece.  It can be checked and captured
with no consequences. The king you must mate can change during the course
of the game.

10: Stronger player handicapped by pawn and move. Black pawn @ f7 missing.

11: Odds of a Knight: Stronger player takes White, and before play begins
his N/b1 is removed.  From then on, play proceeds normally.

12: Odds of a Rook: Stronger player takes White, and before play begins
his R/a1 is removed.  From then on, play proceeds normally.  Queenside
castling with the "ghost" of that Rook is *not* permitted.

13: Odds of a Queen: Stronger player takes White, and before play begins
his Queen is removed.  From then on, play proceeds normally.

14: Odds of a Rook (variant): Stronger player takes White, and before play
begins his R/a1 is removed, *and* his a2 pawn is put on a3.  From then on,
play proceeds normally.  Queenside castling with the "ghost" of that Rook
is *not* permitted.

15:  Practice mating with a bishop and knight!  White gets the pieces.

16:  Kriegspiel!  You can't see your opponent's pieces! "help Kriegspiel".

17:  Loser's chess!  You must capture if possible.  The goal is to lose
all your pieces or get mated.  See also wild 26, Giveaway chess.
  
18:  Power Chess!  You get 7 queens (and one king and 8 pawns).

19: Mate with two knights against King and pawn. Position: White king g3,
Knights h2 and e5, black King g7, pawn e6.

20: A wild to allow positions to be loaded into the game.

21: Same as 20, except it automatically loads from a specific library
position.

22:  Fischer Random Chess!  The usual set of pieces is arranged randomly
on the first and eighth ranks, with bishops on opposite colors, and the
king between the two rooks, and Black's arrangement a mirror of White's.
Castling O-O puts the king at g1 (g8 for Black), the rook at f1 (f8).
Castling O-O-O puts the king at c1 (c8), rook at d1 (d8).  See
"help Fischer-random".

23:  Crazyhouse!  If you captured a piece earlier, you can place it (as a
piece of your color) like in bughouse, as a move.

24:  Bughouse!  Play with a partner, and use the pieces he captures on you
board by "dropping" them onto the board!  "help bughouse".

25:  Three checks and you win!  Double-check only counts as one.

26:  Giveaway!  You must capture if possible.  The king plays no special
role and can be captured or left en prise.  Pawns can promote to king. 
Win by losing all your pieces or getting stalemated.  See also wild 17,
Losers Chess.

27:  Atomic!  The capturing piece or pawn explodes, destroying itself
and any pieces (but not pawns) of either color in a one-square radius.
"help atomic".

28:  Shatranj!  The ancient precursor to chess.  See "help Shatranj"

29:  Selects a wild at random, but not one of the odds games.
Possible wilds are 3-5, 8-9, 17-18, 22-23, and 25-27.
Some wilds are weighted to be picked more frequently than
others.  The game will be rated in the category of the wild selected
(if the game is a rated game).

30: Checkers

See also: match, Giveaway, atomic, bughouse, crazyhouse, Kriegspiel,
          Shatranj, Fischer-random, odds-games, loadgame, loadfen, wild5,
          wild6, wild7, wild8, wild9, wild10, wild11, wild12, wild13, wild14,
          wild15, wild17, wild18, wild19, Checkers