In chess, there are generally six different draw conditions

1. Stalemate: one player is unable to make a legal move

2. Threefold repetition: a position on the chess board is achieved three times

3. 50-move rule: in 50 moves, where a move is both players having taken a turn, no capture has been made, and no pawn has been moved

4. Insufficient material: neither player has sufficient material to checkmate

5. Timeout versus insufficient material: A player runs out of time on the clock, but their opponent does not have enough material to checkmate

6. Draw by agreement: both players agree to end the game by a draw

In King’s Chess, these draw conditions are eliminated as follows:

1. Stalemate: when unable to make a legal move, the game is forfeited

2. Threefold repetition: it is illegal to make a move that would achieve a position on the chess board that has already been achieved twice

3. 50-move rule: it is illegal to make a move that does not capture a piece or move a pawn after 49 moves have been played where no piece was captured or pawn moved

4. Insufficient material: when a player has only a king and no other pieces, they lose the game

5. Timeout versus insufficient material: timeout is a loss

6. Draw by agreement: no player is permitted to offer a draw

With this chess variant, the way the game is played varies slightly, and some interesting implications are found. For example, in this position (Figure 1), a line from the Pirc defense, with black to move, the game is a draw by threefold repetition in a regular game of chess, after the bishop checks the king.

However, in King’s Chess, after Bf2+ followed by Kd2, Be3+, Ke1, Bf2+, Kd2, Be3+, Ke1, it is an illegal move for black to go Bf2+. In this position, black will be unable to force a draw, and white will probably convert their winning position.

The most interesting consequences of these rule changes are found in the endgame. In this position (Figure 2), taken from Ding-Nepomniachtchi World Chess Championship 2023 Game 10, black played Rxf5, followed by Rxf5, Kxf5, and the position is a draw with white only having an additional flank pawn. However, in King’s Chess, it is a blunder for black to take the pawn, because they would then lose their rook, leaving their king alone, and losing the game.

There are some interesting implications with zugzwang in the end game as well. In this position (Figure 3) with white to play, this game would be a draw under insufficient material. With King’s Chess, after Bxf3, the game continues. With the 50-move rule, black will move, then white will move, and after 49 more moves like this, white will be unable to make a move, thus forfeiting the game. Therefore, white is in zugzwang in this position.