All Variants Explained (With Pictures)

A simple visual guide as to what each variant of the game is.

List of Variants

The current list of all variants present in the game in the order they appear in:

Standard
Random
Misc - Small
Misc - Timeline Invasion
Simple - Knights vs. Bishops
Simple - No Queens
Simple - No Bishops
Simple - No Knights
Simple - No Rooks
Standard - Half Reflected
Standard - Defended Pawn
Standard - Princess
Standard - Turn Zero
Standard - Two Timelines
Misc - Small Flipped
Misc - Small Centered
Misc - Small Open
Misc - Very Small
Misc - Very Small Open
Misc - TImeline Formations
Misc - TImeline Tactician
Misc - TImeline Strategos
Misc - TImeline Battleground
Misc - Excessive
Misc - Global Warming
Focused - Just Knights
Focused - Just Bishops
Focused - Just Rooks
Focused - Just Queens
Focused - Just Pawns
Focused - Just Kings
Focused - Just Unicorns
Focused - Just Dragons
Checkmate Practice - Knight
Checkmate Practice - Bishop
Checkmate Practice - Rook
Checkmate Practice - Queen
Checkmate Practice - Pawns

I will attempt to update this list as variants are added or removed in future.

Standard

Standard

A completely ordinary game of 5D Chess.

Board Size: 8x8
Pieces Standard Set. 8 Pawns, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 2 Rooks, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Random

Random

Selects from all possible variants at random.

Board Size: Per variant.
Pieces Per variant.

Misc - Small

Small

Smaller sized board with less pieces for lower complexity gameplay. The position of pieces are mirrored across the board.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Reduced Set. 5 Pawns, 1 Bishop, 1 Knight, 1 Rook, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Misc - Timeline Invasion

Timeline Invasion

Two smaller boards with additional pawns for each side. White and black primarily begin on different boards and need to move between timelines.

Board Size: Two 5x5.
Pieces Reduced Set. 10 Pawns, 1 Bishop, 1 Knight, 1 Rook, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.
Board Differences: White's starting board has only five Black pawns at the back rank and no other Black pieces. The inverse is true for Black's starting board.

Simple - Knights vs. Bishops

Knights vs. Bishops

Slightly smaller board with differing pieces for the White and Black sides.

Board Size: 6x6
Pieces Reduced Asymmetrical Set. 6 Pawns, 2 Rooks, 1 Queen & 1 King per side. 2 Bishops for Black, 2 Knights for White.

Simple - No Queens

No Queens

Slightly smaller board without any starting Queens.

Board Size: 7x7
Pieces Modified Set. 7 Pawns, 2 Knights, 2 Bishops, 2 Rooks & 1 King per side.

Simple - No Bishops

No Bishops

Slightly smaller board without any Bishops.

Board Size: 6x6
Pieces Modified Set. 6 Pawns, 2 Knights, 2 Rooks, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Simple - No Knights

No Knights

Slightly smaller board without any Knights.

Board Size: 6x6
Pieces Modified Set. 6 Pawns, 2 Bishops, 2 Rooks, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Simple - No Rooks

No Rooks

Slightly smaller board without any Rooks.

Board Size: 6x6
Pieces Modified Set. 6 Pawns, 2 Knights, 2 Bishops, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Standard - Half Reflected

Half Reflected

A completely ordinary game of 5D Chess, with the positions of the Black Queen and King swapped. Previously called Misc - Reflected.

Board Size: 8x8
Pieces Standard Set. 8 Pawns, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 2 Rooks, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Standard - Defended Pawn

Defended Pawn

A completely ordinary game of 5D Chess with the positions of some pieces adjusted.

Board Size: 8x8
Pieces Standard Set. 8 Pawns, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 2 Rooks, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Standard - Princess

Princess

A completely ordinary game of 5D Chess utilising the new Princess piece in place of a Queen.

Board Size: 8x8
Pieces Standard Set. 8 Pawns, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 2 Rooks, 1 Princess & 1 King per side.

Standard - Turn Zero

Turn Zero

A completely ordinary game of 5D Chess, with an additional zeroth turn already played. This allows for timeline branching to begin as early as Black's first turn.

Board Size: 8x8
Pieces Standard Set. 8 Pawns, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 2 Rooks, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Standard - Two Timelines

Two TImelines

A completely ordinary game of 5D Chess with two initial timelines.

Board Size: Two 8x8
Pieces Standard Set, Two Boards. 16 Pawns, 4 Bishops, 4 Knights, 4 Rooks, 2 Queens & 2 Kings per side.

Misc - Small Flipped

Small Flipped

Smaller sized board with less pieces for lower complexity gameplay. The piece layout is rotated across the board rather than mirrored.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Reduced Set. 5 Pawns, 1 Bishop, 1 Knight, 1 Rook, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Misc - Small Centered

Small Centered

Smaller sized board with less pieces for lower complexity gameplay. The King is located in the center of his starting rank.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Reduced Set. 5 Pawns, 1 Knight, 2 Rook, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Misc - Small Open

Small Open

Smaller sized board with less pieces for lower complexity gameplay. There are less pawns and the front rank of each side is open to attack.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Reduced Set. 3 Pawns, 1 Bishop, 1 Knight, 1 Rook, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Misc - Very Small

Very Small

Significantly smaller board without any clear space initially.

Board Size: 4x4
Pieces Reduced Set. 4 Pawns, 1 Bishop, 1 Knight, 1 Rook & 1 King per side.

Misc - Very Small Open

Very Small Open

Significantly smaller board with a very open initial board state.

Board Size: 4x4
Pieces Reduced Set. 1 Pawn, 1 Bishop, 1 Knight, 1 Rook & 1 King per side.

Misc - TImeline Formations

Timeline Formations

Smaller sized board with significantly less pieces but spread across two initial timelines.
Board Size: 4x4
Pieces Reduced Set. 5 Pawn & 1 King per side.
Board Differences: Black and White Kings start on the same rank as their pawns but in a different timeline.

Misc - TImeline Tactician

Timeline Tactician

Significantly smaller board with pieces split across opposing timelines.

Board Size: 4x4
Pieces Reduced Set. 4 Pawns, 1 Bishop, 1 Knight, 1 Rook & 1 King per side.
Board Differences: Black and White start in different timelines without any opposing pieces on their initial board.

Misc - TImeline Strategos

Timeline Strategos

Smaller sized board utilising unique 5D chess pieces split across opposing timelines.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Reduced Set. 5 Pawns, 1 Bishop, 1 Knight, 1 Rook, 1 Unicorn & 1 King per side.
Board Differences: Black and White start in different timelines without any opposing pieces on their initial board.

Misc - TImeline Battleground

Timeline Battleground

Smaller sized boards with additional pieces split across several initial timelines in unique configurations.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Expanded Set. 15 Pawns, 4 Bishops, 5 Knights, 4 Rooks, 1 Queen & 1 King per side.
Board Differences: Pieces are split across three timelines; two of which are mirrors of each other at the far ends and one in the center that is mirrored horizontally.

All Rooks are located on their rearmost rank flanking the King. All Bishops are located a rank below and flank the Queen. Then a line of Pawns are located below, with a full line of opposing Pawns on the bottom Rank.

The middle timeline has a full line of five Knights at either end of the board with a full line of Pawns between them.

Misc - Excessive

Excessive

Slightly smaller board with a very high number of pieces present, including unique 5D Chess pieces and multiple Kings.

Board Size: 7x7
Pieces Reduced Set. 7 Pawns, 2 Bishops, 2 Knight, 4 Rook, 1 Dragon, 1 Unicorn, 1 Queen & 3 Kings per side.

Misc - Global Warming

Global Warming

A board where almost all of the available space has been reclaimed by the surrounding grey. This is a game that has no winners, only losers.

Board Size: 1x1
Pieces None.

Focused - Just Knights

Just Knights

Smaller sized board with specific starting pieces. Without Pawns you are limited to your initial pieces.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Reduced Set. 2 Knights & 1 King per side.

Focused - Just Bishops

Just Bishops

Smaller sized board with specific starting pieces. Without Pawns you are limited to your initial pieces.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Reduced Set. 2 Bishops & 1 King per side.

Focused - Just Rooks

Just Rooks

Smaller sized board with specific starting pieces. Without Pawns you are limited to your initial pieces.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Reduced Set. 2 Rooks & 1 King per side.

Focused - Just Queens

Just Queens

Smaller sized board with specific starting pieces, but slightly larger than other Focused boards. Without Pawns you are limited to your initial pieces.

Board Size: 6x6
Pieces Reduced Set. 1 Queen & 1 King per side.

Focused - Just Pawns

Just Pawns

Smaller sized board with specific starting pieces.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Reduced Set. 4 Pawns & 1 King per side.

Focused - Just Kings

Just Kings

Extremely small board with specific starting pieces. It is only possible to win by checkmating a King in the past, or forcing your opponent into a position where they cannot move.

Board Size: 3x3
Pieces Reduced Set. 1 King per side.

Focused - Just Unicorns

Just Unicorns

Smaller sized board with specific starting pieces. Without Pawns you are limited to your initial pieces. This variant is likely to create many branching timelines due to how Unicorns move.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Reduced Set. 2 Unicorns & 1 King per side.

Focused - Just Dragons

Just Dragons

Smaller sized board with specific starting pieces. Without Pawns you are limited to your initial pieces. This variant is likely to create many branching timelines due to how Dragons move.

Board Size: 5x5
Pieces Reduced Set. 2 Dragons & 1 King per side.

Checkmate Practice - Knight

Knight

Reduced size board with one piece per colour.

Board Size: 6x6
Pieces Reduced Asymmetrical Set. 1 King for White, 1 Knight for Black.

Checkmate Practice - Bishop

Bishop

Reduced size board with one piece per colour.

Board Size: 6x6
Pieces Reduced Asymmetrical Set. 1 King for White, 1 Bishop for Black.

Checkmate Practice - Rook

Rook

Reduced size board with one piece per colour.

Board Size: 6x6
Pieces Reduced Asymmetrical Set. 1 King for White, 1 Rook for Black.

Checkmate Practice - Queen

Queen

Reduced size board with one piece per colour.

Board Size: 6x6
Pieces Reduced Asymmetrical Set. 1 King for White, 1 Queen for Black.

Checkmate Practice - Pawns

Pawns

Reduced size board with one type of piece per colour.

Board Size: 6x6
Pieces Reduced Asymmetrical Set. 1 King for White, 3 Pawns for Black.

Credits

Thank you to Thunkspace for making the game, YouTuber aliensrock for introducing me to it, and you for reading this guide.

19/09/20 - Updated with four new variants and one renamed variant.

[Satan]

I cannot answer that question, as I am merely the devil and not the dev.

[Averis]

Hay Satan, what is the deal? Why Can't we just put the pieces we want on a board and have a "mirror" and "non mirror" option?>??

[Spair]

Man, it’s hard to resolve just kings, even on weak/trainer difficulty. I read your description of it.

[Satan]

Dragon is used on Excessive, though I do need to update this when I get a moment.

[Dogman_35]

There's like five extra pieces that only ever get used once.

Is dragon even used outside of just dragons?

[Hinternsaft]

Must have been patched, Very Small now has inverted back rank too

[Satan]

Indeed, I'd never noticed that. Interesting. Very Small Open has the positions of the back rank flipped and so avoids that problem.

[bryn]

Sn interesting note is that the Very Small board allows white to checkmate instantly, by using their knight to take the pawn directly in front of the opposing bishop.