Chess With Custom Setups

Piece tray. Drag or select pieces to place on the board.

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What is Chess39?

Chess39 is chess where you create your own starting position on your half of the board (4 rows). After setup, normal chess rules apply.

How to Play

1. Set up your pieces on your side
2. Press Play
3. Start! Normal chess rules from here

39 Advanced and 39 Classic

39 Advanced:

• Choose any pieces. Total piece value should be exactly 39 points
• King required but doesn't count toward the 39 points
• Example: 30 Pawns + 1 Queen = 39 points

39 Classic:

• Place the standard chess set anywhere on your side: 1 King, 1 Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, 8 Pawns.

Piece Values

• Pawn: 1 point
• Knight: 3 points
• Bishop: 3 points
• Rook: 5 points
• Queen: 9 points

Why 39? It's the total value of a standard chess starting position.

Playing Online

Quick Match:

Set up your pieces and press Play for automatic matchmaking

Custom Room:

1. Enter a unique Room ID and press "Create Room"
2. Share the ID with your opponent
3. They enter the ID and press "Join Room"
4. Both players set up simultaneously (setups are hidden)
5. Press Play when ready to start

Flexibility

• Online matches pair players with equal total piece values (39, 10, 100, etc.)
• Local and computer modes have no restrictions

Ask a Question

Email: contact@chess39.com
Reddit: r/Chess39

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