Chess
King of the Hill
Standard chess with a second way to win: march your king into one of the four central squares and the game ends there and then.
What is different here
The four middle squares, d4, e4, d5 and e5, become a goal. Get your king legally onto any one of them and you win immediately, whatever else is happening on the board.
This makes the king an attacking piece from the first move, which no chess player is used to. It also makes the centre worth fighting for in a way that has nothing to do with the pieces standing on it.
The move still has to be legal, so a king may not step into check to reach the middle. Checkmate still wins in the ordinary way.
- Moving your king to d4, e4, d5 or e5 wins the game at once.
- The move must be legal: a king may never step into check, not even to win.
- Checkmate, resignation and timeout still win as usual.
- Draws for a dead position are switched off, because even a lone king can still reach the centre and win.
- Blocking or covering the four central squares is a real defensive plan.