Sunyata Chess

Andernach Chess is perhaps the only chess variant I keep coming back to, again and again, in an attempt to make it playable. I'm absolutely in love with the color-flipping capture mechanic (which, by the way, heavily influenced my Werewolf Checkers), but the inherent drawishness of Andernach Chess - so obvious and easily achievable - has always been its fatal flaw, effectively killing the game as a competitive concept. 
For me, this kind of challenge has always been like a puzzle - one that was an absolute joy to solve.

I once proposed Neo-Andernach Chess... That was a breakthrough - it finally made the game playable. And yet... something was missing...like a feather’s touch missing from a perfectly balanced blade. 

And now, it feels like everything has clicked into place - the balance, the depth, the sheer elegance of play. No more forced draws, no more lingering "what ifs." Just pure, fluid strategy where every capture tells a story, and victory can bloom from either total control or total surrender.
This... this is the Sunyata Chess I always dreamed of.

While this game shares traits with Andernach Chess, the differences are profound and deliberate.

"Sunyata" (Sanskrit: śūnyatā) — the Buddhist concept of "emptiness," where no independent "self" exists, only interconnected processes.
In this chess variant, pieces change color, shedding their "own" nature - they literally cease to be distinct entities, mirroring Sunyata's dissolution of fixed identity.

Setup

Standard Chess setup.

Pieces

Standard set of chess pieces.

Rules

Sunyata chess is a chess variant in which players, rather than just making one move per turn, play progressively longer series of moves.

All standard chess rules apply, except as modified below.

Capturing Rules

Color Inversion on Capture:

• When a piece (except the king) captures another, it changes color to match the captured piece. Example: A white bishop capturing a black knight becomes a black bishop.

King Exception:

• The king does not change color after capturing if it still has allied pieces of its original color.
• If the king is the last remaining piece of its color, it does change color upon capturing (like other pieces).

Illegal Moves:

• A player cannot make a move that leaves their own king in check (such a move is illegal and must be retracted).

Pawn Promotion

Standard Promotion:

• When a pawn reaches the 1st rank (Black) or 8th rank (White) by a non-capturing move:
  • - It transforms into a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of its current color.
  • - The new piece follows normal capture rules (changes color if it later captures an enemy piece).

Promotion by Capture:

• If a pawn reaches the promotion rank by capturing:
  • - No immediate color change - the pawn does not invert its color after capturing.
  • - It promotes to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of its original color.
  • - The new piece can change color only if it later captures another piece (per standard rules).

Move Progression 

• Turns alternate in the sequence: 1-2-3-4-5…
• White: 1 move → Black: 2 moves → White: 3 moves → etc.
• The number of moves allowed for any given turn, is dependent on the turn number.

Check Rules:

• A check may be delivered on any move of a series. The series then ends immediately—no further moves are permitted that turn.
• The checked player must escape check on their first move of the next turn (if impossible, it’s checkmate).

En Passant:

• En passant must be executed on the first move of a series, if applicable.

Winning Conditions

Sunyata (Void State):

• A player wins the game when no pieces of their original color (including their king) remain on the board.
• If only the king remains, capturing according to standard chess rules flips its color → the king 'dissolves into Sunyata' (joins the opponent’s side).

Classical Checkmate:

• A player unable to escape check on the first move of their series loses.

Draw Conditions

• Threefold repetition, stalemate, or mutual agreement (as in standard chess).

***

Thus we arrive at the game's essential truth:
Every capture gives your piece to the opponent.
Victory can be achieved through Sunyata (self-emptying) or traditional checkmate.
Move progression adds escalating risk/reward.

***

White forces Sunyata in 9 moves:

1. Kb5, Kxc5, Kb5, c5, cd, c4, c5, cd, Kxa5#

Kxa5 - King’s final capture empties White’s existence.
Sunyata achieved. White won.

Notes

Tactics and Strategy in Sunyata Chess

How many moves must White consecutively play in one series to checkmate Black?

In Sunyata Chess, the classical tactics (material elimination) of Progressive Chess are transformed but not removed - instead of "destruction," a meta-game of color control emerges. This creates fundamentally new strategic layers.
Color inversion makes traditional capture (physical piece removal) secondary - the captured piece doesn't disappear but changes allegiance and even value.
Direct attacks on the king (as in Progressive Chess) become meaningless - replaced by the need to manage color dynamics.

The game now operates on two levels:
Positional play (as in standard chess)
Color management (deciding when and which pieces to invert)

Sunyata Chess doesn't eliminate Progressive Chess tactics but elevates them to a new dimension:
Instead of destruction - transformation
Instead of checkmate - color control
Instead of brute force - subtle manipulation

This makes the game more abstract yet deeper. While unfamiliar to classical Progressive Chess enthusiasts, Sunyata Chess becomes the perfect choice for those seeking new intellectual challenges.

Solution

Nc3, Nd5, Nxe7, Rg1, Rxg7, Nf6#

Note that Black cannot capture the white knight with Ng8xf6, since this capture would result in the black knight becoming white and, accordingly, the black king would remain in check.

Last revised by Вадря Покштя.