Answers.Body: <p>In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V._R._Parton#Synchronistic_Chess" rel="noreferrer">Synchronistic Chess</a>, both players make their moves simultaneously. Black <em>must</em> be quite equal in this variant!</p>
  
  <p>Additionally, a bunch of the variants listed on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_variant" rel="noreferrer">Wikipedia page</a> could likely be considered "equal" for Black, as they may involve <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_variant#Chess_with_incomplete_information_or_elements_of_chance" rel="noreferrer">elements of chance</a> that would be far more significant than the first-move advantage normally conferred on White. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penultima" rel="noreferrer">Some variants</a> have arbitrary rules that change from game to game, though these may be getting so far removed from actual Chess that their inclusion is a bit questionable. ;-)</p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Henry Keiter
Answers.Body: <p>Here is a <a href="http://computerchess.org.uk/ccrl/404FRC/opening_report_by_white_score.html#table_start" rel="nofollow">link with statistical information</a> about different kind of chess960 positions. If you will look at the very bottom, where white score is the worse ( <code>White score = (White's winning percentage) + (Draw percentage / 2)</code> ), you can see that positions like <code>RBQKBRNN</code> and <code>RNKBBRNQ</code> are statistically favorable for black.</p>
  
  <p><strong>P.S.</strong> statistics does not really mean that they are in fact good for black. It might also mean that the engines who played black in these positions where much higher. </p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Salvador Dali
Answers.Body: <p>There is the variant where the first player plays one move with white, then the second player decides which side they want to continue as.  The player who ends up playing black then continues as normal.  This way it is to the advantage of white to make a first move that gives both sides equal chances.</p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: hkBst
Answers.Body: <p>Apart from Synchronistic chess, two more variants that fall into this category are Synchronous chess and Parity chess. </p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: chessling
Body: <p>In normal chess, black isn't that bad, but not that good either. White has the initiative and opening theory dictates how to win these positions. Variants like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess960" rel="nofollow">Chess960</a> have made it possible to play with common sense rather than grandmaster sense. But still correct play leads to the same result in variants that do not offer a pawn for either side right in the opening. While there are many books that try to convince me that black is OK, still the statistics show other things for normal chess at least. So that leads me to my question.
  Are there any chess variants where black is considered equal? Not better, just equal.</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-02-11T17:30:37.960Z
Comments.Text: I have no empirical evidence, but it seems that a simple rule that White can only move a pawn one space (not two) on White's first pawn move would completely neutralize. I wonder if databases could be easily probed for all such existing games. Another simple possibility might be starting the game with one of black's pawns already on the 6th rank, but my feeling is that the (slight) advantage would tip to Black in that case.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Jeff Y
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Comments.Text: play bughouse and there will be no problem of black and white advantages.
Comments.UserDisplayName: CognisMantis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-09-24T14:01:32.773Z
Comments.Text: I think that opening theory currently thinks black can reach equality in all normal variations, chess is a theoretical draw. But white has a practical advantage, as statistics show. It's going to be extremely hard to find a variant where we can convince you that neither side has a practical advantage, because 1) someone will have to have the first move and 2) chess variants don't have a lot of available tournament statistics.
Comments.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
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Comments.CreationDate: 2014-09-21T20:55:31.517Z
Comments.Text: I've changed "variation" to "variant" throughout your question because when people (including me) see "variation" they tend to think in terms of opening variations, not different rulesets.
Comments.UserDisplayName: dfan
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-09-22T14:38:13.157Z
Comments.Text: In *shogi* (japanese chess), black makes the first move.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Dag Oskar Madsen
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-09-22T15:38:19.947Z
Comments.Text: As in both players can be considered equal.
Comments.UserDisplayName: MikhailTal
Tags: <chess-variants>
Title: Chess variants where black is considered equal?
ThreadText: # Chess variants where black is considered equal?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2014-09-21)
  
  In normal chess, black isn't that bad, but not that good either. White has the initiative and opening theory dictates how to win these positions. Variants like [Chess960](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess960) have made it possible to play with common sense rather than grandmaster sense. But still correct play leads to the same result in variants that do not offer a pawn for either side right in the opening. While there are many books that try to convince me that black is OK, still the statistics show other things for normal chess at least. So that leads me to my question.
  Are there any chess variants where black is considered equal? Not better, just equal.
  
  **Tags:** chess-variants
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: I've changed "variation" to "variant" throughout your question because when people (including me) see "variation" they tend to think in terms of opening variations, not different rulesets.  
  > **username_5**: In *shogi* (japanese chess), black makes the first move.  
  > **username_0**: As in both players can be considered equal.  
  > **username_2**: play bughouse and there will be no problem of black and white advantages.  
  > **username_3**: I think that opening theory currently thinks black can reach equality in all normal variations, chess is a theoretical draw. But white has a practical advantage, as statistics show. It's going to be extremely hard to find a variant where we can convince you that neither side has a practical advantage, because 1) someone will have to have the first move and 2) chess variants don't have a lot of available tournament statistics.  
  > **username_1**: I have no empirical evidence, but it seems that a simple rule that White can only move a pawn one space (not two) on White's first pawn move would completely neutralize. I wonder if databases could be easily probed for all such existing games. Another simple possibility might be starting the game with one of black's pawns already on the 6th rank, but my feeling is that the (slight) advantage would tip to Black in that case.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 4 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2014-10-22. Score: 5 | Accepted answer
  
  In [Synchronistic Chess](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V._R._Parton#Synchronistic_Chess), both players make their moves simultaneously. Black *must* be quite equal in this variant!
  
  Additionally, a bunch of the variants listed on the [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_variant) could likely be considered "equal" for Black, as they may involve [elements of chance](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_variant#Chess_with_incomplete_information_or_elements_of_chance) that would be far more significant than the first-move advantage normally conferred on White. [Some variants](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penultima) have arbitrary rules that change from game to game, though these may be getting so far removed from actual Chess that their inclusion is a bit questionable. ;-)
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2014-09-21. Score: 2
  
  Here is a [link with statistical information](http://computerchess.org.uk/ccrl/404FRC/opening_report_by_white_score.html#table_start) about different kind of chess960 positions. If you will look at the very bottom, where white score is the worse ( `White score = (White's winning percentage) + (Draw percentage / 2)` ), you can see that positions like `RBQKBRNN` and `RNKBBRNQ` are statistically favorable for black.
  
  **P.S.** statistics does not really mean that they are in fact good for black. It might also mean that the engines who played black in these positions where much higher.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_8 on 2016-02-11. Score: 1
  
  There is the variant where the first player plays one move with white, then the second player decides which side they want to continue as. The player who ends up playing black then continues as normal. This way it is to the advantage of white to make a first move that gives both sides equal chances.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_9 on 2017-04-15. Score: 0
  
  Apart from Synchronistic chess, two more variants that fall into this category are Synchronous chess and Parity chess.
  
  
  ---
  
  