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Janus Chess

Janus Chess

(Self-Published) · 1978
260 min8+ yrs3.0/5 complexity6.1 BGG7CouplesStrategy
⚡ short answer

How do you play Janus Chess?

Popular in Europe, Janus Chess is played on a 10x8 board using all the standard chessmen plus 2 Janus pieces. These combine the powers of bishop and knight, and are placed in between the rooks and knights on the board (b1 and i1 for white, b8 and i8 for black).

To find the best price for Janus Chess, howtoplay.ro compares deals from Romanian shops every day.

Janus Chess box art
official art · (Self-Published)

Popular in Europe, Janus Chess is played on a 10x8 board using all the standard chessmen plus 2 Janus pieces. These combine the powers of bishop and knight, and are placed in between the rooks and knights on the board (b1 and i1 for white, b8 and i8 for black). The king and queen are reversed compared to FIDE Chess (King on e1 and Queen on f1 for White, King on e8 and queen on f8 for black)

Note that the Janus piece can checkmate the enemy king unaided, if the king is in a corner.

Several chess grandmasters play this game, including Victor Korchnoi and Peter Leko.

Janus Chess was invented in 1978 by Werner Schöndorf.

game anatomy
Complexity3.0 / 5
BGG rating6.1 / 10
Vibe
CouplesStrategy
Play time
60 min
Players
2
Recommended age
8+ yrs
from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1How much does Janus Chess cost?
No store is currently tracking Janus Chess. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q2Where can I buy Janus Chess cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q3How do you play Janus Chess?
Janus Chess is a abstract strategy game, for 2 players, taking ~60 minutes, featuring grid movement. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Janus Chess — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q4How many players does Janus Chess support?
Janus Chess is played by 2 players.
Q5How long does a game of Janus Chess take?
A game of Janus Chess takes about 60 minutes. (The first game doesn't count. It never counts.)
Q6What age is Janus Chess for?
Janus Chess is recommended from age 8.
Q7How complex is Janus Chess?
Janus Chess has a BoardGameGeek complexity of 3.0 out of 5.
Mechanics & categories
Abstract Strategy →

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