Well, it's no secret I enjoy chess, and that I also enjoy the Japanese equivalent shogi. But the truth is I love all chess variants. Some I've never actually played with people; only software. I would be interested in trying out some variants with some adventurous souls. The following have always interested me.
Grand Chess - In regular chess, the major pieces are rook, bishop, and knight, with the queen combining the value of the rook and bishop. Though many inventors have had the idea in mind, the inventor of Grand Chess pulled it off best when he decided to make similar combination pieces in this game: the marshall, which is a combination rook/knight, and the cardinal, which is a combination knight/bishop. The board is 10x10, and supposedly it's a pretty good game. It'd be fun to try.
Chess with Different Armies - Here is a game I would really, really like to try. It is mathematically impossible to create a board game of perfect information but with different pieces or objectives that is perfectly balanced. But the inventor of this game set out to do just that, or come really darn close. He has created three new armies that can compete against each other or the original chess army on equal footing. I'm sure there are very slight inequalities, but the armies have been playtested numerous times, and amazingly the games are very fair and equal. There are other armies that the inventor and others have tried out, but they are not quite so well tested. I hear this is lots of fun!
Omega Chess - In regular chess, the knight is the only piece that leaps exactly to a destination square, while the rook, bishop, and combo of the two in queen form all ride straight, unobstructed lines to their destination squares. Some inventors have tried to create a balance in chess pieces, by combining the knight with the rook or bishop (as in Grand Chess above). But other inventors have instead tried to create that balance by creating an equal number of "riders" and "leapers". That was the philosophy when this commercial chess variant was invented. It has good reviews and even recommendations from highly ranked chess players, so it looks and sounds interesting.
Wildebeest Chess - In the same vein as the above variant, Wildebeest chess introduces leaping pieces to try to create balance. However their leap is different from that of Omega chess: more similar in nature than the knight, but ultimately weaker pieces. Still, it also seems cool to me.
Self-eliminator - To me this name sounds like Losing Checkers, where players try to be the first to lose all their pieces. There is an equivalent chess game, but this is not it. It just has a poor name. In regular chess, one usually thinks of his pieces as an advantage, a potential weapon against the enemy. That is, until they trap your own pieces. Many, if not most checkmates often occur when a king is hemmed in by his own pieces. If only one could capture friendly pieces in emergencies such as this, not just enemy pieces. Well, in this game you can. This presents interesting escapes, but also can be tactically advantageous, for instance capturing your own piece to open a path for another, etc. It's a simple rule change, but it makes for some very new possibilities. It too sounds like it'd be worth a try.
Chessgi - To the few who have bothered to read my explanation for shogi, you might see the logic for the silly name. Chessgi is played just like chess, except that captured pieces become the property of the captor. Captured pieces can then be reintroduced as part of the captor's army on nearly any square. It could be a lot of fun.
