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What is Torpedo chess?

Play Torpedo Chess on Chess.com, a DeepMind-inspired variant where pawns can always move two squares forward.

Updated this week

Torpedo Chess on Chess.com

Torpedo Chess is a unique chess variant first proposed and analyzed by DeepMind, the team behind AlphaZero. In this variant, the only rule change from standard chess is how pawns move. They can always advance two squares forward, even if they’ve already moved before.

As a consequence of the new pawn movement, en passant captures also change slightly. Players can make that capture whenever an enemy pawn lands next to theirs after moving two squares at once, wherever their pawn is on the board.

Torpedo Chess En Passant on Chess.com

Where to play Torpedo Chess

You can play Torpedo Chess directly from the Variants server:

  1. Hover over 'Play' in the left-side menu on any Chess.com page.

  2. Select '4 Player & Variants' from the list.

  3. Type 'Torpedo' in the search bar on the right panel and choose it from the list to start a game.

Torpedo Chess variant on Chess.com

Ready to play a game of Torpedo Chess on the variants server? Click here!

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