Chess Gimmicks

Stockfish, but it loses 100 ELO if you play the best move. Punish the engine for its own brilliance.

Stockfish, but it loses 300 ELO when you check. Keep the pressure on and its rating melts away.

Stockfish, but it loses 50 ELO every move. It starts sharp and tires out. Outlast it and the endgame is yours.

Stockfish, but it loses 200 ELO every piece it loses. Trade pieces to demoralize the engine.

Martin, but he gains 1000 ELO if he captures or checks. He starts at 0 Elo and starving. Deny him food and he stays helpless.

Martin, but he gains 100 ELO every move. He starts as a total beginner and learns fast. Crush him early or face a grandmaster by the endgame.

Stockfish at 3600 ELO, but you get an extra move every Nth turn. Higher intervals mean fewer bonus turns and a better score.

Stockfish, but 5% of blundering every move. It plays at full strength otherwise. Wait for the slip and pounce.

Stockfish, but it plays for 0.00 evaluation. Every move steers the position back to dead equal.

Stockfish, but it must reply with the same type of piece you just moved. Bishops and knights count as interchangeable. If it has no matching piece, it plays the best move.

Stockfish, but its back rank is all bishops. You play a normal setup. Good luck against the swarm.

Stockfish, but its back rank is all knights. You play a normal setup. Brace for the cavalry charge.

Stockfish, but if it can sacrifice a rook, it must. Inspired by GothamChess (Levy Rozman)'s signature playstyle to sacrifice rooks. Every rook capture available to it is mandatory, even with a pawn.

Stockfish, but it plays nth best move where P(n) = (1/2)^n. Half the time it finds the best move, a quarter of the time the second best, and so on down the list.

Stockfish, but both kings must stay on their squares. If a king is in check you have to guard it with another piece. If nothing can guard it, the king may finally move. Captures by the king are always allowed. There is no castling.