Avalanche chess is a chess variant invented by Ralph Betza in 1977 that adds one mandatory extra step to every turn: after moving one of their own pieces, a player must also move one of the opponent's pawns forward by one square, if a legal such move exists. This forced advance of the opponent's own pawns steadily changes the pawn structure in front of both players, opening or closing lines and creating attacking or defensive chances that would never arise under standard chess rules. Capturing with a forcibly advanced pawn is not permitted, and if such a pawn is forced to promotion, the opponent, not its owner, chooses what piece it becomes; if that forced promotion itself delivers check, the opponent wins outright, an unusual win condition that gives the variant a distinctive tactical flavor built entirely around this single added rule.
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1. Avalanche chess (Wikipedia)
Lead, first sentence
Avalanche chess is a chess variant created by Ralph Betza in 1977
Lead, rules
The game follows standard chess rules with this additional mandatory requirement.
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