Beyond the Pale Chess is played with all of the normal chess rules, except as overridden by the rules below.

The Fish Rule: The starting setup is randomized as in Fischer Random Chess/Chess960.

The Syrian Rule: Each player starts the game with a hawk and an elephant in hand. These pieces may be dropped onto the board as in Seirawan Chess: when a back rank piece is moved for the first time, the hawk or the elephant may be dropped into that piece's starting square.

The Crazy Rule: Once both of a player's Syrian Rule pieces have been dropped onto the board, the Crazy Rule takes effect for that player. All pieces the player captures go into their hand, and may be dropped onto any empty space on the board as a move (except that pawns may not be dropped onto the first or last rank). Only pieces captured after the Syrian Rule goes into effect may be dropped in this manner. Syrian Rule pieces captured under the Crazy Rule may be dropped under the Crazy Rule (or the Upgrade Rule, see below).

The Upgrade Rule: A play may also drop a piece onto one of their own pieces to combine the moves of the pieces. Dropping a bishop onto a rook upgrades the rook to a queen. The combination pieces are hawk (bishop + knight), elephant (knight + rook), queen (bishop + rook), and amazon (bishop + knight + rook). You may not drop a piece onto one of your pawns or your king, or drop a pawn onto another piece.

The Cannibalism Rule: You may capture one of your own pieces. If the Crazy Rule is in effect for you, that piece goes into your hand, and may be dropped under the Crazy Rule of the Upgrade Rule. Cannibalizing your king is equivalent to resigning.

The Break-It-Down Rule: You may convert any combination piece in your hand into it's component knight, bishop, and/or rook. This must be done when the piece is first put into your hand.

The Anti-Matter Rule: You may drop a piece from your hand onto any identical enemy piece. Both pieces are permanently removed from the game.

The Bifurcation Rule: Pawns may promote to any two non-combination pieces (bishop, knight, or rook). You may place them both onto the promotion square as a combination piece (elephant, hawk, or queen), or place one onto the promotion square and put one into your hand. You can promote to two of the same piece, such as two rooks. In that case, one piece has to go into your hand.

Okay, I admit it. This is just me being silly.