White (the peasants) has only a king and 8 pawns. Black (the nobles) has a king, one pawn, and 4 knights (or 3, depending on the setting). Originally designed as a way to practice knight moves.
An asymmetric variant devised by R.L. Frey in 1947. White has just a king and 8 pawns (the peasants); Black has a king, one pawn, and 4 knights (the nobles). Black is traditionally considered somewhat favored; for a closer contest, drop to 3 knights (b8, c8, g8). Piece movement is otherwise identical to ordinary chess.
Simplifications: castling, en passant, and the pawn's double-step are omitted. Check and checkmate aren't enforced — capturing the king directly ends the game.