These games came into existence through discussions on the SchemingMind.com site, and playtesting of Near Chess. Simpleton's Chess came into being when comments regarding Near Chess that people were challenged by the number of pieces to remember. Simpleton's Chess reduces the number of piece in half, to help make it easier to learn. Included in this package is a Near Chess version of Simpleton's, on an 8x8 board. Normally, Simpleton's Chess takes place on an 8x7 board.

Henry the VIII came a suggestion for a variant by uzamaki_naruto0 on that site, using a Simplified chess board (it is 8x7) for a game with 8 pawns, 7 queens and a king. The object being to either capture your opponent's king, or eliminate all your own pieces except for the king. This was changed to just eliminating all your queens (not pieces), through playtesting in Zillions. With this change, came the name Henry the VIII, who was famous for getting rid of his wives.

RULES FOR SIMPLETON'S CHESS (Level 3)
Same as in standard FIDE Chess, except for the set-up and these rules which have been removed or changed:
1. Pawns only move one space forward and capture one space diagonally. There is also no En Passant. This is because pawns start forward.
2. There is no castling.
3. Game is won by capturing the opponent's king, rather than checkmating it.
4. In Level 2 and 3, Pawn only promote to a friendly Queen that has been captured. If it is not able to promote, it may not move in the back row.

Simpleton's Chess has 3 levels:
A. Level 1. Pawns move and capture one space forward only (like Asian pawns), and don't promote.
B. Level 2. Pawns promote only to friendly queens that have been captured, but otherwise like Level 1.
C. Level 3. Pawns move one space forward, and capture one space diagonally. The promote to friendly queens that have been captured only.

RULES FOR HENRY THE 8TH CHESS
These rules are nearly identical to level 3 Simpleton's Chess, except that the win conditions are different. To win at Henry the 8th Chess, you need to either capture your opponent's king, or get all your queens eliminated. This version has two versions of Henry the 8th Chess, one where capturing is mandatory, and the other where capture is optional. Both are playable.