4 player chess
Are you ready to try out an unusual and engaging way to play chess? If the answer is yes, 4 player chess can be just what you’re looking for!
Description
This non-standard version of chess is also sometimes called four-handed. Each player has a set of pieces colored in red, green, yellow or blue. The player with red chessmen always starts the game. Others join in a clockwise direction.
One more principal difference from regular chess is the board. This attribute has 160 squares due to its specific construction. It contains three additional ranks on each side.
Most regulations for standard chess are valid for the 4-handed style. But it has many variants, and each of them has its own extra rules. The two most popular ones are Teams and Free-For-All. Besides, players can adjust regulations to their preferences. If you’re passionate about chess, you’ll love rchess.com! Check it out today.
Basic rules of 4 player chess
Here we explore the guidelines for Free-For-All chess played by four people. In this kind of match, each of them is battling against the other three. The task is to end the game with the highest number of points. They are given for various actions on the board, such as stalemating or checkmating a rival.
If you check a few kings simultaneously, it also brings extra points. And it’s even more rewarding if you don’t use a queen to do that. Capturing an active piece is also a good way to earn some scores.
Although such a huge gaming board might look frightening, it comes with beneficial rule adjustments. For example, players don’t have to cross the whole field with a pawn for promotion. All they need to do is to reach the eighth rank. Then, the piece automatically turns into a queen. Also, in case an opponent captures it later, they only get 1 point. Meanwhile, taking a normal queen brings 9 points.
An interesting remark: every player’s eighth rank is different. It’s because the board isn’t square. The same location is a rank for one player and a file for his neighbor.
Conclusion
Now you understand the basics of 4 player chess. That means you are ready to get your first experience in this extraordinary entertainment. Good luck!