4 Player Chess online
Chess for four on a cross-shaped board: you against three computer players, every player for themselves. Capture pieces, deliver checkmate and finish with the most points.
Your move.
Points: pawn 1 · knight 3 · bishop 5 · rook 5 · queen 9 · promoted queen 1 · checkmate 20
How to play 4 player chess
You play Red at the bottom. Then Blue (left), Yellow (top) and Green (right) move, clockwise. Pieces move just like in regular chess, castling included. Every pawn marches toward the opposite side and promotes to a queen when it reaches its 8th rank, right in the middle of the board. There is no en passant.
This is the free-for-all points mode, the most popular way to play online: capturing a pawn scores 1 point, a knight 3, a bishop or rook 5, a queen 9 and a promoted queen 1. Checkmate scores 20 points and knocks that player out: their pieces turn grey, stop attacking and are worth nothing when captured.
Checkmate is checked on each player's turn: if it's their move, they're in check and have no legal move, they're out and the 20 points go to the player giving check. A player with no legal move who is not in check (stalemate) is also out but keeps the 20 points. The game ends when one player is left, when you are knocked out, or after 50 rounds with no capture or pawn move; the highest score wins.
Frequently asked questions
Does the last player standing win?
Not necessarily. In free-for-all the highest score wins. A player who captures a lot and lands a couple of checkmates can win even if someone else survives longer.
Why free-for-all and not teams?
Free-for-all is the most played 4 player chess mode and it works great against the computer. In teams mode the players sitting opposite each other are partners and the first checkmate wins for the team; here everyone plays for themselves.
What is simplified in this version?
There is no en passant, kings are never captured (checkmate is checked when it's each player's turn) and pawns always promote to a queen. The computer players look one or two moves ahead: on Easy they blunder a lot, on Hard they protect their pieces and hunt for checkmate.