Four Player Chess (4PC) is an exciting chess variant that can be played in two main modes: Teams and Free-for-All (FFA). Here is an overview of the rules for each mode, along with some additional notes on Solo and Variant games.
Teams
Guidelines | Details |
Gameplay order
| The game begins with the Red player, and moves proceed clockwise in the order: Red, Blue, Yellow, Green. |
Teammates | Your teammate is the player directly across from you on the board. You cannot capture your teammate's pieces. |
Pawn promotion | Pawns promote on your 11th rank. |
Checkmate and stalemate |
|
Resignation and timeout |
|
Arrows and communication |
|
Check out this forum post to learn strategies for teams: Strategy tips for teams
Free-for-All (FFA)
These rules do not apply to Diplomacy Games. Check out this forum post to learn about this variant: Four Player Diplomacy Variant.
Guidelines | Details |
Objective | The goal is to finish with the most points of any player. |
Points system |
|
Pawn promotion | Pawns promote on your 8th rank. |
Elimination and dead pieces | Pieces become 'dead' (grey) when a player is eliminated. Capturing dead pieces does not earn points. |
Game conclusion |
|
Disconnection and resignation |
|
Prohibited actions |
|
Check out this forum post to learn tips for beginners: Beginner tips and fundamentals.
Solo
Solo games are Free-for-All games rated as winner-takes-all (WTA), meaning only the winner gains (Solo) rating, and the second through fourth place lose equally.
Variants
Variant games can be Solo, FFA, or Teams. The specific rules for the game are displayed above the board when clicking on the icon after selecting a variant:
Check out this forum post to learn more about the different variant rules: 4PC Variants List
Resources
Watch this video to learn more about 4-player Chess:
Here are some forum posts that can help you better understand and navigate the different variants: