How to play 4 Player Chess (Free For All)

Learn the rules to 4 Player Chess (Free For All) quickly and concisely – This video has no distractions, just the rules. For a refresher of the original Chess rules, check out this video:

Play 4 player chess online for free here:

(As an chess.com affiliate we earn from qualifying subscriptions)

Don’t own the game? Buy it here:
amazon.com –
amazon.ca –
amazon.nl –
amazon.se –
amazon.pl –
(As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases)

RULES:
There are two main ways to play. The first is that the object of the game is to be the last player standing while the second is to play for points. Setup the board with each player’s queen on the black spaces. Pick a player to go first, then play proceeds clockwise. Players are not allowed to table talk strategy nor are they allowed to team up or form alliances. Your pawns are promoted to queens when they reach the 8th row from your side of the board. En Passant is not allowed.

When player is CHECKMATED, that player is eliminated from the game but all their pieces remain on the board. These pieces do not move, they cannot check a king, and you may not pass a piece through them. If you wish to occupy a space with an eliminated player’s piece on it, then you must capture that piece, but you get no points for it.

If a player is stalemated, then they are eliminated from the game unless there are only 2 players left, then the game ends in a draw between those 2 players. The game ends when three players are eliminated and the last player remaining, wins.

If you are playing for points, points are earned in the following way:

Checkmating an opponent is worth 20 points
Stalemating yourself is 20
Stalemating an opponent gives 10 points to each player still in the game
Checking more than one king simultaneously with your queen gives 1 point for two kings, and +5 for three
Checking more than one king simultaneously with a piece other than a queen gives you 5 points for two kings, and 20 for three
Capturing active pieces gives you 1 point for a pawn or promoted pawn, 3 for a knight, 5 for a bishop or rook, and 9 for a queen

When there is only 1 player left, or when the remaining players are stalemated, then the game ends and the player with the most points wins.