Four-Player Chess (Free-for-All): Rules and How to Play
Capture pieces to collect points. All three other players are opponents.
Objective
Capture pieces to collect points. All three other players are opponents. In free-for-all a checkmated player is out, and their pieces turn grey on the board (they never move, and capturing them scores nothing). The game ends when three players are out, or when two are left more than 20 points apart; the highest score wins.
Setup
- The board is 14×14 with the 3×3 corners removed — a cross of 160 squares. The four players sit at its four arms.
- Each player has a full set of 16 pieces — king, queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns — set up on their own arm as in chess. Your king faces the queen of the player opposite.
- Seats go clockwise from the bottom: Red (●), Blue (▲), Yellow (■) and Green (◆). Every piece carries its owner's mark.
- Moves go clockwise in the order players sat down. Each time you play again, the first player moves on one seat (you can fix it in the settings).
How to play
- Pieces move exactly as in chess. Pawns advance towards the player opposite and capture diagonally forwards; a pawn's first move may be two squares.
- Castling and en passant work as in chess.
- Capture pieces to collect points. All three other players are opponents.
- Promote on your 8th rank, in the middle, to a queen. It is worth 1 point if captured.
- You may never leave your own king in check.
Winning and scoring
- Free-for-all: captures score points (pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 5, rook 5, queen 9, promoted piece 1). Checkmate scores 20. A single check scores nothing, but checking two kings with one move scores 5 (1 if the checking piece is a queen) and three kings scores 20 (5 with a queen).
- In free-for-all a checkmated player is out, and their pieces turn grey on the board (they never move, and capturing them scores nothing). The game ends when three players are out, or when two are left more than 20 points apart; the highest score wins.
- A position repeated three times, or fifty moves each with no capture or pawn move, is a draw (in free-for-all, everyone still in scores 10).
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 4 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
House rules
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move limit | At this total number of moves, the game ends with places decided by points. | None | Yes |
| Show legal moves | Mark the squares a selected piece can reach. | On | Yes |
| Rotate the first player | Each time you play again, the first player moves one seat clockwise. | On | Yes |
Terms
- Free-for-all
- Everyone for themselves, scoring points for captures and checkmates. The highest score wins.
- Dead pieces
- In free-for-all, the pieces of a player who is out turn grey and stay on the board. They never move or give check; anyone may capture them for no points.
- Promotion
- Promote on your 8th rank, in the middle, to a queen. It is worth 1 point if captured.
FAQ
If I'm in check, is it checkmate straight away?
Checkmate means the king has no escape. It is decided at once and scores 20 points.
What happens to the pieces of a player who is out?
In free-for-all they turn grey and stay on the board. They never move or give check, and anyone may capture them for no points.
Where do pawns promote?
Promote on your 8th rank, in the middle, to a queen. It is worth 1 point if captured.
Can I give up?
Resigning takes you out of the game.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-10-30 · Run by Qdan, Inc.