Notes

Four-player chess
Four-player chess (also called four-handed chess) is a category of chess variants used four people. The game features a special board typically made of a typical 8�8 square, with 3 rows of 8 cells each extending from each side, and requires two sets of differently colored pieces. The guidelines are similar to, however, not exactly like, regular chess. There are a variety of different rule variations; most variations, however, share a somewhat similar board and piece setup.

Variation of four-handed chess have already been around for centuries. The present day game has been around for over 200 years, showing up in different places in Europe. Historically, the Four-Handed Chess Club, which was founded by George Hope Verney around 1884 in London, is the most well known iteration. Currently, it usually is played online, or bought commercially to be played in person.

Gameplay could be in teams, typically with the two partners across from one another. It is also free-for-all, with each of the players trying to gain a decisive advantage, without set alliances. Free-for-all can be played for points, or till the initial checkmate. chess 4 player -talk, such as for example move suggestions, is not allowed beneath the FFA rules; players must choose for themselves who, when, or how exactly to attack.

Definition
According to D. B. Prichard, Four-player chess "is generally understood to be a game played with two sets on a typical board with four extensions, one on each side, usually of 8x3 squares (arguably the very best arrangement) but sometimes 8x2 or 8x4, which the pieces are create in the standard array positions."

History
The Taqq m li-l-hind min maq lah maqblah fal-aql aw mardhlah of al-Brn (973-1048), an encyclopaedia of Indian culture, contains a description of four-handed chess used dice, which al-Brn claims was unknown among the Arabs of his time. Originally a four-sided rectangular die, later a six-sided cubic die, was rolled to determine which type of piece (king, bishop, knight, rook, pawn) was to be shifted confirmed turn. This version might have been played right down to the 15th century. A version of the overall game without dice was still played in India in 1900, in accordance with a contemporary article in the British Chess Magazine.

The earliest known reference to a Western four-player chess game is a pamphlet from Dessau, Germany, in 1784. Four-handed Chess, as it was called, grew in popularity through the entire 19th century, with variations of the overall game appearing in Germany, Britain, Russia, and america, among others. Many different pamphlets sprang up, with minor rule changes, such as for example where in fact the king and queen were, or how to approach pawns that ran into one another.

The biggest and most popular of the variations was the Four-handed Chess Club, founded by George Hope Loyd Verney. It began in 1884, in London. It had been somewhat well known in London, and had eighty people attend its inaugural meeting. The club played until World War Two.

There are a few famous people who played, or are alleged, to play the overall game. George Hope Verney claimed that the Czar, probably Alexander III, played the overall game. Prince Albert is said to have played it. Furthermore, the overall game was likely played by Vladimir Lenin.

FFA is a newer invention, showing up in commercial games, while teams may be the game mode historically. Contemporarily, Four-player Chess isn't particularly popular. Nevertheless, here are a few commercial versions for in-person play. It is also played online, with the largest website being Chess.com's variants.

Rules
More info: Rules of chess
Piece movement and captures remain exactly like regular chess.

A board made of a typical 8�8 square with an additional 3 rows of 8 cells extending from each side is what is typically useful for Four-player chess. Variants vary concerning where the king and queen are put; this doesn't matter for casual play. Otherwise, pieces are setup like regular chess.

Rules vary, in teams, as to how to deal with partners pawns when they run into one another. This happens sometimes because everybody moves in the forward direction, as in regular chess. At these times for the Chess.com variant, the pawns are blocked, while some variants historically allowed pawns to jump over one another if this happened.


Players are needless to say absolve to change all rules to their convenience (see the rules section in the links tab for different variations of the rules).

Strategy
For teams, players attempt to coordinate their attacks with their opposite. If this is not possible, then players should attempt to play strong moves, developing their pieces to premtively prevent typically double attacks from their opponents and put their pieces in strong positions to coordinate attacks with their opposite. It is wise to play openings, such as for example (for the first player) moving the king's pawn up one, which shields against double-attacks, checks, and develop strong pieces.

In FFA, it really is wise to be more cautious, developing pieces and improving kings safety. Trades should only be done when they are advantageous, because, whenever there are four people, this weakens the traders compared to the other players. Bishops are about as strong as rooks, and both are stronger than knights. The queen may be the strongest piece. You need to make an effort to develop their pieces and protect their king. In addition, players should try to avoid opening themselves around attacks. For example, if the player left attacks them, then the player across from them or the player to their right can attack them as-well, guaranteeing loss of material. Likewise, players should often search for methods to attack players that allow other players to join in.

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