I already know 2 kinds of 4 player chess. one of them needs 2 boards and 2 sets of chess pieces; the other one needs 2 sets of chess pieces and one board, and the board is an 8 by 8 with 3 by 8 parts extending from all sides of the 8 by 8.
4-player chess on one board idea...
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Oh, two quick additions...
All pieces have the same moving rules as standard chess.
If a teammate is mated and cannot seem to find a way to get out of it, the play then goes to the other teammate in case he can see some way to block the mate, or capture the mating piece. If he actually finds a way to capture the mating piece that the mated teammate did not see, the game continues. If the helping mate cannot find a way out of it either, the game ends, and the other team wins.
A diagram would be helpful.
Vance917 wrote:
A diagram would be helpful.
I know, I am sorry...I am not good with diagrams, I simply don't have the patience right now to come up with one.
...And onetwentysix, this is not the "4-player" chess variant, this is a twist on the "4-handed" variant.
No need to apologize, but if and when do you have one, well, that would be great!
Man, I hate trying to make diagrams/pics. HATE IT!
Anyhoo, I was able to piece together the board style I would need for this idea... Turns out it had to be a 12x12 board, not 11x11, heh.
More to follow, just give me time. :-(
K, here's what the board setup looks like. The red lines = the 3rd ranks for each corresponding player. Sorry if the pieces' colors are wacky, but it took wayyyyy too long for me to find some decent clipart and then attempt to cut and paste them onto the board.
I HATE making diagrams. *sighs* Next I'll have to actually use arrows in how I think this version would be played. *wretch*
Hiya all, I have been doing some thinking about a 4-handed variant of chess, where all 4 players are on the same board.
Unlike regular 4-handed, this one has some minor differences.
Black and White's team members sit across from each other. Like in Bridge.
Only one of the two teammates on each side have a queen, or a king. The ones with the king are defensive, and the ones with queen are offensive.
For example, if you are WO(White Offense), you will have a queen, but no king. The spot where the king would normally be is empty.
If you are WD (White Defense), you have a king, but no queen. The spot where the queen would normally be is empty.
The board is 11x11 for 121 squares, for 11 ranks and files. The number of pieces are the same for each player as regular chess (16), and are set up centered in the rank and file, minus the one king or queen, depending on whether you are offense or defense.
Now comes the fun part...Once your teammate has moved one of his pieces up to his third rank, you may then move his piece, instead of your own if you so choose, when it is your turn to make a move.
Pawns can move only forward towards your teammate, or diagonally for a capture. If your pawn reaches your teammate's first rank, it is promoted as usual.
En passant is not allowed in this variant, but castling is, using the same rules as standard chess. The game ends when one of the defenders is mated, and the opposing team wins. The offenders always move first (the ones with the queen) at the start of a game. (Perhaps you could have a coin-toss to see which offender moves first?)
That was my nutty idea. I liked this variant because it allows you to see a move for your teammate that he might not have seen, and allow you to move HIS piece to take advantage of it. It's like sharing brainpower on the same board.
Any opinions on if this is feasible? Fun? Possible? Heh.
Hoo