World's 1st Successful 4 Player Traditional Chess

Multichess

Multi-chess (or, originally: Multischach) was invented by Dietrich Gläß from Germany. The description here is based on a description of the game by Alfred Pfeiffer, spring 1997.

Rules

Multichess is a game for four players. Players move in counterclockwise order. Each player plays for himself against the other three players.

The board on which the game is played has 204 squares.

The colours of the players are white, green, black, and red. White starts the game. Note that in the opening setup, each player has its king right of his queen.

Pawns promote on the 24 squares that have the major pieces of the opponent on them: when a pawn reaches one of those squares, then it is turned into a queen, rook, knight, or bishop to the owning players choice (as in orthodox chess.)

When a player is mated, his king is taken out of the game, and does not move anymore and has lost the game. His other pieces stay on the board, and cannot be moved anymore, but can be taken by the other remaining players. Also, these pieces do not give check anymore. The same thing happens when a player resigns the game. Purpose of the game is to be the only player that has his king left on the board and still can move.

When a player is stalemated, i.e., he cannot make a legal move during his turn while his king is not attacked, then he does not move that turn. When he is still in a stalemate position on the next turn, then he also has lost the game: similar as when he would have been mated, his king is removed from the board.

Except for the above, the rules of usual chess are used.

Reactions?

If you are interested in this game, you are invited to write to the inventor:

Dietrich Gläß
Untere Dorfstr. 17
D-09385 Ursprung
Germany

Translation from German and editing by Hans Bodlaender. German text by Alfred Pfeiffer (February/March 1997), based on information from `ROCHADE Sachsen', 2/1997, and Dietrich Gläß.

WWW page created: May 20, 1997.

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For author and/or inventor information on this item see: this item's information page.
Created on: May 20, 1997. Last modified on: September 29, 2001.

Multichess

Rules

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