4-Player Chess Championship Starts April 6 As Next Championships Event
Please note that the event's schedule has changed. The event qualifiers are now taking place from April 13 to 16, with the semifinals and final taking place on April 17.
More players, more pieces, and more tactics! The Chess.com 4-Player Chess Championship is the next event of the Chess.com Community Championships. The event kicks off with the qualifiers on April 13 and features a $5,000 prize fund and the variant's free-for-all mode.
4-Player Chess is one of our oldest and most beloved variants. In it, four players share an extended chessboard with four armies. In free-for-all, players earn points for capturing enemy pieces (including kings!). At the end of the round, the player with the most points wins. Below is a video of GM Hikaru Nakamura, IMs Levy Rozman and Eric Rosen, and content creator Agadmator playing 4-Player Chess:
With more squares, pieces, and players, 4-Player Chess is a breeding ground for chaos. Players need to be on the lookout for attacks coming from every side—and for the perfect opportunity to pounce when the time is right. With each attack potentially inviting a counterblow from three different opponents, only the most opportunistic strategists can emerge victorious!
Throughout the Chess.com 4-Player Chess Championships, players compete in 4+0 games in free-for-all mode, using the modern setup. The scoring system is 3-1.5-0.75-0 for the qualifiers, and 3-1-1-0 for the semifinals and final.
The event kicks off with a four-day qualifier schedule, from April 13 to April 16, with two qualifiers per day. Early qualifiers start at 11 a.m. ET / 17:00 CEST (or 1:30 p.m. ET / 19:30 CEST on Tuesday), while late qualifiers start at 5 p.m. ET / 23:00 CEST (6:30 p.m. ET / 00:30 a.m. (+1) CEST on Tuesday). Each qualifier is a two-hour arena, and anyone can join by checking out the event's schedule and clicking the Join button.
During the qualifiers, you may need to join a video call to ensure a safe playing environment for everyone. Players who join the call must set up two cameras from different angles in the room. Refusing to comply will result in the player's removal from the event.
The rest of the event takes place on April 17. The eight qualifier winners make it to the Semifinals, where they'll be split into two groups of four. Each group will play a 90-minute countdown match, with the top two players from each group moving on to the Final. The four finalists will then compete in a series of games, with the first player to win a game after reaching 7 points taking the title.
Last year, Argentinian Luis Ignacio took the crown in a thrilling final against CM Hamlet Antonyan, Aswin Devendran, and Jose Bolea. After losing the first game to a sharp rook sacrifice from Antonyan, Ignacio surged back in style, winning three straight games. Ignacio's unstoppable run left the rest of the field behind, helping him take control of the match and clinch the 2025 Chess.com 4 Player Chess Championship.
Are you ready to compete in the next event of the Chess.com Community Championships? Then join the qualifiers from April 13 to 16!
