Team Chess is a 4-player variant played on a unified 16×8 board by two teams: White (w1, w2) vs Black (b1, b2). Below are the basic rules, including the standard chess rules that still apply.
1. Objective
Your team wins by checkmating the opposing team. A checkmate occurs when the active seat’s king is in check and that seat has no legal move to escape.
2. Turn Order
- Play proceeds in this order: w1 → b1 → w2 → b2, then repeats.
- Only the active seat (e.g., w1) moves on its turn. Teammates do not move simultaneously.
- The global side to move toggles between White and Black as seats switch.
3. Board and Pieces
- The board is 16 files by 8 ranks. Files are labeled a–p; ranks are 1–8.
- Each color controls standard chess pieces (two seats share the color’s pieces). Ownership per seat is tracked internally.
- Piece movement and capture follow standard chess rules unless noted.
4. Standard Chess Rules (apply unless stated otherwise)
- Legal moves: Kings may not move into check; you cannot leave your own (active seat’s) king in check.
- Check and Checkmate: If your active seat’s king is in check, your move must remove the check. Checkmate ends the game.
- Stalemate: If the active seat has no legal moves and is not in check, the result is a draw.
- Castling: King and rook castling is allowed if neither has moved (for the owning seat), the king is not in check, and squares crossed/landed on are not under attack.
- En passant: Available immediately after a pawn advances two squares and an opposing pawn could have captured it as if it moved one square.
- Promotion: Pawns that reach the last rank promote to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight.
- Fifty-move rule and threefold repetition: Draw conditions as in standard chess.
- Insufficient material: If neither side has mating material, the game is a draw.
5. Team-specific Details
- Active seat check: Check status is evaluated for the active seat’s king. A team can still have the other seat’s king safe while one is in check.
- Ownership: Each piece belongs to one of the seats on its color; castling rights and move legality consider the moving seat’s ownership/move history.
- Communication: Players may coordinate with their teammate (platform rules may vary).
6. Notation and Replays
- Game history uses SAN-like notation with team-seat context. Replays respect seat order.
Tip: Central control (files g–j) and coordinated attacks are especially strong on the 16×8 board.
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