"Checkmate~4" Four Player Chess

In April of 2004, I purchased this set on eBay for $9.99 from the seller knoxdiscgolfer and for the money it's not bad at all. This is the description the seller used in his listing (complete with typos):

"here is a cool new advancement on chess...CHECKMATE four player chess set...includes 2 roll up boards, 4 chess sets each one different color so 2-4 people can compete...its really fun and strategy possiblities with one or two teammates or enemies or even 3 on one!!! very fun to play, as me and mine do so frequently....instructions for multip player play are included...very fun, very portable, very different and very nearly yours!!! just click that little buy it now button and its on the way!!!"

The listing had only one picture which didn't show ANY of the actual game:

Now, of course, I have to offer my more detailed description and critique.

Considering the seller only provided one picture, that full color sticker on the tube is nowhere to be found. It makes it seem like a commercially available game, giving the impression of Parker Brothers quality. There's nothing wrong with a little home manufacturing or small business (since I do both myself), so that in itself isn't a bad point. I just feel a little violated that the one and only picture doesn't show what I received in the mail. I would have liked to see the board rolled out and a picture of the chessmen, but I bought it anyway.

What you're paying for here is the initiative of a clever seller who, in my humble opinion, produces and markets these sets himself (I may be wrong) as he had three for sale all at once. The four-color chess pieces alone could be sold for this price so I don't feel cheated at all.

Four-player chess is not a new or unique idea and the layout of this board is exactly the same as Chess 4 or Fouray; three extra rows have been added to each side of a traditional board to create a playing field shaped like a big plus sign.

I would not call this set "portable" unless you're going to take an iron with you too. The board is printed on very large, thick, high quality, glossy paper with great graphics and sharp, clear print - but after being rolled up in a cardboard tube it has a very strong preference to STAY rolled up. You will not be able to tote this handy device off to the local cafe for a game unless you pile heavy books on every corner. To its benefit, I will say that this is the biggest playing surface I've seen, but biggest is not always best. The set includes a large instruction sheet printed with the same quality; once you get the instructions flattened out even a Pawn could learn to play in short order.

The chessmen are unique but not of remarkable quality. Frankly I'd prefer simple Staunton chessmen to the busy figures. They look to be made in an industrial injection mold process and are on par with any other board game you might find with plastic pieces. You really do need four different colors for a four player game and they fit the bill perfectly. You'll have to learn the difference between Knights and Rooks; the Knights are a man on a horse, but the Rooks are a tower on the back of an elephant so at first glance they're a little too similar.

Overall, I'd give this set four out of ten. Would I tell you to buy it? Maybe, if you're on a budget and don't mind what I've complained about here. Would I buy it again knowing what I know now? No, and I'm happy it didn't cost much. Would I return it for a refund? No, because the description wasn't blatantly dishonest, it just needs to be more... descriptive.

My advice is to buy Fouray or Chess 4 and skip over this edition.

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