Chess 2×2: rules
Team chess “two on two” on our site: two teams of two players play on one board, each team with one set of pieces.
Go to the game1Teams and seats
- There are four seats: White A, White B, Black A and Black B.
- White A and White B are one team playing the white pieces together. Black A and Black B are the other team.
- An empty seat can be taken by a bot.
- The game starts when all four seats are taken and all players have pressed “Ready”.
2Move order
- Moves go around: White A → Black A → White B → Black B → White A again.
- So partners alternate: the first player of a team makes one move, the second player makes the team's next move.
- Only the player whose turn it is can move pieces.
3Piece moves
- Pieces move by the usual chess rules, including castling, en passant and pawn promotion.
- In Chess960 rooms a random starting position is chosen before every game, the same for White and Black.
4Time per move
- “No time” rooms — time per move is unlimited.
- 5, 10 and 15 second rooms — this is each player's time for one move. If a player runs out of time, a random legal move is made for them automatically and the game goes on. Nobody loses on time in 2×2.
5End of the game
- Checkmate — the team that gives checkmate wins.
- Draws are recorded automatically: stalemate, threefold repetition, insufficient material to mate, 50 moves without a capture or a pawn move. There is no “offer a draw” button.
- Any player of a team can resign (pressing “Stand Up” during a game is also a resignation). The loss counts for the whole team.
- If a player disconnects and does not return within 30 seconds, their team loses.