How to start
- Open bigboard.games on every device and tap Start a table on one of them.
- The others join by themselves on the same Wi-Fi; elsewhere, scan the QR code or type the four-letter code.
- Lay the devices edge to edge, screens up, as the drawing shows, and pick the game.
Two ways to play with four
With four players at the table, people or bots, the lobby shows one more option, Four players: 2 vs 2, the default, or Free-for-all. Any other number of players ignores it. Either way the turns go round the four players in order, and the usual checkers rules, Russian or English, apply to every move.
Auto lays four devices in a block, two facing pairs side by side, which is the shape teams play on. Free-for-all suits a ring, where the turns go clockwise and your neighbours are where their devices lie; on a block it plays in seat order.
Two against two
The two sides each have 24 men on a 16 × 8 board, and a side's pieces belong to both partners: whoever's turn it is may move any of them. Since the turns go round the players, the sides alternate, and each partner moves every other time the side does.
Partners sit side by side, opponents across. A side loses together, whether its pieces run out, it has no move, or either partner resigns or runs out of time. The checkers 2v2 page goes through the quarters, the partner's arrow and the draws.
Free-for-all on the octagon
Free-for-all gives each player a home area of four ranks by eight files on an octagon of 128 squares, with 12 men on its three back ranks. Every other player's pieces are enemies, a man is crowned on any rival's back rank, and a player is out only with no pieces left, as in 3 player checkers.
The last player in wins. Otherwise the match ends on a repeated position, no progress, nobody able to move, or after 150 rounds, and the players still in are ranked by material, from first to fourth. A device whose player is out stays part of the board, dimmed, with a banner until the end. For a faster game, the other 4 player games are real-time: air hockey, hot potato, snake and more.
4 players: questions and answers
Is 4 player checkers the same as Chinese checkers?
No, it's checkers with jumps, captures and kings, for two teams or four players on their own.
Are teams the default?
Yes, two against two is the default with four players; Free-for-all is the other choice.
Do we need four devices?
No, players can share a device or a bot can take a seat; every device then shows the whole board.