10/26/2009 – Here's a new angle on our beloved game: four players, who can strategically vary their starting position, and then play independently or join forces to capture the enemy kings. "Last man standing" is the winner. Originator Johnny M. Wahl says that this game is friendlier and more easily digestible than regular chess. He has enthusiastic videos to bear this out. Illustrated report.
new: Fritz 20
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally. FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before.
Winning starts with what you know The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
Chess Festival Prague 2025 with analyses by Aravindh, Giri, Gurel, Navara and others. ‘Special’: 27 highly entertaining miniatures. Opening videos by Werle, King and Ris. 10 opening articles with new repertoire ideas and much more.
€21.90
Conquer the Kings
Four-way chess by Johnny M. Wahl
According to the author this game was created with two purposes in mind: "First,
for those who already play chess, it is a fresh, exciting take on the classic
game while maintaining the principles of movement and strategy that made the
original so beloved. And second, for anyone who may have been intimidated by
the original game, Conquer the Kings allows for learning to be had in a friendlier,
perhaps more easily digestible manner. What's most intriguing is that neophytes
and experts alike can sit at the same table and, at times and when necessary,
join forces to reach the ultimate goal: Conquer the Kings!"
While you are contemplating Johnny Wahl's words and perusing the images below,
you may want to listen to the Conquer the Kings theme song in the background.
Click on the Play button to listen.
There are also two videos at the end of this report that demonstrate the game
and its rules in vivid, enthusiastic fashion.
Conquer the Kings – basic equipment and setup
Each player starts behind their respective "Front Line" (the four
rows closest to the player). Each has 16 pieces, exactly like in chess, and
is allowed to place these on the 18 spaces provided anyway he or she likes.
This allows setup strategy to be player specific and not board specific (as
in chess).
Basic starting position for one side
Starting a game with the Basic Setup on all four sides
the "King's Defense" strategy setup
The "Chaos Left" starting setup
Starting strategy for "Arrow" formation
The object of the game is to conquer the other player's king, remove him and
his army from the battlefield and continue until only one king and his army
is left standing. Optionally once a king is captured and removed, the conqueror
takes over the remaining pieces on the board as his own army to continue. A
third variant leaves the remaining pieces on the board to be used as cannon
fodder for the other players – they are obstacles that have to be cleared
to open the board game up for play.
Kids take to the game quickly and with enthusiasm
Experimenting with Conquer the Kings at Hobby Town USA in Kennesaw, GA in June
2008.Hobby Town USA purchased five games in December 08 and has, so far, only
sold one. But the game is on the shelf!
The game is displayed in the World Chess Hall-of-Fame & Sidney Samole
Chess
Museum located in Miami Florida – it is also on sale there in the Gift
Shop
Video instructions
The the following clips Johnny M. Wahl explains how Conquer the Kings
works.
Throughout the video course, Sasikran shows various examples from his career to explain sacrifices for initiative, an attack, a better pawn structure and much more.
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
The Trompowsky is especially suited for faster time controls as you don‘t have to memorise endless lines of theory, and you push your opponent out of their comfort zone after your second move.
Trompowsky Powerbook 2025 is based on 53,000 computer games from the engine room of playchess.com as well as 49,000 games from Mega and correspondence chess.
Trompowsky Powerbase 2025 is a database and contains a total of 8727 games from Mega 2025 and the Correspondence Database 2024, of which 316 are annotated.
2025 European Championship with a German double victory and analyses by Bluebaum, Svane, Rodshtein, Yuffa, Navara and many more. Opening videos by Engel, King and Marin. Training sections “The Fortress”, “The Trap” and “Fundamental Endgame Knowledge" etc.
Powerbook based on more than 618 000 games in which White already sidesteps the main variations of the Sicilian on move 2.
€9.90
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.
Pop-up for detailed settings
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies, analysis cookies and marketing cookies. You can decide which cookies to use by selecting the appropriate options below. Please note that your selection may affect the functionality of the service. Further information can be found in our privacy policy.
Technically required cookies
Technically required cookies: so that you can navigate and use the basic functions and store preferences.
Analysis Cookies
To help us determine how visitors interact with our website to improve the user experience.
Marketing-Cookies
To help us offer and evaluate relevant content and interesting and appropriate advertisement.