Hikaru, Agadmator, & GothamChess Can't Handle All My Queens | 4 PLAYER CHESS
TL;DR
Eric Rosen plays his first-ever streamed 4-player chess game alongside GothamChess (Levy) against grandmasters Hikaru and Agadmator (Antonio), and ends up with four queens and a dominant win. The video is mostly casual banter, light chess commentary, and chaotic free-for-all play. ---
Notes
§Pre-Game Banter
- Players: Eric Rosen + Levy (GothamChess) vs. Hikaru + Antonio (Agadmator) — though the match is free-for-all, not teams
- Pronunciation debate: "Antonio" (Italian/Croatian) vs. American "Antonio"; "Agadmator" vs. "Agadmator" — no consensus reached
- Antonio confirms his name is pronounced Antonio and his channel is Agadmator
- Eric and Antonio had a near-meeting at the World Championship match in London; Antonio was in the VIP lounge, Eric was not
- Admin note: game invites come from a specific admin account (gdii); players warn viewers not to accept random invites
§Game Setup
- Format: Bullet (1+15), free-for-all
- Eric openly admits he has little experience with 4-player chess; Levy had been teaching him
- Eric's rating at game start: ~1989
§Game Flow
- Antonio promotes pawns repeatedly, accumulating multiple queens early
- Levy and Eric inadvertently block each other while trying to stop Antonio
- Key moment: Levy verbally tips off a checkmate plan Eric hadn't even seen, allowing Eric to execute it
- Eric quietly accumulates pieces and pawns while others fight each other
- Eric ends the game with four queens — described by others as "disgusting" and "insane"
- Antonio and Hikaru are eliminated; Levy falls last
- Final position: Eric vs. Levy's lone active queen, with Eric's four queens closing in
§Tactical Notes (mentioned in commentary)
- Promoted queens being worth only 1 point changes sacrifice calculations significantly
- Keeping pieces as long as possible is preferred in free-for-all (mentioned as a key principle)
- Controlling the center with an active queen was Eric's stated (if vague) plan
- Levy pointed out a knight-bishop fork/mate threat that Eric had missed — Eric then executed it
- "Claim win" button exists but Eric didn't use it; moot since he was briefly behind on points at the relevant moment
Actionable Takeaways
- In free-for-all 4-player chess, don't sacrifice pieces for a promoted queen — it's only worth 1 point
- Stay low and defensive early while higher-rated players attack each other — Eric's passive approach led to his win
- In free-for-all, the player who delivers the final check on a king gets the 20-point checkmate bonus — be aware of who benefits before checking
- Know the "Claim Win" button exists once you have enough points — Eric missed this option
Quotes Worth Keeping
“
Eric rosen said he doesn't know anything about four players — he's 1989.
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This is Eric's first ever game on stream and he has four queens.
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I just saw a free piece so I decided to — with two seconds it does make sense.
“
"Four player chess is a type of chess played by four players." (Eric's deadpan explanation mid-game)