Hikaru, Agadmator, & GothamChess Can't Handle All My Queens | 4 PLAYER CHESS

Eric Rosen · 2026-05-22 ·▶ Watch on YouTube ·via captions

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

  1. In free-for-all 4-player chess, **don't sacrifice pieces for a promoted queen** — it's only worth 1 point
  2. **Stay low and defensive early** while higher-rated players attack each other — Eric's passive approach led to his win
  3. 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
  4. 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.
This is Eric's first ever game on stream and he has four queens.
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)*