Daniel Zaman and Ernst Strouhal Rules
[Differences with Schoenberg's original rules]
- Coalition Chess is played by four people.
- The board has 10 x 10 squares. Yellow and Black are opposie each other, as are Red and Green.
- Yellow and Black are the "greater powers" (they have kings). Red and Green are the "lesser powers" (they do not have kings). The usual rules of chess apply unless otherwise stated.
The game
- Yellow always has the first move, i.e. it starts every new game, with the following order of play: Yellow, Black, Green, Red [Yellow, Green, Black, and Red].
- A greater power (Yellow, Black) forms a coalition with a lesser power (Green, Red), which means that the following coalitions are possible:
- Yellow + Green vs. Black + Red
- Yellow + Red vs. Black + Green
- The winning team is the coalition which checkmates the opposing team's King [or who captures all the opponent's men].
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Forming a coalition
- During the first three rounds the players must decide whether a coalition will be formed - and if so, they must choose which coalition - or whether the game is to be stopped. A round is completed when each player has made one move.
- The players set up their pieces before the beginning of the first round; each player is allocated a "set-up area".
- Green, Red and Black initially place their pieces in designated positions; Yellow has the first move and is therefore permitted to place all pieces in any square within the set-up area which seems advantageous to the player. Then Yellow begins the game.
- During the first three rounds, the lesser powers Green and Red can form a coalition with a greater power as soon as it is their turn to move. This coalition is arranged either by a verbal declaration, a check or by capturing a piece owned by an opposing power. The chosen coalition can not be changed during the game. 6 points are received for a victory and 2 points are received for a draw.
- The lesser powers Green and Red also have the right to remain neutral during the first three rounds. The game is then stopped. Coalition partners each receive 1 point, no points are received by players who have not formed a coalition.
- During the first three rounds, Black, Red and Green also have the right to change the position of their pieces once as desired within the set-up area instead of moving.
- It is possible to immediately respond to a check (without keeping to the order of play). The player may not move during the following round.
- If a lesser power has lost all its pieces, then the player retires from the game and only three (or two) moves are made per round.
- The players have the following pieces:
| Piece | Equivalent | Distribution |
| | in chess
| Yellow | Black | Green | Red |
 (King) | King |
1 | 1 | | |
 (Plane) | Knight + Knight |
| | | 2 |
 (Submarine) | Queen + Knight |
| | 2 | |
 (Tank) | Queen |
2 | 1 | | |
 (Artillery) | Rook |
1 | 2 | | |
 (Engineer) | Knight |
1 | 1 | | |
 (Motorcyclist) | Bishop |
1 | 1 | | |
 (Machine-gun) | King+Pawn |
3 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
 (Guard) | Pawn |
3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Moves
 (King) moves as in chess and also has the same importance. |
 (Plane) is a new piece which executes two consecutive Knight moves in a turn, with a few exceptions. The forbidden second moves are those which bring the plane back to its starting position for the turn. |
 (Submarine) is a new piece which may move as a Knight or as a Queen. |
 (Tank) corresponds to a Queen in chess. |
 (Artillery) corresponds to a Rook in chess. |
 (Engineer) corresponds to a Knight in chess. |
 (Motorcyclist) corresponds to a Bishop in chess. |
 (Machine-gun) is a new piece which may move as a King or as a pawn from chess. That is, it may move forward by two spaces on its first turn, if that square is free, as a pawn. Although this piece moves like a King, it does not have the value of a King and may come close to an opposing King. |
 (Guard) corresponds to a Pawn in chess. |
| As in chess, the (Machine-gun) and the (Guard) have the right of conversion, i.e. if they reach a square at the edge of the board opposing their set-up area, they may be converted to any type of piece, excluding a King. |
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Variants of the game
- Game with dummies: Coalition chess is best played with four people, but it is also possible to play with 3 people and 1 dummy or 2 people and 2 dummies.
- Optional rules for moving during the first three rounds: Players can refrain from making one move, i.e. they can wait for one move [except that Yellow must move on the first turn]. Yellow and Black are permitted to put their motorcyclist once on a square of a different color within the set-up area without losing a move.
- Coalition of lesser powers against greater powers: A coalition of Red+Green versus Yellow+Black is also possible. The Coalition of lesser powers then wins by checkmating one of the two Kings, as in chess, and the greater powers win by capturing all pieces. [Not found in the original rules.]
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