Founder of Fortuna Ludi
Max Johnson Goldrich
Founder · Fortuna Ludi Limited
Max Johnson Goldrich is the founder of Fortuna Ludi Limited, which creates unique four-player games as mobile apps for Android and iOS and as physical board games. The idea began at home. A father of three, Max wanted all four of them to be able to play chess together, but after a year of searching he couldn't find a four-player version he was happy with, so he built his own.
His flagship game turns chess into a team game: partners sit opposite each other, protect one another and win by checkmating both opponents, with a larger board and a choice of promoting to a queen or a knight. Max sees it as a way to make a solitary game social, and even suggests players use folding fans to plan their strategy in private.
He has copyrighted the board design, invested £1,850 of his own money in app development and is also developing a four-player checkers game. Max pitched on Pitch'd or Ditch'd in September 2026, taking the investors' advice to build a waiting list and pre-orders with good humour.