Chess
How to play Chess
Chess is a board game for two players, White and Black, in which each side has sixteen pieces and tries to checkmate the other side's king.
The standard starting position, with castling, en passant and promotion.
About Chess
Chess starts from the standard position, with the queens on d1 and d8 and the kings beside them on e1 and e8.
Castling on the king's side puts the king on g1 and the rook on f1, and castling on the queen's side puts the king on c1 and the rook on d1, or the same squares on the eighth rank for Black.
A game is drawn by stalemate, by a third repetition, after 50 moves each with no pawn moved and nothing captured, or when neither side can checkmate.
The goal of Chess
Chess is played by two players, White and Black, each starting with sixteen pieces: a king, a queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. You win by checkmating your opponent's king, which means attacking it so that no move can save it. Here you play against a computer player, or against another person at an online table.
How to set up Chess
The board has 64 squares in eight rows, called ranks, and eight columns, called files, with a light square in each player's near right corner. In Chess each side's pawns fill its second rank, and behind them stand rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight and rook, with the white queen on d1 and the black queen on d8.
In Chess960 the pawns start in the same place, but the pieces behind them are shuffled into one of 960 positions, the same for both sides. The bishops always stand on squares of opposite colours, and the king always stands somewhere between the two rooks.
White moves first. Against the computer you choose White, Black or a random colour in the menu beside New game, and at an online table the colours are drawn by lot.
Chess rules
A rook moves any number of squares along a rank or file, a bishop any number along a diagonal, and a queen either way. None of them may jump over another piece. A knight moves in an L shape, two squares one way and one square to the side, and is the only piece that jumps. A king moves one square in any direction.
A pawn moves one square straight forward, or two from its starting square if both squares are empty. It captures one square diagonally forward, and it never moves backwards.
A piece captures by moving onto a square held by an enemy piece, which is taken off the board. No piece may move onto a square held by a piece of its own colour.
When a pawn moves two squares and lands beside an enemy pawn, that pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square. This capture is called en passant, and it is allowed only on the very next move.
A pawn that reaches the last rank is promoted in the same move to a queen, rook, bishop or knight of its colour, whichever you choose, even if you still have that piece on the board.
Castling moves the king and a rook in one move: the king goes to the g-file and the rook to the f-file, or the king to the c-file and the rook to the d-file. It is allowed only if neither piece has moved yet, the squares between them are empty, the king is not in check, and the king does not pass over or land on an attacked square.
A king that is attacked is in check, and no move may leave or put your own king in check. A move that would do so is refused.
How to win at Chess
You win by checkmate: your opponent's king is in check and they have no legal move that gets it out of check. At an online table you also win if your opponent runs out of time or leaves the table.
A game is drawn by stalemate, when the player to move is not in check but has no legal move. It is also drawn when neither side has enough pieces left to checkmate, such as a king against a king, or a king and a bishop or a knight against a king.
The same position coming up for the third time, with the same player to move and the same moves possible, draws the game, and so do 50 moves by each player with no pawn moved and nothing captured. Both draws happen by themselves, without a claim.
Online, a player whose time runs out loses, unless the opponent has too little left to ever checkmate, which draws the game. A player may offer a draw with a move, and the opponent accepts it on their turn or turns it down by moving.
Chess strategy tips
Bring your knights and bishops out early and aim them at the centre, where they control the most squares.
Castle early to tuck your king behind its pawns and to bring a rook towards the middle of the board.
Before every move, look at what your opponent's last move attacks, and whether any of your pieces is left unprotected.
Count the material before you trade: a pawn is worth about 1, a knight or a bishop about 3, a rook 5 and a queen 9.
In the endgame the king becomes a strong piece, so bring it towards the centre once the queens are off the board.
Chess questions and answers
Can a pawn move backwards?
No. A pawn only ever moves forwards, one square at a time or two from its starting square, and captures one square diagonally forwards. Once it reaches the last rank it is promoted, and the new piece moves as its kind does.
What is en passant?
It is a pawn capture. When a pawn moves two squares from its starting square and lands beside an enemy pawn, the enemy pawn may take it as if it had moved one square, landing on the square it passed over. The capture must be made on the very next move or the chance is gone.
Can you castle out of check?
No. You cannot castle while your king is in check, and the king may not pass over or land on a square an enemy piece attacks. Once the check is over you may castle again, as long as the king and that rook have never moved.
Can you promote to a piece you still have?
Yes. A promoted pawn becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight of your choice, whatever is still on the board, so you can have two queens or more. Here you pick the piece every time a pawn reaches the last rank.
What is stalemate?
Stalemate is when the player to move is not in check but has no legal move. The game ends at once as a draw, so a player who is far behind can save the game by running out of moves.
Is threefold repetition automatic?
Here it is. When the same position stands for the third time, with the same player to move and the same moves possible, the game ends in a draw by itself. The 50-move rule works the same way: after 50 moves each with no pawn moved and nothing captured, the game is drawn without anyone claiming it.
What happens if your time runs out and your opponent only has a king?
The game is a draw. At an online table a player whose time runs out loses, unless the opponent has too little left to ever checkmate, and a lone king can never checkmate.
What is Chess960?
Chess960 is chess with the pieces on the back rank shuffled before the game into one of 960 starting positions, with both sides set up alike. The bishops stand on opposite colours and the king between the rooks, so castling still works, and every other rule is the same. It is also called Fischer Random Chess.
Can you play chess online with a friend?
Yes. Sign in, follow the Multiplayer link and open a table for two, choosing Chess or Chess960 and a time control from 3 minutes plus 2 seconds a move to 30 minutes plus 20 seconds, then send your friend its code or list the table in the lobby. Each clock runs only on its player's turn, and leaving the table resigns the game.
Can you play chess against the computer?
Yes, every Chess page is you against a computer player, and you do not need to sign in. The menu beside New game sets it to Beginner, Easy, Normal, Hard or Expert and lets you choose your colour, and Undo takes back your move and the computer's reply as often as you like.