Chess rules
How to play chess
Chess is a strategy game for two players. Each player moves a set of pieces, takes turns making legal moves, and tries to checkmate the other king.
Board setup
The chessboard has 64 squares in an 8x8 grid. Place the board so each player has a light square in the right-hand corner.
- White moves first, then players alternate turns.
- The back rank is rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook.
- The queen starts on her own color: white queen on a light square, black queen on a dark square.
- Eight pawns start in front of the other pieces.
How the pieces move
King
The king moves one square in any direction. A king may never move into check.
Queen
The queen moves any number of squares along a rank, file, or diagonal.
Rook
A rook moves any number of squares horizontally or vertically.
Bishop
A bishop moves any number of squares diagonally.
Knight
A knight moves in an L shape: two squares one way and one square sideways. Knights can jump over pieces.
Pawn
Pawns move forward one square, capture diagonally, and may move two squares from their starting square if both squares are clear.
Check, checkmate, and winning
A king is in check when another piece could capture it on the next move. The checked player must make a move that removes the check: move the king, capture the checking piece, or block the line.
Checkmate happens when a king is in check and there is no legal move that escapes it. The player who gives checkmate wins the chess game.
Special chess rules
- Castling: The king moves two squares toward a rook, and that rook moves to the square next to the king. Castling is only legal if neither piece has moved, the path is clear, and the king is not in check or moving through check.
- Promotion: When a pawn reaches the last rank, it promotes to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight.
- En passant: If a pawn moves two squares and lands beside an opposing pawn, that pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square. The capture must be made immediately.
- Draws: A game can end in a draw by stalemate, agreement, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule, or insufficient material to checkmate.
Want a twist?
Antichess turns the goal upside down: captures are mandatory, kings are ordinary pieces, and winning means losing your own pieces. Read the Antichess rules if you want to try the variant.
Chessboard
Play chess online with friends. No account, no ads. Get it for iOS, Android, or play on the web.
