How to play chess
Chess is a game for two players on a board of 64 squares. Each player starts with 16 pieces. The goal is to checkmate the other king: attack it so that it has no way to escape. This guide covers every rule you need for your first game.
Setting up the board
Place the board so that each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner. Rooks go in the corners, then knights, then bishops. The queen goes on the square of her own color (white queen on d1, black queen on d8) and the king goes next to her. All eight pawns fill the row in front. White always moves first.
How the pieces move
King
Moves one square in any direction. The king can never move to a square where it would be attacked. Losing your king to checkmate loses the game, so keep it safe.
Queen
The strongest piece. Moves any number of squares in a straight line: forward, backward, sideways or diagonally. It cannot jump over other pieces. Worth about 9 pawns.
Rook
Moves any number of squares forward, backward or sideways. Rooks are strongest on open files and on the seventh rank. Worth about 5 pawns.
Bishop
Moves any number of squares diagonally, so it always stays on the same color. Each player has one light-squared and one dark-squared bishop. Worth about 3 pawns.
Knight
Moves in an L shape: two squares in one direction, then one square to the side. The knight is the only piece that can jump over others. Worth about 3 pawns.
Pawn
Moves one square forward, or two squares on its very first move. Pawns capture one square diagonally forward. They never move backward. Worth 1 point.
Check, checkmate and stalemate
Check means the king is under attack. The player in check must get out of it right away by moving the king, blocking the attack, or capturing the attacking piece.
Checkmate means the king is in check and there is no legal way out. The game ends and the player who delivered checkmate wins.
Stalemate means the player to move is not in check but has no legal move. The game is a draw, which is why you should be careful when you are far ahead.
Special moves
Castling
Once per game, the king can move two squares toward a rook, and that rook jumps to the square the king crossed. You can castle only if neither piece has moved yet, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not in check, does not pass through an attacked square and does not land on one. Castling tucks the king away and brings the rook into play.
En passant
If a pawn moves two squares forward and lands right beside an enemy pawn, that enemy pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square. This must be done immediately on the next move or the chance is gone.
Promotion
A pawn that reaches the last rank turns into a queen, rook, bishop or knight. Almost everyone chooses a queen. On Pawnly a menu appears so you can pick.
How a game can be drawn
- Stalemate: the player to move has no legal move and is not in check.
- Threefold repetition: the same position appears three times.
- 50-move rule: 50 moves by each side pass without a capture or a pawn move.
- Insufficient material: neither side has enough pieces left to checkmate, such as king against king.
10 tips for your first games
- Control the center with your pawns and pieces early.
- Develop knights and bishops before moving the same piece twice.
- Castle in the first 10 moves to keep your king safe.
- Don't bring your queen out too early, where it can be chased.
- Before every move, check what your opponent's last move threatens.
- Look for checks, captures and threats, in that order.
- Count attackers and defenders before you capture.
- Trade pieces when you are ahead in material.
- Put rooks on open files.
- In the endgame, activate your king. It becomes a strong piece.
Ready to play?
The best way to learn is to play. Start at Level 1, where the computer makes beginner mistakes, and move up a level each time you win.