How to play chess

Everything on this page is already enforced by the board, so you can just play. This is here for when you want to know why a move was or wasn't allowed.

Set up a game

The object of the game

White moves first, then the players alternate. You win by delivering checkmate: attacking the enemy king so that no legal move can save it. A game can also end in a draw in several ways, listed further down.

How each piece moves

♚

King

One square in any direction. The king may never move onto a square attacked by an enemy piece, and you may never leave your own king in check.

♛

Queen

worth 9

Any number of squares in a straight line — along a rank, a file, or a diagonal. It cannot jump over pieces.

♜

Rook

worth 5

Any number of squares along a rank or file. It cannot jump over pieces.

♝

Bishop

worth 3

Any number of squares diagonally. Each bishop stays on the colour of square it started on for the whole game.

♞

Knight

worth 3

An L-shape: two squares one way, then one square at a right angle. The knight is the only piece that jumps over others.

♟

Pawn

worth 1

Forward one square, or two squares on its very first move. It captures diagonally forward only — never straight ahead.

The three special moves

Castling

The king moves two squares towards a rook, and that rook jumps to the far side of the king. It is the only move where two pieces move at once. To castle on this board, drag the king two squares sideways.

Castling is only legal when all of these are true:

Neither the king nor that rook has moved at any point in the game.
All squares between the king and the rook are empty.
The king is not currently in check.
The king does not pass through, or land on, a square attacked by an enemy piece.

En passant

When a pawn advances two squares and lands directly beside an enemy pawn, that pawn may capture it as if it had only moved one square. The captured pawn is removed even though your pawn never lands on its square. This is only available on the very next move — miss the chance and it is gone.

Promotion

A pawn that reaches the far end of the board must immediately become a queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same colour. The board will ask you which you want. Almost everyone takes the queen, but a knight is occasionally stronger — it is the one piece a queen cannot imitate.

How a game ends

Someone wins

Checkmate: The king is in check and no legal move escapes it.
Resignation: A player concedes rather than play on in a lost position.
Time out: A clock reaches zero — unless the opponent has too little material to ever checkmate, in which case it is a draw.

The game is drawn

Stalemate: The player to move has no legal move, but is not in check. This is a draw, not a win — a vital difference.
Insufficient material: Neither side has enough pieces to force mate, such as king and bishop against king.
Threefold repetition: The same position occurs three times. Either player may then claim the draw; at five times it is automatic.
Fifty-move rule: Fifty moves by each player with no capture and no pawn move. Claimable at fifty, automatic at seventy-five.
Agreement: Both players simply agree to split the point.

Reading the move list

Moves are written in standard algebraic notation, the same as every chess book and database. Each piece has a letter — pawns have none.

Notation	Meaning
e4	A pawn moves to e4.
Nf3	A knight moves to f3.
Bxc6	A bishop captures the piece on c6.
exd5	The pawn on the e-file captures on d5.
O-O	Castling on the king's side.
O-O-O	Castling on the queen's side.
e8=Q	A pawn reaches e8 and promotes to a queen.
Rad1	Of two rooks that could reach d1, the one on the a-file goes.
Qh5+	The move gives check.
Qxf7#	The move is checkmate.

Using the board

Click or drag

Tap a piece to see its legal moves, then tap a highlighted square. Dragging works too.

Flip the board

Press F or use the button so the player to move sees the board from their side.

Review the game

Arrow keys, or click any move in the list, to step back through the position. Play resumes where you left it.

Take back

Undoes the last move — handy for a casual game or when teaching.

Automatic saving

The game is stored in this browser, so a refresh or a closed tab will not lose it.

PGN export

Copy or download the game to open it in any chess program or online analysis board.

Start a game