How to Play Chess
Chess takes minutes to learn and a lifetime to master. Here's everything you need to play your first full game.
Setting up the board
- The board has 64 squares. Turn it so each player has a white square in the bottom-right corner (“light on the right”).
- Back row, from the corners in: rook, knight, bishop. The queen goes on her own colour (white queen on a light square), the king beside her.
- Eight pawns fill the row in front.
- White always moves first. Players take turns, one move each.
How each piece moves
| Piece | Moves | Value |
|---|---|---|
| ♙ Pawn | Forward one square (two on its first move). Captures one square diagonally forward. | 1 |
| ♘ Knight | In an L: two squares one way, one square sideways. The only piece that can jump over others. | 3 |
| ♗ Bishop | Any distance diagonally | 3 |
| ♖ Rook | Any distance in a straight line | 5 |
| ♕ Queen | Any distance in any straight or diagonal line | 9 |
| ♔ King | One square in any direction | — |
You capture by moving onto an opponent's piece. The values help you judge trades: giving a knight (3) for a rook (5) is a good deal.
Check and checkmate
When a king is under attack, it's in check. You must get out of check on your next move by moving the king, blocking the attack, or capturing the attacker.
If there's no way out, it's checkmate and the game is over. You never actually capture the king.
If a player has no legal moves but isn't in check, it's stalemate: a draw.
Special moves and first tips
- Castling: once per game, move the king two squares towards a rook, and the rook jumps to the other side of it. Only allowed if neither has moved, nothing is between them, and the king isn't in, through or into check.
- Promotion: a pawn reaching the far side becomes any piece you choose, almost always a queen.
- En passant: if a pawn moves two squares and lands right beside your pawn, you can capture it as if it had moved one. Only on the very next move.
Beginner tips: control the centre squares, bring out knights and bishops early, castle to keep your king safe, and before every move, check what your opponent is threatening.
Play free online at lichess.org or chess.com.