How to play Chess
- The board has 64 squares. Each player starts with 16 pieces: 8 pawns, 2 rooks, 2 knights, 2 bishops, a queen and a king.
- Players take turns moving one piece. Orange sits at the bottom and Purple at the top. Whoever goes first in a round plays the side that moves first (the side called White in a standard set). Orange goes first in the first round, then the first move switches every round.
- Each kind of piece moves in its own way, shown in the table below.
- To capture, move onto a square with one of your rival's pieces. That piece leaves the board.
- When a king is attacked, it is in check, and the player must get out of check straight away: move the king, block the attack or capture the attacker.
- If there is no way out of check, it is checkmate and the game is over. The player who gave checkmate wins.
How the pieces move
| Piece | How it moves |
|---|---|
| King | One square in any direction |
| Queen | Any number of squares in a straight line: up, down, sideways or diagonally |
| Rook | Any number of squares up, down or sideways |
| Bishop | Any number of squares diagonally |
| Knight | An L shape: two squares one way, then one square to the side. It is the only piece that can jump over others. |
| Pawn | One square forward, or two from its starting square. It captures one square diagonally forward. |
Special moves
- Castling. Once per game, your king can move two squares towards one of your rooks, and the rook jumps to the square on the king's other side. You can only castle 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. To castle here, tap your king, then the square two steps to the side.
- En passant. If a pawn moves two squares and lands right beside one of your pawns, your pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square. You can only do this on the very next move.
- Promotion. A pawn that reaches the far side of the board becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight. The game asks which one you want. Most players pick the queen.
How a game can be a draw
- Stalemate: the player to move has no legal move but is not in check.
- Same position three times: the round ends in a draw when exactly the same position comes up for the third time.
- 50-move rule: 50 moves by each player in a row with no capture and no pawn move.
- Not enough pieces: for example king against king, or king and one bishop or knight against a lone king. Nobody can checkmate, so the game is a draw.
Controls
| Device | How to play |
|---|---|
| Phone or tablet | Tap one of your pieces, then tap a highlighted square. Dots show moves, rings show captures. |
| Mouse | Click a piece, then click where it should go |
| Keyboard | Press Tab to reach a piece, Enter to pick it, Tab to a square and Enter to move. Esc cancels. |
Computer levels
The computer sees only the board, just like you. It gets stronger by thinking further ahead, never by cheating.
| Level | How the computer plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Looks one move ahead and often plays a random move. Good for learning how the pieces move. |
| Medium | Looks two moves ahead and makes the odd mistake. A fair game for most beginners. |
| Hard | Looks four moves ahead, and follows every capture to the end. It punishes loose pieces. |
| Expert | Thinks for up to two seconds and looks as far ahead as it can. A real test. |
Tips to win
- Take the centre. Pawns and pieces in the middle of the board control more squares and can reach both sides quickly.
- Bring out your knights and bishops early, before you move the same piece twice.
- Castle soon to tuck your king away behind its pawns and bring a rook into play.
- Don't rush your queen out. It can be chased around while your rival develops their pieces.
- Ask what your rival wants. Before every move, look at what the last move attacks or threatens.
- Count before you capture. If a square is attacked twice and defended once, the attacker usually wins the swap.
About Chess
Chess grew from chaturanga, a game played in India by around the 6th century. It spread through Persia and the Arab world to Europe, and the modern rules, with the far-moving queen and bishop, took shape in southern Europe at the end of the 15th century. Today it is played in nearly every country, from park benches to world championships.
Questions
Is this chess game free?
Yes. It's free to play in your browser, with no download and no sign-up. There are never ads during a game.
Can two people play chess on one device?
Yes. Choose 2 Players and take turns on the same screen. With a tablet flat on the table you can sit face to face: Orange plays from the bottom and Purple from the top.
Why are the pieces orange and purple?
They are the usual light and dark pieces in our colours. The side that moves first, normally White, is played by whoever goes first in that round.
How do I castle?
Tap your king, then tap the square two steps towards the rook. The rook jumps over automatically. If castling isn't shown, one of the rules above isn't met yet.
Updated 5 November 2026