Chess

How to play Chess

Chess is the world’s most famous strategy game. Two armies of 16 pieces face each other, and the goal is to checkmate the enemy king.

1. The pieces. The king moves one square any way. The queen moves any distance in any straight line. Rooks move along rows and columns, bishops along diagonals, and knights jump in an L shape, over other pieces. Pawns move forward one square (two on their first move) and capture diagonally.
2. Capture by moving onto an enemy piece’s square.
3. Check. When a king is attacked, it’s in check, and its player must get out of check straight away.
4. Checkmate means the king is in check and there’s no way out. That wins the game.
5. Draws happen by stalemate (no legal move but not in check), threefold repetition, the 50-move rule, or when neither side has enough pieces to checkmate.

Special moves

• Castling: move the king two squares towards a rook, and the rook jumps over it. Only if neither has moved, the squares between are empty, and the king isn’t in, passing through or landing in check.
• En passant: if a pawn moves two squares and lands beside your pawn, you can capture it as if it had moved one, on the very next move.
• Promotion: a pawn that reaches the far side becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight. You choose.

Quick tips for beginners

• Control the centre with pawns and pieces early on.
• Develop your knights and bishops before moving the same piece twice.
• Castle early to keep your king safe.
• Check every move: what does my opponent threaten, and is my piece safe where it’s going?

Chess FAQ