Chess Rules
Learn the board, all six pieces, check, checkmate, castling, promotion, en passant and chess notation in plain language.
Starting board: queens begin on their own color; White moves first.
Board and goal
The board has 64 squares. Each side starts with a king, queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns. Win by checkmating the king.
How pieces move
King: one square. Queen: ranks, files or diagonals. Rook: ranks or files. Bishop: diagonals. Knight: an L shape and may jump. Pawns move forward and capture diagonally.
Check
A checked king must escape immediately by moving, capturing the attacker or blocking the line. A king may not move onto an attacked square.
Special moves
Castling moves king and rook as one move under strict safety conditions. Pawns promote on the last rank. En passant is available only immediately after the opposing pawn's two-square advance.
Draws
Common draws include stalemate, insufficient material, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule and agreement.
Notation
Squares use a–h and 1–8. K/Q/R/B/N name pieces; x means capture, + check, # mate, and O-O or O-O-O castling. This app also explains moves in plain language.