Everything you need to start playing — how to set up the board, how every piece moves, the special rules, and how to win by checkmate. No prior knowledge required.
Chess is a two-player strategy game played on an 8×8 board. Your goal is to checkmate the opponent's king — to attack it in a way that it cannot escape. You do this by moving your pieces to control squares, win material, and close the net around the enemy king.
White always moves first, and players alternate turns. A game can also end in a draw — for example by stalemate or when neither side has enough material to checkmate.
Place the board so each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner (“light on right”). Each side starts with 16 pieces.
Each piece moves in its own way. The point values estimate how valuable a piece is, which helps you decide which trades are good.
Moves straight forward one square (or two on its first move) but captures diagonally. On reaching the far side it promotes — usually to a queen.
Moves in an L-shape: two squares one way, then one square perpendicular. It is the only piece that jumps over others.
Moves any number of squares diagonally. Each bishop stays on one colour for the whole game.
Moves any number of squares in a straight line — horizontally or vertically. Rooks are powerful on open files.
The strongest piece: moves any number of squares in a straight line or diagonally — a rook and bishop combined.
Moves one square in any direction. The king can never move into check, and the whole game is built around keeping it safe.
The king moves two squares toward a rook and the rook hops to the king's other side. It is the only move involving two pieces — used to tuck your king to safety. Learn more →
A special pawn capture: if an enemy pawn advances two squares and lands beside your pawn, you may capture it as if it moved one square — but only on the very next move. Learn more →
When a pawn reaches the far side of the board, it is promoted to any piece you choose — almost always a queen, the most powerful piece. Learn more →
Check means the king is under attack. You must respond immediately — block the attack, capture the attacker, or move the king to safety. You can never leave your own king in check.
Checkmate is check with no legal escape: the game is over and the attacker wins. Stalemate is different — if a player has no legal move but is not in check, the game is a draw. Avoiding accidental stalemate when you are winning is an important beginner skill.
In the first few moves (the opening), follow three simple principles:
Once you know these, explore concrete systems in the opening encyclopedia and sharpen your eye with tactics studies.
Each square has a coordinate — a file letter (a–h) and a rank number (1–8). Moves are written with the piece letter plus the destination square: Nf3 means a knight moves to f3; pawn moves use just the square, like e4.
x means a capture, + is check, # is checkmate, and O-O is castling. Reading notation lets you study annotated games and follow any chess book.
You can learn the rules in under an hour. Becoming a confident club-level player takes a few months of regular practice — mostly solving tactics and playing slow games.
White always moves first. Players then alternate turns, moving one piece at a time.
The king — if it is checkmated, you lose. The queen is the most powerful piece, but protecting the king is the foundation of every game.
You win by delivering checkmate: attacking the opponent's king so it cannot escape capture. Games can also end in a draw, for example by stalemate or insufficient material.