♟️ Chess: rules for kids
Chess is an ancient thinking game that builds focus, planning and patience. Here you will find how every piece moves, how to set up the board and how to win, explained in plain words and ready to print.
How to play Chess
What you need
An 8x8 board and 16 pieces for each player: a king, a queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights and 8 pawns.
Setting up the board
Place the board so each player has a light square in the bottom right corner.
On the back row: rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook. The queen starts on her own color (the white queen on a light square). The 8 pawns go on the row in front.
Who goes first
White moves first, then players take turns, moving one piece per turn.
How each piece moves
King: one square in any direction.
Queen: any number of squares in a straight line or diagonally.
Rook: any number of squares in a straight line (up, down, left or right).
Bishop: any number of squares diagonally.
Knight: jumps in an L shape, two squares one way and one square to the side. The knight is the only piece that can jump over others.
Pawn: one square forward (two on its very first move), and captures one square diagonally forward.
Capturing
Move onto a square with an opponent's piece and that piece is removed from the board. You can never land on one of your own pieces.
Check, checkmate and stalemate
"Check" means the king is under attack. You must get out of check right away: move the king, block the attack or capture the attacker. You may never make a move that leaves your own king in check.
"Checkmate" is a check with no way out. Whoever delivers checkmate wins.
"Stalemate" happens when the player to move has no legal move but is not in check. The game is a draw.
Special moves
Castling: if the king and a rook have not moved yet, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not in check and does not pass through or land on an attacked square, the king moves two squares toward the rook and the rook hops to the king's other side.
Promotion: a pawn that reaches the far row becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight (almost always a queen).
En passant: if an opponent's pawn moves two squares and lands right beside your pawn, you may capture it diagonally as if it had moved only one square. You can do this only on the very next turn.
Questions and answers
What age can kids learn chess?
Many kids learn how the pieces move by age 5 or 6. Start with one piece at a time and play mini games with just pawns before moving on to a full game.
What is the difference between checkmate and stalemate?
In checkmate the king is in check with no escape, and that is a win. In stalemate the king is not in check, but the player has no legal move, and that is a draw.
What is castling?
A special move where the king moves two squares toward a rook and the rook jumps to the king's other side. It is allowed only if neither piece has moved, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not in check and does not pass through or land on an attacked square.