♟️ Play chess online
Chess is an ancient thinking game that builds focus, planning and patience. Play against the computer at three levels, or hand the screen to a friend and take turns.
📜 Chess rules in brief
What you need
A board of 8x8 squares and 16 pieces per player: a king, a queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights and 8 pawns.
Who starts
White moves first, then you take turns, moving one piece each turn.
How each piece moves
King: one square in any direction.
Queen: any number of squares in a straight line or diagonal.
Rook: any number of squares in a straight line (up, down, left, right).
Bishop: any number of squares diagonally.
Knight: an L shape - two squares one way and one to the side. The knight can jump over pieces.
Pawn: one square forward (two on its first move) and it captures one square diagonally forward.
Capturing
Land on a square holding an opponent piece and it leaves the board. You can never land on your own piece.
Check, checkmate and stalemate
Check: the king is attacked. You must save it by moving away, blocking or capturing the attacker.
Checkmate: a check with no escape. The player who delivers it wins.
Stalemate: the player to move has no legal move but is not in check. That is a draw.
Special moves
Castling: if neither the king nor the rook has moved, the squares between them are empty and the king is not in check, the king moves two squares toward the rook and the rook jumps to the other side of the king.
Promotion: a pawn that reaches the last row becomes a queen. This game promotes to a queen automatically.
Tips for beginners
- Move your knights and bishops out early, and castle to keep your king safe.
- Before every move, ask what your opponent is threatening now.
- Control the center squares with your pawns and pieces.
- Never leave a piece where it can be captured for free.
Questions and answers
Can I play chess online for free without signing up?
Yes. The board opens right in your browser, on a phone or a computer, with no download, no sign-up and no ads inside the game.
Which level suits a child who has just started?
At Easy the computer looks only one move ahead and sometimes plays a random move, so a child who knows how the pieces move can beat it. After a few wins, try Medium.
How do two people play on one screen?
Choose "Against a friend". Each player moves in turn on the same board.
What happens when a pawn reaches the end of the board?
It is promoted. In this game it becomes a queen, the strongest piece, automatically.
Can I take a move back?
Yes. "Undo move" takes back your last move. Against the computer it also takes back the reply, so it is your turn again.
More board games: ⚫ Checkers · 🎲 Backgammon · Rules for more board games · All online games