How to Play Chess

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Chess is a classic two-player strategy game played on an 8×8 board. The goal is to put your opponent’s king into checkmate, where it cannot escape capture.

What you’ll need

  • A chessboard with 64 squares (8×8)
  • A full set of 32 chess pieces (16 per player)
  • 2 players

Set up

  • Place the board so each player has a light-colored square on their right.
  • Each player controls the pieces closest to them.
  • The back row (from left to right) is set up as:
    • Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook
  • The queen always starts on her own color.
  • All pawns are placed on the row directly in front of the other pieces.
Chess starting position diagram showing standard piece placement

Standard chess starting position.

White moves first. Players then alternate turns, moving one piece per turn, except when castling.

How the pieces move

King

  • Moves one square in any direction
  • May not move into check

Queen

  • Moves any number of squares horizontally, vertically, or diagonally
  • May not jump over other pieces

Rook

  • Moves any number of squares horizontally or vertically
  • May not jump over other pieces

Bishop

  • Moves any number of squares diagonally
  • Always stays on the same color square
  • May not jump over other pieces

Knight

  • Moves in an “L” shape: two squares in one direction, then one square perpendicular
  • The only piece that can jump over other pieces

Pawn

  • Moves forward one square
  • May move two squares forward on its first move if unobstructed
  • Captures one square diagonally forward

Capturing pieces

A piece captures an opponent’s piece by moving onto the same square. The captured piece is removed from the board.

Check and checkmate

  • Check: A king is under immediate threat of capture.
  • A player in check must remove the threat on their turn.
  • Checkmate: The king is in check and cannot escape.

When a king is checkmated, the game ends immediately.

Castling

Castling is a special move involving the king and one rook.

  • Neither the king nor the rook has moved before
  • No pieces are between them
  • The king is not currently in check
  • The king does not move through or into check

To castle, the king moves two squares toward the rook, and the rook moves to the square next to the king.

En passant

En passant is a special pawn capture.

  • If a pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position and lands beside an opposing pawn
  • That opposing pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square
  • This capture must be made immediately on the next move, or the opportunity is lost

Pawn promotion

If a pawn reaches the farthest rank on the board, it must be promoted immediately to a:

  • Queen
  • Rook
  • Bishop
  • Knight

The new piece is chosen by the player and is not limited by previously captured pieces.

Ending the game

The game may end in several ways:

  • Checkmate
  • Resignation
  • Draw, including:
    • Stalemate (no legal move, king not in check)
    • Agreement between players
    • Repetition or the 50-move rule

Winning the game

The player who checkmates their opponent’s king wins.