They cannot move horizontally, diagonally or backwards.Īn exception to this is if a pawn is yet to be moved during the game.
Pawns move one square forward in a straight line.
How to play chess how to#
Image: Agzam/Pixabay How to move chess pieces The different chess pieces, from left to right: pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, king. When a piece captures an opponent’s piece, it must finish its current move action and end the player’s turn. Pieces cannot be placed on the same square as a piece of the same colour. If a piece lands on a space with an opponent’s piece, that piece is captured and removed from the board.
Each chess piece moves in a specific way, and must be moved according to its legal movement.Įxcept for the knight, which may jump over pieces, pieces cannot move through pieces of either colour without either stopping (in the same of a piece of the same colour) or capturing them (in the case of a piece of the opposite colour). Players cannot choose to skip a turn - they must move a piece. In chess, each player takes turns to make a single move. The starting positions of the pieces in chess, showing each queen on the square matching her colour. If playing with an optional timer, as in tournaments, the first player to run out of time forfeits the game. The white player takes the first move, with players alternating single turns until a player is defeated via checkmate or resigns. This means that the king and queen of each colour face each other, making the correct setup symmetrical between the two players. The queen is placed on the square matching her colour (for example, the black queen on the black square), with the king occupying the remaining square of the opposite colour. The two central squares of the rank are occupied by the king and queen. The closer rank is nearly symmetrical, with rooks (also known as castles) placed on the two leftmost and rightmost corner squares, followed by knights on the inside space next to them, then bishops. the second row from the player’s perspective - consists of a line of eight pawns, each placed on a single square. Players’ pieces are set up in the two horizontal rows (known as ranks) closest to each player. When properly set up, a white square should be the rightmost square along the edge closest to each player. The 64 squares alternate between light and dark colours - traditionally, black and white. Who knows, perhaps this might be the first step on your path to becoming the next grandmaster.Ĭhess is played by two players on a chess board measuring eight-by-eight squares. Once you know the basics of how to play, you can learn new strategies, tactics and deepen your understanding of the game as you play, gradually refining your skill and experience. These are the pure basics to get you playing as quickly as possible, without worrying about timing your turns or defending against specific openings. While you’ll find everything you need to play a casual game of chess below, we haven’t gone into as much depth on advanced elements such as specific openings, board positions or tournament rules. This guide includes all of the basics you need to know when learning chess, from which square to place the queen on during setup to when to call “checkmate” and claim victory. Whether you’ve just rediscovered chess or are sitting down to play for the very first time, we’ve put together this beginner-friendly guide on how to play. Advanced rules: Promotion, en passant and castling explained.
Check and checkmate: Surround your opponent’s king to win.Basic rules: Learn how each chess piece moves and captures.Setup: Which square does the queen go on? Find out as we get ready to play by placing your pieces.Beginners and long-term players are welcome here, and we present a few basic rules you might have missed, going beyond how to move and capture pieces to essential chess rules such as en passant and castling. Often we are taught how to play chess as children, but for some it’s been a while since their last game. It has been widely loved and played across the world for centuries, and has inspired one of the most popular Netflix series' in recent times: The Queen's Gambit. Chess is possibly the most recognized tabletop game - ever.