Chess rules · beginner
Check and Checkmate
When the king is attacked it is 'in check' and must escape at once.
touch_appLearn it by doing: read the short explanation, then play it on the board.
The rule
When a king is attacked, it is in check. The player in check must get out of check on their very next move.
There are three ways out of check: 1. Move the king to a safe square. 2. Block the attack with another piece. 3. Capture the attacking piece.
Checkmate means the king is in check and there is no way out: it can't move, block or capture. Checkmate ends the game immediately. That's the goal of chess!
Practise it
- Check!: When the king is attacked it is 'in check' and must escape at once.
- Getting out of check: Choose the move that saves your king.
- Your first checkmate: Checkmate: the king is in check and has no way out. Find the move that checkmates.
- Checkmate with the queen: Find the queen move that checkmates.
- Check, checkmate or neither?: Recognise checkmate when you see it.
Check yourself
The black king is in check. Tap the piece giving check.add
b5. The bishop on b5 attacks the king along the diagonal b5–c6–d7–e8.
Tap the piece giving check to the white king.add
f3. The knight on f3 attacks e1 with its L-shaped jump. Knight checks can't be blocked!
Tap the piece giving check to the black king.add
e1. The rook on e1 checks all the way up the open e-file.
White is in check from the rook on e8. Which of these moves gets out of check?add
Bd2-e3 (block). Be3 puts the bishop between the rook and the king. Ke2 would still be on the e-file, in check, so it's illegal.
The white king is in check from the queen on h4 (along h4–g3–f2–e1). Which move does NOT get out of check?add
Ng1-f3. Nf3 doesn't touch the diagonal h4–g3–f2–e1, so the king is still in check. Blocking with g3 or stepping aside both work.
Can a king ever move into check?add
No, never. Moving your own king into check is illegal.
Black to move. What is this?add
Checkmate. The rook checks along the 8th rank and the pawns trap the king: checkmate.
Black to move. What is this?add
Check. Check, but the king can escape to h7 (the h-pawn has moved).
Black to move. What is this?add
Neither. The rook isn't attacking the king at all: no check.
Tips
- Follow the lines (and knight jumps) that end on the king.
- Move, block, or capture.
- Your king guards a7 and b7. Give check along the 8th rank.
- The king is boxed in by its own pawns.
- Is the king attacked? If so, can it move, block or capture?
Why it matters
Rh8#! The rook checks along the 8th rank, and your king on b6 takes away a7 and b7. No escape: checkmate.
Qd8#. The black king's own pawns block its escape squares, and the queen covers the whole back rank.