Chess rules

How to play chess: every rule explained

15 short guides, in the order you need them. Each one has a quick answer, diagrams, a drill you can try on the board and the mistakes beginners make.

Last updated November 7, 2026

touch_appTry one: the knight, the piece beginners find hardest.

How the pieces move

How the Rook Moves: The rook moves in a straight line along a rank or a file: forwards, backwards, left or right, as many empty squares as it likes.
How the Bishop Moves: The bishop moves diagonally, any number of empty squares, forwards or backwards.
How the Queen Moves: The queen combines the rook and the bishop: she moves any number of empty squares in a straight line, along ranks, files or diagonals, in all eight directions.
How the King Moves: The king moves one square in any direction: forwards, backwards, sideways or diagonally.
How the Knight Moves: The knight moves in an L-shape: two squares in a straight line, then one square to the side.
How the Pawn Moves: A pawn moves straight forward one square, or two squares on its very first move.

How to Set Up a Chessboard: Place the board so each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner.
How to Capture in Chess: To capture, move your piece onto a square occupied by an enemy piece; the enemy piece is removed from the board.
Chess Piece Values: Chess pieces are usually counted in points: pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9.
Check and Checkmate: Check means the king is attacked.
Castling: Castling moves the king two squares towards a rook, then puts that rook on the square the king crossed.
Pawn Promotion: When a pawn reaches the last rank (the 8th for White, the 1st for Black), it must be promoted: you replace it with a queen, rook, bishop or knight of your colour.
En Passant: En passant is a special pawn capture.
Stalemate and Other Draws: A game is drawn by stalemate (the player to move has no legal move and isn't in check), by agreement, by threefold repetition of the same position, by the 50-move rule (50 moves each without a capture or pawn move), or when neither side has enough pieces left to checkmate..
How to Start a Chess Game: Start by moving a centre pawn (e4 or d4), then bring out your knights and bishops towards the centre, castle to make your king safe, and connect your rooks.

After the rules comes Level 1, Beginner (≈ 400–800): Win more by not losing pieces, and finish games with mate.