Chess has simple rules and almost endless depth. You can learn how every piece moves in an afternoon, and that is enough to play a real game. This guide covers the full rules in plain language, then the handful of principles that make the biggest difference to a beginner's results. The rules described here follow the standard Laws of Chess published by FIDE, the international chess federation (FIDE Handbook).
Setting up the board
The board has 64 squares in an 8×8 grid. Place it so that each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner. Each side starts with 16 pieces: eight pawns on the second row, and behind them, from the corners inwards, rook, knight, bishop, then the queen and king in the middle. The queen goes on the square of her own colour: the white queen on a light square, the black queen on a dark one. White always moves first.
How each piece moves
| Piece | How it moves | Usual value |
|---|---|---|
| King | One square in any direction. It can never move into check. | Priceless |
| Queen | Any number of squares in a straight line: horizontally, vertically or diagonally. | 9 |
| Rook | Any number of squares horizontally or vertically. | 5 |
| Bishop | Any number of squares diagonally. Each bishop stays on one colour all game. | 3 |
| Knight | In an "L": two squares in one direction, then one to the side. It is the only piece that jumps over others. | 3 |
| Pawn | One square forward (two on its first move). It captures one square diagonally forward. | 1 |
The point values are a traditional rule of thumb, not part of the rules (Wikipedia). They help you decide whether a trade is good: giving a knight (3) for a rook (5) usually wins material.
The three special moves
- Castling: the king moves two squares towards a rook, and that rook jumps to the square on the king's other side. It is allowed only if neither piece has moved, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not in check, does not pass through an attacked square and does not land in check.
- Promotion: a pawn that reaches the far row must be exchanged for a queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same colour. Almost everyone chooses a queen.
- En passant: if a pawn moves two squares forward and lands beside an enemy pawn, that enemy pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square. This is allowed only on the very next move.
How a game ends
A king that is attacked is in check, and the player must get out of check immediately: by moving the king, blocking the attack or capturing the attacker. If there is no way out, it is checkmate and the game is over. If a player is not in check but has no legal move at all, it is stalemate, and the game is a draw. Games can also be drawn by agreement, by repeating the same position three times, by the fifty-move rule, or when neither side has enough pieces left to checkmate.
Stalemate catches many beginners. When you are far ahead, check that your opponent still has a legal move after yours. Leaving a lone king with nowhere to go, but not in check, throws away a won game.
Five opening principles
- Control the centre. Moving the pawns in front of your king and queen gives your pieces room and controls the four middle squares.
- Develop your knights and bishops early. Bring each one out once before moving any piece twice.
- Castle in the first ten moves or so. It puts your king behind pawns and connects your rooks.
- Do not bring your queen out too early. It can be chased by smaller pieces, and each chase gives your opponent a free developing move.
- Before every move, ask what your opponent's last move threatens. Most beginner games are lost to an unnoticed capture, not to deep strategy.
The most common beginner mistakes
- Leaving pieces undefended, so they can be captured for free.
- Moving the same piece many times in the opening while the others stay at home.
- Pushing the pawns in front of a castled king, which opens lines towards it.
- Grabbing material without checking whether the capturing piece is then lost or a checkmate appears.
- Playing too fast. Taking a few seconds to look for checks, captures and threats on every move is the quickest way to improve.
Practise on PapoGames
Astral Chess, our free browser chess game, is built for exactly this path. Its Learn mode has guided lessons from zero, the Trainer gives live feedback on the quality of your moves, and Puzzles and a Daily puzzle train tactics. When you are ready, play the computer at five levels from Easy to Master, or pass and play with a friend on the same device. If you want something lighter, Checkers uses the same board with simpler rules.
A good first goal: beat the Easy computer level while following all five opening principles. Then move up one level at a time.