Chess For Dummies®

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You can only move one chess piece at a time when it is your turn to move - with one exception! When you castle, you move both the king and the rook in one move. The king is the most important chess piece. If you lose the king, you lose the game. But the queen is the most powerful chess piece.

Once you know the basics of how to play chess, there are hundreds of books and other resources out there to help you discover the deep strategy and near-endless variations possible during games - as well as local tournaments that can help you refine your play and tactics. Chess is one of the oldest board games ever. It has been played and loved for centuries, but in recent years it's surged in popularity with scores of new players looking to learn the chess rules. Occasionally chess games do not end with a winner, but with a draw. There are 5 reasons why a chess game may end in a draw: A player declares a draw if the same exact position is repeated three times (though not necessarily three times in a row) Players’ pieces are set up in the two horizontal rows (known as ranks) closest to each player. The second rank - ie. the second row from the player’s perspective - consists of a line of eight pawns, each placed on a single square.It's never too late to learn how to play chess—the most popular game in the world! Learning the rules of chess is easy: Knowing the rules and basic strategies is only the beginning - there is so much to learn in chess that you can never learn it all in a lifetime! To improve you need to do three things:

While most people play standard chess rules, some people like to play chess with changes to the rules. These are called "chess variants". Each variant has its own rules: Learn how each type of piece moves. Each player controls 16 pieces: 8 pawns, 2 bishops, 2 knights (little horse heads), 2 rooks (little castle towers), 1 king, and 1 queen. Each type has its own way of moving across the board and potentially capturing your opponent's pieces as it goes. [3] X Research source Each of the 6 different kinds of pieces moves differently. Pieces cannot move through other pieces (though the knight can jump over other pieces), and can never move onto a square with one of their own pieces. However, they can be moved to take the place of an opponent's piece which is then captured. Pieces are generally moved into positions where they can capture other pieces (by landing on their square and then replacing them), defend their own pieces in case of capture, or control important squares in the game. How to Move the King in ChessTake note of the special moves that pawns, rooks, and kings can make. These moves aren't anything you really need to worry about during your first few games, but you want to at least know they exist. As your play advances and you get more comfortable, you'll find that you use them more and more. [4] X Research source Pawns: If your opponent moves a pawn 2 spaces on its first move so that it's sitting right next to one of your pawns, you can capture it with your pawn on your next move—but only on your next move. This special ability is known as en passant (French for "in passing").

Want to know how to play chess for beginners? Here's a basic rundown on how the rules work. In chess, each player takes turns to make a single move. Players cannot choose to skip a turn - they must move a piece. Each chess piece moves in a specific way, and must be moved according to its legal movement. Chess960: In Chess960 (Fischer Random), the initial position of the pieces is set at random. Pawns keep their normal initial position but the rest of the pieces are arranged randomly.

Frequently asked chess questions

Notice that when you castle one direction the king is closer to the side of the board. That is called castling " kingside". Castling to the other side, through where the queen sat, is called castling " queenside". Regardless of which side, the king always moves only two squares when castling. The king is the most important piece, but is one of the weakest. The king can only move one square in any direction - up, down, to the sides, and diagonally. Chess is experiencing a renaissance, but if you're new to the game learning the chess rules and different strategies can feel overwhelming. That's where our guide comes in. We'll talk you through the basic rules, including how to move and capture pieces as well as essential moves to winning, like en passant and castling. Chess rules for beginners If a piece lands on a space with an opponent’s piece, that piece is captured and removed from the board. Pieces cannot be placed on the same square as a piece of the same colour. When a piece captures an opponent’s piece, it must finish its current move action and end the player’s turn.