Chess rules and tips
Chess is played by two people on a board of 64 squares. The aim is checkmate: attacking the enemy king so that it cannot escape.
How the pieces move
- King: one square in any direction.
- Queen: any distance along a rank, file or diagonal.
- Rook: any distance along a rank or file.
- Bishop: any distance along a diagonal.
- Knight: an L shape, two squares one way and one to the side. It is the only piece that jumps.
- Pawn: one square forward, or two from its starting square, and it captures diagonally. A pawn that reaches the far side is promoted, usually to a queen.
Special moves
Castling moves the king two squares toward a rook, and the rook hops over it. Neither piece may have moved, the squares between must be empty, and the king may not leave, cross or land on an attacked square. En passant lets a pawn capture an enemy pawn that has just moved two squares past it, as if it had moved only one.
How a game ends
A player who is checkmated loses. A game is drawn by stalemate, when the player to move has no legal move and is not in check, and also by repetition, by agreement, or when neither side has enough pieces to mate. Running out of time loses the game.
First steps to improve
- Bring out knights and bishops early, and castle before you start an attack.
- Before every move, ask what your opponent's last move threatens.
- Count attackers and defenders before you capture.
- Solve short tactics: most games between new players are decided by a piece left undefended.