To play chess, two players take turns moving their pieces on an eight-by-eight board. Each piece moves in its own way, and the aim is to trap the other player's king so it can't escape, which is called checkmate. White always moves first. Set the board with a light square in each player's bottom-right corner, then learn the six pieces one at a time.
Here's the good news: the rules fit on one page, and you can play a full game after one short read. What takes time is getting good, and that comes from playing, not from memorising. Read this once, then go and play a game against a computer.
Setting up the board
Put the board between you so that each player has a light square at their bottom-right corner. Get that wrong and nothing else lines up, so check it first. Each side has sixteen pieces: eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, one queen and one king.
- Fill the row nearest each player's side with the pawns, one on every square.
- Put the rooks in the two corners, then the knights beside them, then the bishops beside those.
- The queen goes on the square of her own colour, so the white queen starts on a light square and the black queen on a dark one.
- The king takes the last square next to her.
A quick way to remember it: the queen stays on her colour. If your queens end up facing each other across the board, you've set it up right.
How each piece moves
Learn these six and you know most of the game. The values in the last column are a common rough guide that players use to judge a trade. They aren't rules, and a good position can beat a few extra points.
| Piece | How it moves | Rough value |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn | Forward one square, or two on its first move. It captures one square diagonally forward. | 1 |
| Knight | Jumps in an L shape: two squares one way and one to the side. It's the only piece that can jump over others. | 3 |
| Bishop | Any number of squares along a diagonal. It stays on its starting colour for the whole game. | 3 |
| Rook | Any number of squares in a straight line, forward, back or sideways. | 5 |
| Queen | Any number of squares in a straight line or along a diagonal. The strongest piece. | 9 |
| King | One square in any direction. It can never move into danger. | Not scored: losing it ends the game |
Pieces capture by landing on the square of an enemy piece, which removes it from the board. The one exception is the pawn, which moves straight but captures diagonally. If you're looking for a gentle way to build up your thinking before a game, my list of chess-based puzzle games is a good warm-up.
Special moves: castling, en passant and promotion
These three moves surprise every beginner at least once. They're not hard, just easy to forget.
Castling
Castling is the one time you move two pieces in a single turn. The king moves two squares toward a rook, and the rook jumps over to the other side of the king. It tucks your king away and brings a rook into play. You can only do it if neither piece has moved yet, there's nothing between them, and the king isn't in check or moving through a square an enemy piece attacks.
En passant
The name is French for in passing. If an enemy pawn uses its two-square first move to land right beside your pawn, you may capture it as if it had moved just one square. You have to do it immediately, on your very next turn, or the chance is gone.
Promotion
When a pawn reaches the far end of the board, it must change into a queen, rook, bishop or knight of your choice. Nearly everyone picks a queen. It's the reason a lone pawn that slips through can win a game.
A tip that helps in real games: before you castle or promote, say the move out loud in your head. It stops the common slip of moving only one piece when the move needs two.
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Check, checkmate and stalemate
- Check means your king is under attack. You must deal with it straight away by moving the king, blocking the attack or capturing the attacker.
- Checkmate means the king is in check and nothing you do can fix it. The game ends and the player who delivered it wins.
- Stalemate means the player to move isn't in check but has no legal move. The game is a draw, which often catches out a player who is winning.
Draws can also happen by agreement, or when neither side has enough pieces left to force checkmate. Don't worry about the full list yet.
Your first ten moves
You don't need to learn opening names. Follow these ideas and you'll avoid most beginner disasters.
- Take the centre. Move a centre pawn forward early, such as the pawn in front of the king or the queen. Those squares control the most space.
- Bring out the knights and bishops. Develop them before you move any piece twice.
- Castle early. It protects your king and wakes up a rook.
- Keep the queen at home for now. If she charges out too soon, she gets chased around the board and you lose time.
- Look before you move. Ask what your opponent's last move threatens. Most beginner games are decided by one piece left hanging.
Those habits cover about the first ten moves of a game. After that, you're thinking for yourself, which is the fun part. Don't worry if you lose your first few games. That's normal, and each loss shows you something a book can't.
Where to practise for free
The quickest way to improve is to play lots of short games and review the mistakes. These are all well known and have free options, though features vary, so check what each one offers today.
- Lichess is free and open to everyone, with puzzles, lessons and games against people or the computer.
- Chess.com has free games and lessons, with extra features for members.
- Computer opponents let you pick an easy level and take back moves. Handy when you're learning.
- Offline apps help when you have no signal. I've listed some free offline chess apps for Android with no sign-up.
If chess leads you to other thinking games, my guide to strategy board games is worth a look.
Frequently asked questions
Who moves first in chess?
White always moves first. After that, players alternate turns, one move each.
How long does it take to learn chess?
You can learn the rules in an evening. Playing it well takes much longer, but most people enjoy it from the first game.
What is the most important piece in chess?
The king, because the game ends when it's trapped. The queen is the strongest piece in play, but losing her doesn't lose the game.
Can I learn chess without anyone to play with?
Yes. Play against a computer, work through puzzles and use free lessons. You can build a lot of skill before you ever sit at a real board.
