What is the aim of chess?
Set up the board
Place a light square in each player’s right-hand corner. From White’s side, files run a–h from left to right and ranks run 1–8 away from you. White’s back rank is Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook; pawns occupy rank 2. Black mirrors this on ranks 8 and 7. Each Queen starts on her own colour. See Articles 2.1–2.4.
Use the piece selector below, choose a highlighted destination, then reset to try another move. The examples keep both Kings on the board and show only legal choices for the selected piece.
Six pieces, six movement patterns
Scroll the table sideways to compare all columns.
| Piece | Ordinary move | Capture or restriction |
|---|---|---|
| King | One adjacent square | May not enter an attacked square |
| Queen | Along a rank, file or diagonal | Cannot jump intervening pieces |
| Rook | Along a rank or file | Cannot jump intervening pieces |
| Bishop | Along a diagonal | Stays on one square colour; cannot jump |
| Knight | Two squares along one axis and one along the other | Can jump intervening pieces |
| Pawn | One square forward; two from its starting square if both are empty | Captures one square diagonally forward; never moves backwards |
Moving onto an enemy piece’s square captures and removes it. You cannot move onto a friendly piece. Castling, en passant and promotion need additional conditions; they have their own lesson. Articles 3.1–3.8.
Try each piece
An L-shaped move: two squares then one across. Can jump over pieces.
Select the highlighted piece, then a marked square to try a move.
Starting position
Is the move legal? Ask three questions
- Can this piece reach that square? A bishop follows a diagonal; a knight jumps. A pawn moves forward into an empty square but normally captures diagonally.
- What is in the way? A rook cannot pass through either colour of piece. A friendly piece cannot be captured. The knight is the exception to the jumping restriction.
- Is your king safe afterwards? Imagine the resulting position, including any piece you remove. A move that exposes your king is illegal even if the moving piece followed its usual pattern.
For example, a rook shielding its king from an enemy rook may be able to move along that line, but not off it. “Pinned” does not mean a piece is automatically frozen; it means king safety limits its legal choices. Articles 3.1–3.10.
Try this with the piece explorer: select a piece, name a destination before choosing it, then compare your prediction with the legal-move markers. Reset after the move to try a different destination.
Attacked is not the same as movable
A pinned piece still attacks squares even if moving it would expose its own King. This matters when a King captures a defended piece or tries to castle: do not treat the defender’s pin as permission. Article 3.1.3 expressly preserves that attack.
When in check, move the King to safety, capture the checking piece, or block a line attack if a legal block exists. A Knight’s check cannot be blocked. Every proposed reply must leave your King safe. Articles 3.9–3.10.
Touch, adjust, move
- On your turn, announce that you are adjusting a piece before touching it: “j’adoube” or “I adjust”. This centres a piece; it is not permission to reconsider a deliberate move.
- Deliberately touch your own piece to move it: you must move the first touched piece that has a legal move. Touch an opponent’s piece to capture it: you must capture the first one that can legally be captured.
- If you touch pieces of both colours, Article 4.3 determines the required capture or move. If no touched piece can legally move or be captured, a legal alternative is allowed under 4.5.
- Use one hand. Once a piece has been released on a legal destination, you cannot move it somewhere else on that turn. Castling and promotion have specific completion rules in 4.7.
FAQ
Can I capture the opposing King?
No. Checkmate ends the game before any King capture. A move exposing or leaving your own King in check is illegal.
Does “touch-move” require an illegal move?
No. The obligation concerns pieces that can legally move or be captured. Article 4.5 allows another legal move when none of the touched pieces qualifies.
Can a pawn capture the piece directly in front of it?
No. A pawn’s normal forward move requires an empty destination; its normal capture is one square diagonally forward. A piece directly in front blocks the pawn. En passant is a separate, time-limited capture explained in the special-moves guide.
Related rules
Sources and scope
FIDE Laws of Chess · 2023 · Articles 1–4.
Effective 1 January 2023. These guides explain over-the-board play. The official text and any event regulations permitted by it govern competition; teaching positions are not tournament records.