King
One square in any direction. Cannot move onto an attacked square.
Chess
Brilliance knows no borders. Checkmate the opposing king on an 8 × 8 board. White moves first.
No one is playing yetOpen the first table
Queen
Any distance horizontally, vertically or diagonally along a clear line.
Rook
Any distance horizontally or vertically along a clear line.
Bishop
Any distance diagonally, always on the same square color.
Knight
An L-shaped move: two squares then one across. Can jump over pieces.
Pawn
One square forward, or two on its first move. Captures one square diagonally.
Read the full guide
Board setup, special rules and winning conditions for Chess.
Three special moves: castling, en passant and promotion when a pawn reaches the last rank. Win by checkmate. Stalemate and dead positions are draws; you can claim a draw after threefold repetition or 50 moves without a capture or pawn move.
A quick guide to Chess
Read the Chess rulesWhat is Chess?
Chess is a two-player game on an 8×8 board. Each side starts with 16 pieces, and White moves first. Win by checkmating the opposing king. Play online, practice against AI or share a board with a friend.
Is a draw automatic after threefold repetition or 50 moves in chess?
No. Threefold repetition, or 50 moves by each side without a capture or pawn move, lets the player to move claim a draw. The game is drawn automatically only after fivefold repetition or 75 moves by each side, unless the last move is checkmate.
When can you capture en passant?
Only on the move right after an opposing pawn advances two squares and lands beside your pawn. Your pawn captures diagonally onto the square the other pawn passed over. If you make any other move first, that right is lost.
What happens if you run out of time in chess?
You lose on time, unless your opponent cannot checkmate you by any legal sequence of moves; then the game is a draw. For example, an opponent left with only a king cannot win on time.
How can I play with a friend?
Share one device for a local game, or choose the friend option above to create an online room and send its invitation. Online games need an internet connection. Local games are saved in this browser.
Play Chess on one deviceWhich rules apply here?
Standard chess · ChessPlayX online play. Read the setup, legal moves, special rules and end conditions before starting. The guide describes the variant used on ChessPlayX, including differences from other versions where relevant.
Read the Chess rulesCan I play against AI?
Choose AI mode to practice at your own pace. Start with a lower difficulty while learning the moves, then increase it when you can spot threats and plan your replies.