Setup
Base rules: chess, except where this guide says otherwise. The back ranks mirror each other. Bishops occupy opposite colours and the king starts between the rooks. Pawns use their usual ranks. White moves first.
Chess960
Play chess from one of 960 legal starting arrangements, with special castling rules.
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Moves and captures
Pieces move and capture as in chess. Check, en passant and promotion apply; the king must stay safe.
Winning and draws
Checkmate wins. Stalemate is a draw, and a position where neither side can ever checkmate, such as king against king, is drawn automatically. A player may claim a draw after the same position occurs three times, or after 50 moves by each side without a capture or pawn move. Neither rule ends the game automatically.
Special rules
After castling, the king is on c or g and the rook on d or f, regardless of their starting squares. The required paths must be clear except for the castling pair, and the king cannot start, pass through or finish in check. Select the king and then its rook to castle.
Read the full guide
Board setup, special rules and winning conditions for Chess960.
A king already on g1 can castle by staying there while its rook moves to f1, if all castling conditions are met.
A quick guide to Chess960
Read the Chess960 rulesWhat is Chess960?
Chess960, or Fischer Random Chess, is standard chess with the back-rank pieces shuffled into one of 960 starting positions. The bishops stand on opposite colours, the king stands between the rooks, and both sides mirror each other. Pawns, piece moves and checkmate are unchanged. After castling, the king and rook finish on the usual c/d or g/f files.
How do you castle in Chess960?
Select your king, then select your own rook on that side. After castling the king stands on the g- or c-file and the rook on the f- or d-file, exactly as in normal chess. The squares they cross must be empty, and the king may not start, pass through or land in check.
How is the starting position chosen in Chess960?
ChessPlayX picks one of the 960 legal arrangements at random for each new game. The bishops always stand on opposite colours, the king stands between the two rooks, and Black mirrors White. Pawns start on their usual ranks. Arrangement number 518 is the ordinary chess setup.
Can the king castle without moving in Chess960?
Yes. If the king already stands on g1 or c1 (g8 or c8 for Black), castling moves only the rook, to f1 or d1. You still castle by selecting the king and then that rook, and the usual conditions apply: neither piece has moved, the rook's path is clear and the king is not in check.
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 Chess960 on one deviceWhich rules apply here?
Chess960. 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 Chess960 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.