THE ESSENTIALS

A game for a lifetime.
Start with one move.

White moves first. Take turns moving one piece. Protect your king, and put the other king in checkmate.

Your practice board

A sandbox for both sides. Nothing here changes a game.

Choose a piece, then a highlighted square. Both sides are yours to explore.

Promote to

01 / MEET THE PIECES

Six pieces. Six ways to move.

King: One square in any direction. Never into check.
Queen: Any distance along a rank, file, or diagonal.
Rook: Any distance horizontally or vertically.
Bishop: Any distance diagonally.
Knight: Two squares one way, then one across. It can jump over pieces.
Pawn: One square forward, or two on its first move. Captures one square diagonally forward.

02 / SPECIAL MOVES

A few useful exceptions.

Castling

Move your king two squares toward a rook; the rook passes to the square beside it. Neither may have moved. The squares between must be empty, and the king cannot be in, cross, or land in check.

En passant

When an opposing pawn advances two squares and lands beside yours, you may capture it as if it moved one square. You must do this on your very next move.

Promotion

A pawn reaching the farthest rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop, or knight. Choose your promotion piece before making the move.

03 / FINISH THE GAME

Check is a warning. Mate is the end.

Checkmate means the king is attacked and no legal move escapes. Stalemate is a draw: the side to move has no legal move but is not in check. Games can also draw through insufficient material, threefold repetition, or the 50-move rule.

Ready to put it into play?