The rules of chess explained step by step
Contents · 10 sections
In chess, the aim is to checkmate the opposing king: to attack it in such a way that it can no longer escape capture. White plays the first move, then each player moves a single piece in turn, following the way each piece moves.
This guide covers all the rules in the order you'll need them: setting up, how the pieces move, check and checkmate, the three special moves, the ways a game can be drawn and how a real game unfolds. To get started, all you need is one of the chess sets in our shop and an opponent.
- Each side has 16 pieces: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights and 8 pawns.
- White starts. Each player makes one move in turn, never passing.
- You win by checkmate. The king is never captured: the game ends before that.
- Three special moves to know: castling, en passant and promotion.
- A game can also end in a draw: stalemate, agreement, repetition, the 50-move rule or insufficient material.
The board and the starting position
The board has 64 squares, alternately light and dark. The 8 files are named a to h and the 8 ranks numbered 1 to 8, so that each square has a name: e4, h1, d8. The board is placed so that each player has a light square in their bottom right-hand corner.
The pieces are set out like this, on both White's and Black's side:
- On the first rank, from the corners to the centre: the rooks, then the knights, then the bishops.
- In the centre, the queen goes on the square of her own colour (white queen on a light square, black queen on a dark square), with the king next to her.
- On the second rank, the eight pawns.
The two kings and the two queens face each other on the same file. A board with coordinates printed on the edge helps a lot at the start: you find squares at a glance and learn notation effortlessly.
The aim of the game: checkmate
A piece that attacks the opposing king puts it in check. The player whose king is in check must meet the threat on their very next move, in one of these three ways:
- move the king to a square that isn't attacked;
- capture the piece giving check;
- place a piece in between the king and the attacker (impossible against a knight, which jumps).
If none of these defences exists, the king is checkmated and the game is lost. You may not play a move that leaves or puts your own king in check: such a move is illegal and must be taken back.
How the pieces move
Each piece has its own way of moving. None of them, except the knight, can jump over another piece.
| Piece | Number | Move | Approximate value |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | 1 | one square in any direction | priceless |
| Queen | 1 | as many squares as she likes, in a straight line or diagonally | 9 |
| Rook | 2 | as many squares as it likes, in a straight line (file or rank) | 5 |
| Bishop | 2 | as many squares as it likes, diagonally, always on the same colour | 3 |
| Knight | 2 | in an L shape: two squares one way then one to the side, jumping over pieces | 3 |
| Pawn | 8 | one square forward (two on its first move), captures diagonally | 1 |
Swipe the table to see all columns.
The values, expressed in pawns, aren't a rule: they're a guide to whether a trade is in your favour.
The king
The king moves just one square, in all eight directions. It can never move to a square attacked by the opponent, which also means the two kings can never touch.
The queen
The most powerful piece combines the rook and the bishop: she sweeps along straight lines or diagonals, as many squares as she likes, as long as the way is clear.
The rook
It moves in a straight line, along its file or its rank. Rooks become formidable in the endgame, when the files open up.
The bishop
It glides diagonally. A bishop that starts on a light square stays on light squares for the whole game: that's why we talk about the light-squared bishop and the dark-squared bishop.
The knight
It jumps in an L shape, two squares in one direction then one square at a right angle, and always lands on a square of the other colour. It's the only piece that can pass over the others, even on the very first move.
The pawn
The pawn moves straight ahead one square, or two squares if it's still on its starting square. It never moves backwards and, unlike the other pieces, it doesn't capture the way it moves: it captures diagonally, one square forward. A pawn blocked by a piece directly in front of it can no longer advance.
Capturing an opposing piece
To capture, you move your piece onto the square occupied by an opposing piece, which you remove from the board. You can never capture your own pieces, and capturing is never compulsory. All pieces capture the way they move, except the pawn, which captures diagonally.
The three special moves
Castling
Castling is the only move where you move two pieces at once: the king slides two squares towards a rook, and that rook comes to stand just on the other side of the king. On the king's side it's kingside castling; on the queen's side, queenside castling. It tucks the king away and brings the rook into play.
Castling is only allowed if all these conditions are met:
- the king and the rook concerned have never moved;
- there's no piece between them;
- the king isn't in check;
- the king doesn't pass through an attacked square and doesn't land on an attacked square.
To castle, touch the king first, then the rook. A rook touched first could force you to make a rook move.
En passant
When a pawn advances two squares from its starting position and ends up next to an opposing pawn, that pawn can capture it as if it had only advanced one square. This capture is only possible on the very next move: if you don't play it straight away, the chance is gone.
Promotion
A pawn that reaches the last rank must immediately be replaced by a queen, a rook, a bishop or a knight of its own colour, as the player chooses. You almost always choose the queen, and nothing stops you from having several. Some sets come with an extra queen per side, precisely for this.
Ways a game can be drawn
A game of chess doesn't always end in mate. It's drawn in the following situations.
| Situation | What happens | Automatic or claimed? |
|---|---|---|
| Stalemate | the player to move has no legal move and their king isn't in check | automatic |
| Insufficient material | neither side can mate any more, for example king against king, or king and bishop against king | automatic |
| Mutual agreement | one player offers a draw, the other accepts | on offer |
| Threefold repetition | the same position occurs three times, with the same player to move | claimed by a player |
| 50-move rule | 50 moves by each side with no capture and no pawn move | claimed by a player |
| Fivefold repetition or 75 moves | the same cases, taken further | automatic |
Swipe the table to see all columns.
Stalemate is the classic beginner's trap: with a big material advantage, you shut in the opposing king without giving check, it has no legal move left, and a won game becomes a draw. Before every move in the endgame, check that your opponent can still move.
How a game unfolds
Who plays White?
Among friends, you draw lots: one player hides a pawn of each colour in their hands, and the other chooses one. After that, you alternate colours from one game to the next.
Touch-move
If you deliberately touch one of your pieces, you must move it; if you touch an opposing piece, you must capture it, as long as the move is legal. A piece released on a legal square stays there. To simply recentre a piece on its square, say "I adjust" (or "j'adoube") before touching it. In friendly games people are often more flexible, but getting into the habit from the start avoids arguments.
The end of the game
A game ends with mate, with one player resigning, with a draw or, when playing with a clock, when one player runs out of time. The result is written 1-0 when White wins, 0-1 when Black wins, and ½-½ for a draw.
Playing with a clock
A clock isn't compulsory, but it gives the game a rhythm and avoids endless games. Each player has a total time; after their move, they press their button, which starts the opponent's time. Whoever runs out of time loses, unless the opponent no longer has the material to mate. A digital clock can also add a few seconds on each move, the famous increment, which stops you losing on time in a winning position.
Getting started: five tips for your first games
- Occupy the centre. Push one or two central pawns (e4, d4) in the first few moves: your pieces will have more room.
- Bring out your pieces. Develop your knights and bishops before moving the same piece several times.
- Castle early. A king left in the centre is a target.
- Don't bring the queen out too soon. She'd be chased by the opponent's pieces and you'd lose time.
- Before every move, ask yourself a question. What is the opponent's last move threatening? A piece left undefended is the most common mistake at the start.
For learning, a stable board on which the pieces stay put is a real comfort, especially with a child. Our comparison of magnetic and wooden chess sets helps you decide, and our guide to choosing the right size of chess board gives the reference dimensions. If you're introducing a child to the game, see also which chess set to choose for a child.
Our pick for getting started
A magnetic set with coordinates for learning, a complete wooden set with its promotion queens, and a clock for moving on to timed games.
Sources: FIDE, Laws of Chess (articles on the moves of the pieces, castling, en passant, promotion, draws and touch-move); English Chess Federation.
