♟ Chess Online

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How to play chess

King

∞ pts
Moves one square in any direction. The most important piece — never let it be captured

Queen

9 pts
Most powerful piece. Moves any number of squares in any direction

Rook

5 pts
Moves horizontally or vertically any number of squares. Used in castling

Bishop

3 pts
Moves diagonally any number of squares. Always stays on same-color squares

Knight

3 pts
Moves in an L-shape: 2+1 squares. The only piece that jumps over others

Pawn

1 pts
Moves forward 1 square (2 on first move). Captures diagonally. Can promote to queen

Castling

Special king+rook move. The king moves 2 squares toward the rook, which jumps to the other side. Conditions: neither piece has moved; no pieces between them; king not in or passing through check.

En Passant

If a pawn advances 2 squares and lands beside an enemy pawn, the enemy can capture it as if it had only moved 1 square. Must be done immediately on the next move.

Pawn Promotion

When a pawn reaches the last rank (rank 8 for White, rank 1 for Black), it must be promoted to another piece — usually a queen.

Check & Checkmate

Check — the king is attacked; you must escape by moving the king, blocking, or capturing the attacker. Checkmate — check with no escape. Game over.

Draw (Stalemate)

A game ends in a draw if: no legal moves exist (stalemate); insufficient material for checkmate; threefold repetition; or 50 moves without a capture or pawn move.

Goal of the Game

Deliver checkmate to the opponent's king. Phases: opening — develop pieces; middlegame — tactical fight; endgame — few pieces remain.

Getting started — 5 steps

1

Control the center

Open with e4 or d4. Controlling the center gives your pieces more mobility and space.

2

Develop your pieces

Bring out knights and bishops in the first 5–7 moves. Avoid moving the same piece twice or making unnecessary pawn moves.

3

Castle early

Tuck your king behind pawns by castling. This improves king safety and activates a rook.

4

Coordinate your pieces

Keep your pieces protecting each other and attacking together. Double attacks are harder to defend.

5

Look for tactics

Watch for forks, pins, and mating threats. Think 2–3 moves ahead before every move.

Pawn Promotion

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