How to play chess: the rules for beginners
Chess looks difficult only until you have got to grips with how the six pieces move. In fact there are not many rules, and they can be mastered in a single evening. This piece explains them step by step for beginners: how each piece moves, what the pieces are worth, what check and checkmate are, and what the special moves are.
The object of the game
Chess is played by two people, with the white and the black pieces, taking turns to make one move each. White always moves first. The aim is not to eat as many pieces as possible but to checkmate your opponent's king - that is, to attack it so that it cannot escape. Whoever mates first has won.
Before the start the pieces are set up in the standard starting position. If you are not yet sure exactly how to set them out, there is a separate detailed guide to setting up a chessboard - it is worth starting there.
How the pieces move in chess
Every piece has its own way of moving. This is the foundation of everything, and without it you cannot play.
The pawn
The pawn moves only forwards and only one square. From its starting square it has the right to go two squares at once - but only on its own first move. It captures differently from the way it moves: it takes an enemy piece diagonally, on the adjacent square in front of it. A pawn never moves or captures backwards.
The rook
It moves in straight lines - along ranks and files - any number of squares. The rook does not move diagonally. It cannot jump over pieces of its own or the opponent's: the path has to be clear.
The bishop
It moves only along the diagonals, again any distance. Because of that each bishop stays on squares of one colour for the whole game: the one that started on a light square only ever travels on light squares.
The knight
The most unusual piece. It moves in an L: two squares in a straight line and one to the side (or the other way round). The knight is the only piece that jumps over others, so it cannot be stopped by blocking its way. It only attacks the square it lands on.
The queen
The strongest piece. It combines the powers of the rook and the bishop: it moves in straight lines and along the diagonals any number of squares. It cannot jump over pieces.
The king
It moves in any direction, but only one square at a time. The king cannot move into attack from an enemy piece and cannot go to a square next to the enemy king. It is the most important piece: it cannot be exchanged or lost, and the whole game is built around its safety.
How the pieces capture
To take an opponent's piece you move onto its square - the enemy piece comes off the board and yours takes its place. Capturing is not compulsory: whether to take a piece is the player's decision. The exception is the pawn, which moves forwards but captures diagonally.
What the pieces are worth
To judge whether an exchange is favourable, the pieces are given a notional value in pawns:
- Pawn - 1
- Knight - 3
- Bishop - 3
- Rook - 5
- Queen - 9
- The king is priceless; no value is put on it
These numbers are approximate and serve a beginner as a guide: giving up a rook for a knight, for instance, is usually a bad deal. With experience comes the understanding that a great deal depends on the position.
Check and checkmate
Check is an attack on the king. If your piece attacks the enemy king, your opponent has to answer it immediately: move the king away, shield it with another piece or take the attacking piece. Check cannot be ignored.
Checkmate is a check with no answer. The king is under attack and cannot move away, be shielded, or have the attacking piece taken. Whoever is checkmated loses the game. The king itself is not removed from the board - the game simply ends.
The special moves
Besides the ordinary moves there are three special rules that often surprise beginners.
Castling
The only move involving two pieces at once - the king and a rook. The king moves two squares towards the rook, and the rook jumps over it and lands beside it. That way the king hides in the corner and the rook comes into play. Castling is possible only if the king and that rook have not moved yet, there are no pieces between them, the king is not in check and does not pass through an attacked square.
There is also long castling, to the other side, and four cases in which castling is forbidden. All of it, on separate boards - castling in chess.
En passant
A special way of capturing with a pawn. If an adjacent enemy pawn jumps two squares from its starting position and lands beside yours, you can take it as though it had gone only one square. You can only do it immediately, on your very next move.
Pawn promotion
If a pawn reaches the last rank it turns into any piece the player chooses - most often a queen, as the strongest. That way there can be two queens on the board, or more.
When a game is a draw
Not every game ends in a win. A draw is possible in several cases:
- Stalemate - the player to move is not in check but cannot make a single legal move. That is not checkmate but a draw.
- Agreement - the players agree a draw.
- Insufficient material - there is not enough material left on the board to deliver mate.
- Threefold repetition of the position, or the 50-move rule with no captures and no pawn moves.
Where a beginner should start
- 1. Learn how each piece moves - that is half the job.
- 2. Master setting up the board and play a few games without being afraid of mistakes.
- 3. Remember the rule: at the start of a game it is useful to bring the pieces off the back rank and tuck the king away by castling.
- 4. Do not chase your opponent's pieces - watch your own king first of all.
After that you can practise on the online board: set up a position, play the computer or go through somebody else's game. The more practice, the sooner the rules turn into habit.
And if you fancy trying the same rules without cramming openings, read about Fischer random (Chess960): the same set of pieces, but a starting position that is random every time.
Frequently asked questions
How does the knight move in chess?
The knight moves in an L: two squares in a straight line and one to the side (or the other way round). It is the only piece that jumps over others, so it cannot be blocked.
What are check and checkmate?
Check is an attack on the king, and you must answer it. Checkmate is a check with no answer: the king cannot move away, cannot be shielded and the attacking piece cannot be taken. Whoever is checkmated has lost.
Can I castle when my king is in check?
No. Castling is forbidden if the king is in check, passes through an attacked square or lands on one, and also if the king or that rook has already moved or there are pieces between them.
What is each piece worth?
The notional value in pawns: a pawn is 1, a knight and a bishop 3 each, a rook 5 and a queen 9. The king is priceless - it is never exchanged.
What is stalemate?
Stalemate is the situation where a player has no legal move but their king is not in check. It is not checkmate but a draw.
The short version
- The aim of the game is to checkmate your opponent's king.
- White moves first, and the players alternate moves.
- Every piece has its own way of moving; the knight is the only one that jumps over others.
- There are three special moves: castling, en passant and pawn promotion.
- A game can end not only in a win but in a draw - by stalemate, for instance.
