Chess Tutorial

This tutorial will guide you through the basics of chess, from setting up the board to making your first moves.

Setting up the Board

The chessboard is an 8x8 grid of alternating light and dark squares. The board should be oriented so that each player has a light-colored square on their bottom-right corner.

Starting Position

Each player starts with 16 pieces:

  • 1 King
  • 1 Queen
  • 2 Rooks
  • 2 Bishops
  • 2 Knights
  • 8 Pawns

The pieces are set up on the two ranks closest to each player. The second rank is filled with pawns. The first rank is arranged as follows, from left to right: Rook, Knight, Bishop, Queen, King, Bishop, Knight, Rook. The queen always starts on a square of her own color.

How the Pieces Move

Each type of piece moves in a different way. You can learn about the specific moves of each piece in our Chess Pieces section.

The Objective of the Game

The goal of chess is to checkmate your opponent's king. This happens when the king is in a position to be captured (in "check") and cannot escape capture.

Basic Rules

  • Players take turns moving one piece at a time.
  • White always moves first.
  • A piece can capture an opponent's piece by moving to the square it occupies. The captured piece is removed from the board.
  • If a player's king is in check, they must make a move to get the king out of check.

Special Moves

Castling

Castling is a special move that involves the king and one of the rooks. It allows the player to move the king two squares towards a rook, and then place the rook on the square the king crossed over. Castling can only be done if:

  • Neither the king nor the rook has moved yet.
  • There are no pieces between the king and the rook.
  • The king is not in check and does not pass through or land on a square that is under attack.

En Passant

En passant is a special pawn capture that can only occur immediately after a pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position, and an enemy pawn could have captured it had it moved only one square forward.

Pawn Promotion

If a pawn reaches the opposite side of the board, it can be promoted to any other piece (except a king). This is a powerful way to gain an advantage.

Ending the Game

A game of chess can end in several ways:

  • Checkmate: One player checkmates the other player's king.
  • Stalemate: One player is not in check but has no legal moves. The game is a draw.
  • Resignation: A player can resign if they believe they cannot win.
  • Draw: Players can agree to a draw. A draw can also occur in other situations, such as threefold repetition or the 50-move rule.