Chess
The classic game of kings and queens, right in your browser. Take on our built-in computer at Easy, Medium or Hard, pass the device to a friend, or warm up with short checkmate puzzles.
How to play Chess
- White moves first, then players alternate. Click or tap a piece to see where it can go, then tap a highlighted square — or simply drag the piece there.
- Pawns move one square forward (two on their first move) and capture diagonally. Knights jump in an L shape; bishops slide diagonally, rooks in straight lines, and the queen does both. The king steps one square in any direction.
- Castling: if neither your king nor that rook has moved, the squares between them are empty, and your king is not in check or passing through an attacked square, move the king two squares toward the rook; the rook hops over to the other side.
- En passant: when an enemy pawn advances two squares and lands beside your pawn, you may capture it as if it had moved only one — but only on the very next move.
- Promotion: a pawn reaching the far rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight of your choice.
- Put the enemy king in check with no way out (checkmate) to win. The game is drawn by stalemate (no legal move but not in check), by the same position appearing three times, after 50 moves each without a capture or pawn move, or when neither side has enough pieces left to force mate.
Controls
- Tap a piece, then tap a destination — or drag and drop.
- Undo takes back your last move (and the computer’s reply). Flip turns the board around.
- Copy PGN copies the game in standard notation so you can paste it into any chess analysis tool.
- Choose Puzzles in the opponent menu for mate-in-1 and mate-in-2 challenges.
Tips
- In the opening, bring your knights and bishops out, fight for the center and castle early.
- Before every move, ask: what is my opponent threatening? Many games are lost to a single unguarded piece.
- Rooks love open files and the seventh rank. Connect them by clearing the pieces between.
- Ahead in material? Trade pieces (not pawns) to make your advantage count in the endgame.
FAQ
How strong is the computer?
Easy makes casual, sometimes careless moves and suits beginners. Medium plays solid tactics. Hard thinks for about a second per move and will punish loose pieces — a good challenge for club-level players.
Why can’t I move my piece?
Your king may be in check, or the move would expose it to check. Only legal moves are highlighted; turn hints on to see them.
Is my game saved?
Yes. Your current game is saved on this device automatically, so you can close the tab and continue later.
How do you set up a chess board?
Turn the board so each player has a light square in the right-hand corner. Put the rooks in the corners, the knights next to them and then the bishops. The queen goes on the square of her own color (white on d1, black on d8) and the king takes the last square. Fill the next row with eight pawns.
What are the best chess openings for beginners?
Pick openings that follow the basic principles rather than memorizing long lines. With White, 1.e4 followed by quick knight and bishop moves (the Italian Game: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) or 1.d4 with an early Bf4 work well. With Black, answer 1.e4 with 1...e5 and 1.d4 with 1...d5, then develop and castle.
What is a good chess strategy for beginners?
Control the center, develop every knight and bishop before moving a piece twice, castle early and check what your opponent threatens before each move. Against our computer, start on Easy and use hints and undo to see better moves.