Setting up
- The board goes with a light square in each player's bottom-right corner.
- Back row, left to right from White's side: rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook. The queen starts on her own colour.
- All eight pawns go on the row in front. White moves first.
How the pieces move
| Piece | Moves |
|---|---|
| King | One square in any direction. It can never move into check. |
| Queen | Any number of squares in a straight line or diagonal. |
| Rook | Any number of squares up, down, left or right. |
| Bishop | Any number of squares diagonally. It stays on its own colour. |
| Knight | An L shape: two squares one way, then one to the side. It is the only piece that jumps over others. |
| Pawn | One square forward (two on its first move). It captures one square diagonally forward. |
Pieces capture by moving onto an enemy piece's square. Only the knight can jump; every other piece is blocked by pieces in its way.
Special moves
- Castling: the king moves two squares toward a rook, and that rook jumps to the square the king crossed. Neither piece may have moved before, the squares between must be empty, and the king can't be in check, pass through check or land in check.
- En passant: if a pawn moves two squares and lands right beside your pawn, you may capture it as if it had moved only one square. You must do it on the very next move.
- Promotion: a pawn that reaches the far row becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight (almost always a queen).
Check, checkmate and draws
- Check: the king is attacked. You must get out of check at once by moving the king, blocking or capturing the attacker.
- Checkmate: the king is in check and there is no way out. The game is over.
- Stalemate: the player to move has no legal move but is not in check. It is a draw.
- Other draws: the same position three times, 50 moves each with no capture or pawn move, or not enough pieces left to checkmate.
Beginner tips
- Control the centre with your pawns and pieces early.
- Bring out knights and bishops before moving the queen much, and castle early to keep your king safe.
- Before every move, check what your opponent's last move attacks.
- Practise against the lower bot levels, and use hints and undo while you learn.
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