How to Play Chess: Rules, Pieces and Tips for Beginners
Chess is easier to start than most people think. There are only six types of piece, and you can learn how they move in a few minutes. Getting good takes much longer, but you can enjoy a real game on your first day. This guide covers everything you need to play, plus a few habits that will win you your first games.
The aim of the game
Two players each command an army of 16 pieces on a board of 64 squares. You win by checkmating your opponent's king, which means attacking it so that it has no way to escape. You never actually capture the king. The game ends as soon as it is trapped.
How each piece moves
| Piece | How it moves | Rough value |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn | One square forward, or two on its first move. Captures one square diagonally forward. | 1 |
| Knight | In an L shape: two squares one way, then one to the side. It can jump over pieces. | 3 |
| Bishop | Any distance diagonally. | 3 |
| Rook | Any distance along a row or column. | 5 |
| Queen | Any distance in any straight line. | 9 |
| King | One square in any direction. | Priceless |
The values are a guide for trades. If you give up a bishop to win a rook, you usually come out ahead.
Check, checkmate and stalemate
When a king is under attack, it is in check. The player must respond straight away by moving the king, blocking the attack, or capturing the attacking piece.
Checkmate is check with no escape, and it ends the game. Stalemate is different: a player who is not in check has no legal move, and the game is a draw. Beginners often throw away a winning position this way, so check that your opponent still has a move when you are far ahead.
Three special moves
Castling
The king moves two squares toward a rook, and the rook jumps to its other side. It is the only time two pieces move together. You can castle only if neither piece has moved, the squares between them are empty, and the king is not in check and does not pass through or land on an attacked square.
Promotion
A pawn that reaches the far side of the board becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight. Most players choose a queen.
En passant
If a pawn moves two squares and lands beside an enemy pawn, that enemy pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square. This must be done on the very next move, or the chance is gone.
Five habits that win games
- Control the centre. Start with a pawn in the middle of the board. Pieces there reach more squares.
- Develop your pieces. Bring out your knights and bishops before moving the same piece twice.
- Castle early. It protects your king and brings a rook into play.
- Look at every move your opponent makes. Ask what it attacks and why it was played.
- Check before you move. Make sure your chosen square is safe. Most beginner games are decided by a piece left undefended.
The four-move trap to know
Many beginners lose to Scholar's Mate, a quick attack on the weak square next to your king by a queen and a bishop. If your opponent brings their queen out early, watch that square, and defend it with a pawn or a knight. Then look for a chance to attack the queen and gain time.
What to do next
Play against the computer on an easy level until the moves feel natural. After each game, look at the moment when things went wrong. You will improve faster by understanding one mistake than by rushing through ten more games.
