How to Play Chess
Chess is a two-player strategy game played on a board, where each player controls 16 pieces of 6 different types. Each type of piece has its own unique movement. The goal of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king, which happens when the king is under attack and cannot escape capture. A game may also end in other ways, such as when a player resigns, or through various forms of a draw.
Initial Setup
Chess is played on a square board divided into 64 squares arranged in an 8x8 grid, with alternating colors. The squares are referred to as "light" or "white" for the lighter ones, and "dark" or "black" for the darker ones. Each player starts with 16 pieces—16 "white" and 16 "black"—placed on the board. The board is positioned so that a white square is in the near-right corner of each player’s side. The horizontal rows are known as ranks, while the vertical columns are called files. At the start of the game, the pieces are set up as follows:
Pawns: Place all 8 pawns on the second row (for white) and the seventh row (for black).
Rooks: Place the rooks on the corners of the board—at a1 and h1 for white, and a8 and h8 for black.
Knights: Place the knights next to the rooks—at b1 and g1 for white, and b8 and g8 for black.
Bishops: Place the bishops next to the knights—at c1 and f1 for white, and c8 and f8 for black.
Queens: The queens go on the remaining squares of the back row. The white queen is placed on d1 (the white square), and the black queen goes on d8 (the black square).
Kings: Finally, the kings are placed on the remaining squares in the center—e1 for white and e8 for black.
White and Black
The player with the white pieces is called "White," while the player with the black pieces is called "Black." White always takes the first move, and then the players alternate turns. Every turn must involve a move; it's illegal to skip a move, even if doing so would be harmful to oneself. The game ends when a player's king is checkmated, when a player resigns, or when a draw is declared, as described below.
A random method like flipping a coin can be used to determine who's white. One popular approach is for one player to hide a white and a black pawn in their hands, and the other player chooses a hand to reveal, thus determining which color they will play.
Basic Moves
Each chess piece has its own unique way of moving. In general, a piece can move to any unoccupied square, unless it is capturing an opponent’s piece.
With the exception of the knight’s move and castling, pieces cannot jump over others. A piece is captured when an opponent’s piece lands on the square it occupies, removing it from the game permanently. The king can be put in check, but it is never captured.
Pawns: The pawn moves one square forward if that square is vacant. If it’s the pawn’s first move, it has the option to move two squares forward, provided both squares are unoccupied. Pawns cannot move backward. Pawns capture differently from how they move. They can capture an enemy piece diagonally, on either of the two squares in front of them. Pawns cannot move to these squares unless capturing, or in the case of the special "en passant" capture. Additionally, pawns can be involved in special moves like en passant and promotion.
Rooks: Moves any number of vacant squares along a rank or file, horizontally or vertically. The rook also participates in castling.
Knights: Moves in an "L" shape: two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicular, or one square in one direction and two squares perpendicular. Knights are unique in that they can jump over other pieces and are not blocked by them.
Bishops: Moves diagonally across any number of vacant squares, but is restricted to either light or dark squares, depending on its starting position.
Queens: Combines the abilities of the rook and bishop, moving any number of squares in any direction—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
Kings: Moves one square in any direction. It can also perform castling, a special move that can only occur once per player during the game.
Castling
Castling is a special move where the king moves two squares toward a rook, and then the rook is placed on the square immediately next to the king, on the opposite side. However, castling is only allowed if the following conditions are met:
- Neither the king nor the rook involved in castling has previously moved.
- There are no pieces between the king and the rook.
- The king is not currently in check, nor can it pass through or land on a square that is attacked by an opposing piece (though the rook may be under attack or pass through an attacked square).
- The rook and king must be on the same rank.
When both the king and a rook have not moved and are on the same rank, they are said to have "castling rights."
En Passant
When a pawn moves two squares forward on its first move and lands next to an opposing pawn on the same rank, the enemy pawn can capture it en passant, as though the pawn had only moved one square. This capture must be made immediately after the pawn's advance. For example, if a white pawn moves from a2 to a4, and a black pawn is on b4, the black pawn can capture the white pawn en passant by moving from b4 to a3, and the white pawn on a4 is then removed from the board.
Promotion
When a pawn reaches the eighth rank, it is promoted to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of the player's choice. The promotion is not limited to previously captured pieces, meaning a player could theoretically have up to nine queens or up to ten rooks, bishops, or knights if all their pawns are promoted.
Check
A king is in check when it is under attack by at least one opposing piece. Even if a piece is unable to move because doing so would place its own king in check (a situation known as being "pinned" against the king), it can still deliver check to the opponent. It is illegal to make a move that places or leaves your king in check. To get out of check, a player can:
- Move the king to a square where it is not under attack.
- Capture the piece delivering the check.
- Place a piece between the king and the threatening piece to block the check.
In casual games, it is common to say "check" when putting the opponent's king in check.
Checkmate
When a player's king is placed in check and there are no legal moves available to escape the check, the game ends with that player's king being checkmated, resulting in a loss. Unlike other pieces, the king is never actually captured.
Resignation
A player may choose to resign at any point in the game, conceding victory to the opponent. Resignation can be signified verbally by saying "I resign." If a player resigns even though the opponent cannot win, there is an argument to be had that it is a draw.
Draw
The game results in a draw under the following conditions:
- The player to move is not in check and has no legal moves available, resulting in a situation called stalemate.
- The game reaches a dead position, where neither player can win.
- Both players agree to a draw after one player offers it.
- One side claims a draw due to 50 moves being played without any capture or pawn move.
- The same position appears three times, or twice with the player claiming the draw being able to force a third appearance.
Dead Position
A dead position refers to a scenario where neither player can checkmate the opponent's king, regardless of the sequence of legal moves. Once a dead position arises, the game is immediately declared a draw. Certain endgame situations are always considered dead positions, including:
- King vs King
- King vs King and Bishop
- King vs King and Knights
Additionally, blocked positions, where neither side can make progress, are a draw.
About PvP Chess Online
A clean, fast, and distraction-free environment for the Game of Kings.
Our Mission
At PvP Chess Online, we believe that chess should be accessible to everyone, everywhere. Our goal is to provide a seamless, browser-based experience that requires no downloads, no accounts, and no complex setups. Whether you are a Grandmaster or just learning how the knight moves, our platform is built for your growth and enjoyment.
How It Works
Built using modern web standards (HTML5, CSS3, and Vanilla JavaScript), our "Local PvP" experience is perfect for:
Analyzing Games
Test opening theories or mid-game tactics on a digital board.
In-Person Play
Play against a friend on a single shared device (tablet, laptop, or touchscreen).
Educational Use
A lightweight tool for teachers and coaches to demonstrate moves in a classroom.
Key Features
- Full Rule Implementation: Includes En Passant, Castling, Pawn Promotion, and Threefold Repetition.
- Responsive Design: Optimized for all screen sizes, from mobile to desktop.
- Lightweight Performance: No heavy libraries or trackers; loads instantly on any hardware.
About the Developer
PvP Chess Online is a project by Droptool.org. We specialize in high-quality web utilities and interactive tools that solve simple problems with elegant code.