Chess

What is Chess?

Chess is the most famous strategy game in the world: two armies of sixteen pieces face each other on a board of 64 squares, and whoever checkmates the opposing king wins. All the real rules are here, including castling, en passant and pawn promotion. Play White against the computer on two levels, or challenge a friend on the same phone or computer.

How to play

• Tap one of your pieces to see where it can move (the dots on the board), then tap the destination square.
• Each piece moves in its own way: the pawn moves forward one square (two on its first move) and captures diagonally, the knight jumps in an L, the bishop moves diagonally, the rook horizontally and vertically, the queen in every direction, the king one square.
• Castling, en passant and promotion are included: when a pawn reaches the far side, choose which piece it becomes.
• Checkmate wins: the opposing king is under attack and can't escape. If the player to move has no moves and isn't in check it's a draw (stalemate); it's also a draw after 50 moves with no captures or pawn moves, when the same position repeats three times, or when there aren't enough pieces left to checkmate.
• Against the computer you play White and choose the level (Easy or Medium). Points: win 100 plus a bonus for winning in few moves (+50 at Medium level), draw 40 (60 at Medium level). During the game the counter shows the value of the pieces you've captured.
• With two players you take turns on the same screen: White moves first. The “Undo move” button goes back one move (against the computer, one of your moves and one of its moves).

Tips

• Early on, bring your central pawns and knights towards the centre, then castle to keep your king safe.
• Before every move, check which enemy pieces are attacking yours.
• Don't bring your queen out too early: enemy pieces can chase it and make you lose time.

Frequently asked questions

Is Chess free?

Yes: Chess is free and you can play it right away in your browser, with nothing to download and no sign-up.

Can I play Chess on my phone?

Yes: Chess works on phones, tablets and computers, with your finger, the mouse or the keyboard.

Can two people play Chess?

Yes: choose “2 players” at the start and take turns on the same screen.

How do you play Chess?

Tap one of your pieces to see where it can move (the dots on the board), then tap the destination square. Each piece moves in its own way: the pawn moves forward one square (two on its first move) and captures diagonally, the knight jumps in an L, the bishop moves diagonally, the rook horizontally and vertically, the queen in every direction, the king one square. Castling, en passant and promotion are included: when a pawn reaches the far side, choose which piece it becomes. Checkmate wins: the opposing king is under attack and can't escape. If the player to move has no moves and isn't in check it's a draw (stalemate); it's also a draw after 50 moves with no captures or pawn moves, when the same position repeats three times, or when there aren't enough pieces left to checkmate. Against the computer you play White and choose the level (Easy or Medium). Points: win 100 plus a bonus for winning in few moves (+50 at Medium level), draw 40 (60 at Medium level). During the game the counter shows the value of the pieces you've captured. With two players you take turns on the same screen: White moves first. The “Undo move” button goes back one move (against the computer, one of your moves and one of its moves).

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