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Rules of chess

A quick reference for every game.

Setting up

  • Light square in each player's bottom-right corner.
  • The queen starts on her own color.
  • White moves first, then turns alternate.

The goal

Win by checkmate: put the enemy king under attack so that it has no legal way to escape.

You may never make a move that leaves your own king in check.

A little history

Chess likely grew from chaturanga, played in India around the 6th century AD. It spread through Persia and the Arab world to Europe, and the modern rules (a powerful queen and long-range bishop) were largely in place by about 1500.

King not valued

One square in any direction. Never into check. Special move: castling.

Queen 9 points

Any distance along ranks, files, or diagonals. The most powerful piece.

Rook 5 points

Any distance straight along a rank or file. Takes part in castling.

Bishop 3 points

Any distance diagonally, so it always stays on one color.

Knight 3 points

An L: two squares one way, then one square sideways. The only piece that jumps over others, and it captures where it lands.

Pawn 1 point

Forward one square, or two on its first move. Captures one square diagonally forward. Never moves backward.

Pawn promotion

A pawn reaching the far rank must become a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of your color. It cannot stay a pawn or become a king. You can have more than one queen.

En passant

If an enemy pawn moves two squares and lands beside your pawn, you may capture it as if it had moved only one square. This is allowed only on the very next move.

Check and checkmate

Check: your king is attacked. You must escape by moving the king, blocking, or capturing the attacker.

Checkmate: no escape exists. The game is over.

Castling

  • The king moves two squares toward a rook, and that rook hops to the square the king crossed.
  • Neither piece has moved yet, and no pieces stand between them.
  • The king may not castle out of, through, or into check.
  • Allowed on either side: kingside or queenside.

Draws

  • Agreement: both players can agree to a draw. On LinkChess, either player offers a draw on the game page. If the other accepts, the game is a draw immediately. If they decline, play continues. If there is no answer for 7 days, the game is a draw.
  • Stalemate: the player to move is not in check but has no legal move.
  • Threefold repetition: the same position occurs three times, with the same player to move.
  • Fifty-move rule: 50 moves by each side with no capture and no pawn move.
  • Insufficient material: neither side can possibly mate (for example, king versus king).

Moving on LinkChess

  • Easiest: click a piece, then click its destination square. The notation fills in automatically. Then submit.
  • Or type the move yourself: Nf3, e5.
  • Resign: on your turn, Resign asks you to confirm. Confirming ends the game immediately as a win for the opponent. Elo ratings starting at 1200 change for both players. Your opponent is emailed, with the result, their new rating, and a link to their board.
  • Castle by typing O-O (kingside) or O-O-O (queenside). Zeros work too: 0-0 and 0-0-0.
  • Promote with e8=Q, e8=R, e8=B, or e8=N. The piece letter is a capital. Typing e8 or e8Q promotes to a queen.