The Rules of Chess

Starting the Game

In chess, players take turns making moves, the ultimate object of which is to arrive at a situation where one player will checkmate the other. The Kings, Queens, Bishops, Knights, Rooks, and Pawns all have their own rules of movement and are able to move and capture in different ways. The game moves through three main phases; the opening, the midgame, and the endgame.

Starting Positions White square in lower-right corner. Queens on their own color. White always goes first.

The opening is basically a race to grab up board space, especially in the center of the board, as well as developing pieces and protecting the king. The midgame is the dynamic struggle where players contest for material and positional advantages which will translate into either an early checkmate or a winning endgame, the endgame is the last stage of the game when few pieces are left and checkmates are an everpresent threat.

The Object of the Game

The object of the game is to put your opponent's king into checkmate. This means that you have at least one piece which is threatening capture, and that your opponent can do nothing to prevent it. The king is never actually captured, but the fact that the king is checkmated ends the game. Games can also end in [draws], which can occur for various reasons.

Checkmate

In this example, white's rook has the black king in checkmate. The king is in "check" because the rook is threatening attack. It is "checkmate" because: The king has no moves which will allow it to escape (because of the white bishop), Black has nothing which can block the rook's attack, and Because black cannot capture the rook.

Please choose a section to continue:

• Movement Rules
  • Visualizing Knight Moves
  • Special Moves - En Passant and Castling
• Piece Exchange Values
• Draws
• Using Chess Clocks
• Chess Etiquette
• Chess Notation
• FIDE's Official "Laws of Chess" from http://www.fide.com.