Chess

How to play

Checkmate the opposing king; stalemate, dead material, valid repetition or fifty-move claims, fivefold repetition, and seventy-five moves without a pawn move or capture end in a draw.

• White and Black begin with the standard eight-by-eight FIDE arrangement: pieces on their back ranks, eight pawns in front, White to move, and both sides initially retaining castling rights.
• Move each piece by its orthodox pattern without leaving your own king in check. Castling also requires an unmoved king and rook, empty transit squares, and no attack on the king's start, transit, or destination. Pawns may promote to queen, rook, bishop, or knight and may capture en passant only on the immediate reply.
• Checkmate the opposing king; stalemate, dead material, valid repetition or fifty-move claims, fivefold repetition, and seventy-five moves without a pawn move or capture end in a draw.

Strategy tips

• Develop minor pieces toward active squares, contest the center, castle before opening lines around your king, and compare every forcing check, capture, and threat before choosing a quieter plan.
• A move that attacks valuable material is still illegal when it exposes your own king, and castling cannot be used to move out of, through, or into an attacked square.
• Activate the king once major threats diminish, create passed pawns with a clear promotion route, and count opposition, repetition, and the halfmove clock before simplifying material.