THE RULES

Objective

The goal of chess is to checkmate your opponent's king. Checkmate happens when the king is in a position to be captured (in "check") and there is no way to move the king out of capture.

The Chessboard

• The chessboard has 64 squares, alternating between light and dark colors, arranged in an 8x8 grid.

• Each square has a unique coordinate from a1 to h8.

The Pieces and Their Movements

Each player starts with 16 pieces: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights, and 8 pawns.

1. King: Moves one square in any direction (up, down, left, right, or diagonally). The king can never move into a position where it could be captured (into check).

2. Queen: Moves any number of squares in any direction (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally).

3. Rook: Moves any number of squares vertically or horizontally.

4. Bishop: Moves any number of squares diagonally.

5. Knight: Moves in an L-shape: two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicular. Knights can jump over other pieces.

6. Pawn: Moves forward one square. On its first move, a pawn can move forward two squares. Pawns capture diagonally, one square forward.

See here for more details.

Special Moves

1. Castling: A move involving the king and a rook. The king moves two squares towards a rook, and the rook moves to the square next to the king. Conditions: neither piece has moved before, no pieces between them, the king is not in check, and the squares the king moves through are not under attack.

2. En Passant: A special pawn capture. If a pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position and lands beside an opponent’s pawn, the opponent can capture it as if it had moved one square. This must be done immediately on the next move.

3. Pawn Promotion: When a pawn reaches the opposite side of the board, it can be promoted to any other piece (except a king), usually a queen.

Check and Checkmate

• Check: When a king is under threat of capture, it is in check. The player must make a move to get out of check.

• Checkmate: When a king is in check and cannot escape, it is checkmate, and the game is over.

Other Important Rules

1. Stalemate: If a player has no legal moves and their king is not in check, the game is a draw.

2. Draw by Agreement: Players can agree to a draw at any time.

3. Draw by Repetition: If the same position occurs three times with the same player to move, either player can claim a draw.

4. 50-Move Rule: If 50 moves are made by each player without any pawn movement or capture, either player can claim a draw.

Starting the Game

• White always moves first, and players alternate turns.

• The game begins with all the pieces in their starting positions on the first two rows of each side.

Basic Strategy

• Control the center of the board with your pawns and pieces.

• Develop your knights and bishops early to active squares.

• Ensure the safety of your king, typically by castling.

• Coordinate your pieces to work together in attacking and defending.

Understanding these basic rules will help you start playing chess and enjoying the depth and excitement of this classic game.