Chess basics in 5 minutes

Never played before? Read this once, then start Level 1. Every rule you need is here, with pictures.

1. The goal
2. The board
3. How the pieces move
4. Special moves
5. Check, checkmate, stalemate
6. How a game ends
7. Writing moves down
8. Five beginner tips
9. Chess words (glossary)

1. The goal

Two players, White and Black, take turns to move one piece. White always moves first. You win by checkmating the enemy king: attacking it so that it has no way to escape. Kings are never actually captured.

2. The board

• The board has 64 squares in 8 files (columns a–h) and 8 ranks (rows 1–8). Every square has a name, like e4.
• Place the board so each player has a light square in the bottom-right corner (“light on right”).
• The queen starts on her own colour: White queen on the light square d1, Black queen on the dark square d8.

3. How the pieces move

Dots show where the piece can go; a red ring means it can capture. Pieces capture by moving onto an enemy piece's square. Only the knight can jump over other pieces.

Piece values (a rough guide for trades):

♟ Pawn 1♞ Knight 3♝ Bishop 3♜ Rook 5♛ Queen 9♚ King: priceless

4. Special moves

5. Check, checkmate, stalemate

6. How a game ends

• Win: by checkmate, if the opponent resigns, or if their clock runs out.
• Draw: stalemate; agreement; the same position three times (threefold repetition); 50 moves each with no capture and no pawn move; or too few pieces left for anyone to checkmate (for example king against king).

7. Writing moves down

Each move is written with the piece letter (K king, Q queen, R rook, B bishop, N knight; pawns have no letter) and the square it moves to: Nf3, e4. Add x for a capture (Bxe5, exd6), + for check and # for checkmate. Full table on How to play.

8. Five beginner tips

1. Control the centre (d4, e4, d5, e5) with pawns and pieces.
2. Develop: bring knights and bishops out early, and don't move the same piece twice without a reason.
3. Castle early to keep your king safe.
4. Before every move, ask: what is my opponent threatening? Is any of my pieces undefended?
5. Count before you trade: use the piece values above.

9. Chess words (glossary)

All the words used in Level 1, from basic to advanced. You don't need them all to start: the basic ones are enough for your first games.

Basic words (33)

Attack

A threat to capture a piece on the next move.

Back rank

The first rank for White or the eighth rank for Black, where the pieces start.

Bishop

A piece that moves any number of squares diagonally and stays on one square colour.

Capture

Removing an opponent's piece by moving onto its square.

Castling

A special move where the king moves two squares towards a rook and the rook jumps over it.

Centre

The four squares d4, e4, d5 and e5 in the middle of the board.

Check

When a king is directly attacked and must get out of the attack on the next move.

Checkmate

When a king is in check and has no legal way to escape; the game ends.

Chess clock

A double clock that measures each player's thinking time.

Defend

To protect a piece so that if it is captured, it can be captured back.

Diagonal

A slanting line of squares of the same colour.

Draw

A game that ends with no winner.

File

A vertical column of squares, lettered a to h.

Illegal move

A move that breaks the rules, such as leaving your own king in check.

King

The most important piece; it moves one square in any direction and must never be captured.

Kingside castling

Castling with the rook on the h-file, written O-O.

Knight

A piece that moves in an L-shape and can jump over other pieces.

Major piece

A rook or a queen.

Material

The pieces and pawns a player has, counted by their value.

Minor piece

A bishop or a knight.

Notation

The system for writing down moves, such as Nf3 or e4.

Pawn

The smallest unit; it moves forward one square (two from its start) and captures diagonally.

Promotion

When a pawn reaches the far rank and becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight.

Queen

The most powerful piece; it moves any number of squares along ranks, files and diagonals.

Queenside castling

Castling with the rook on the a-file, written O-O-O.

Rank

A horizontal row of squares, numbered 1 to 8.

Resign

To give up the game, conceding the win to the opponent.

Rook

A piece that moves any number of squares along ranks and files.

Square

One of the 64 cells of the board, named by its file letter and rank number.

Stalemate

When the player to move has no legal moves and is not in check; the game is a draw.

Starting position

The arrangement of all 32 pieces before the first move.

Touch-move

The rule that if you deliberately touch one of your pieces, you must move it.

White

The side that always makes the first move.

Intermediate words (34)

Back-rank mate

Checkmate by a rook or queen on the first or last rank when the king is boxed in by its own pawns.

Blunder

A very bad mistake that loses material or the game.

Decoy

Luring an enemy piece onto a bad square, often with a sacrifice.

Deflection

Forcing an enemy piece away from a square or duty it was guarding.

Development

Bringing pieces out from their starting squares to active positions.

Discovered attack

Moving one piece to uncover an attack by another piece behind it.

Discovered check

Check given by a piece that was uncovered when another piece moved out of its way.

Double check

Check given by two pieces at once; only a king move can escape it.

En passant

A special pawn capture of a pawn that has just moved two squares, taking it as if it had moved one.

Endgame

The final phase of the game, when few pieces remain.

Exchange

Trading pieces, usually of similar value.

Fifty-move rule

A draw can be claimed after 50 moves by each side with no capture and no pawn move.

Fork

A single piece attacking two or more enemy pieces at the same time.

Half-open file

A file with pawns of only one colour on it.

Hanging piece

A piece that is attacked and not defended.

Initiative

The ability to keep making threats that the opponent must answer.

Insufficient material

A draw because neither side has enough pieces left to give checkmate.

Luft

A pawn move that gives the king an escape square, avoiding back-rank mate.

Middlegame

The phase after the opening, with most pieces still on the board.

Open file

A file with no pawns on it.

Opening

The first phase of the game, when pieces are developed.

Opening trap

A tricky opening line that tempts the opponent into a losing mistake.

Outpost

A square that enemy pawns can no longer attack, ideal for a knight.

Passed pawn

A pawn with no enemy pawns in front of it on its own or neighbouring files.

Pawn structure

The arrangement of all the pawns on the board.

Perpetual check

An endless series of checks that the opponent cannot escape, leading to a draw.

Pin

An attack on a piece that cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece (or the king) behind it.

Removing the defender

Capturing or driving away a piece that protects something important.

Sacrifice

Giving up material on purpose to gain an advantage.

Skewer

An attack on a valuable piece that, when it moves, exposes a less valuable piece behind it.

Smothered mate

Checkmate by a knight when the king is surrounded by its own pieces.

Strategy

Long-term planning based on the features of the position.

Tactic

A short forcing sequence of moves that wins material or gives mate.

Time control

The amount of time each player has for the whole game.

Advanced words (29)

Backward pawn

A pawn behind its neighbours that cannot safely advance and cannot be protected by pawns.

Battery

Two pieces lined up on the same line, such as a queen and bishop on one diagonal.

Bishop pair

Having both bishops while the opponent does not.

Blockade

Placing a piece directly in front of an enemy passed pawn to stop it.

Clearance

Moving a piece out of the way to free a line or square for another piece.

Desperado

A piece that is lost anyway and sells itself as dearly as possible.

Doubled pawns

Two pawns of the same colour on the same file.

Exchange sacrifice

Giving up a rook for a bishop or a knight.

Fianchetto

Developing a bishop to b2, g2, b7 or g7, onto a long diagonal.

Gambit

An opening where a player sacrifices material, usually a pawn, for faster development or attack.

Interference

Placing a piece between an enemy piece and the square it defends.

Isolated pawn

A pawn with no friendly pawns on the neighbouring files.

Lucena position

A key rook endgame that the side with the extra pawn wins by building a bridge.

Minority attack

Advancing fewer pawns against the opponent's pawn majority to create weaknesses.

Opposite-coloured bishops

Each side has one bishop and they move on different square colours; often drawish.

Opposition

In king endgames, kings facing each other with one square between; the side not to move is worse off.

Overloading

Giving one defending piece more duties than it can handle.

Pawn chain

A diagonal line of pawns, each protecting the one in front.

Philidor position

A key rook endgame defence where the defending rook holds the third rank.

Prophylaxis

A move that prevents the opponent's plan before it happens.

Rook lift

Moving a rook up the board so it can swing across to join an attack.

Tempo

A single move thought of as a unit of time; gaining one means getting ahead in development.

Threefold repetition

A draw that can be claimed when the same position occurs three times.

Triangulation

A three-move king manoeuvre that loses a tempo to put the opponent in zugzwang.

Underpromotion

Promoting a pawn to a rook, bishop or knight instead of a queen.

Windmill

A series of discovered checks that wins material again and again.

X-ray

An attack or defence through an enemy piece along a line.

Zugzwang

A position where any move the player makes will worsen their position.

Zwischenzug

An unexpected in-between move played before the expected reply.

Ready? Start Level 1  Questions are short, you get an explanation after each one, and wrong answers come back as retries.