Chess

Rules and controls

White starts. Select a piece to see legal moves; you cannot leave your king in check. Checkmate wins. Castling, en passant and promotion to queen, rook, bishop or knight are supported. Stalemate, insufficient material, threefold repetition and the 50-move rule end automatically in a draw in this friendly, untimed version.

Controls

Select a piece, then click or tap a highlighted legal destination. For promotion, choose a queen, rook, bishop or knight. Change the mode and computer difficulty in the game settings. Send the link to a friend. Opening it joins the game immediately, with no form to fill in.

Beginner strategy

Pawns move forward but capture diagonally; knights jump in an L; bishops move diagonally, rooks straight, queens both, and kings one square. Develop knights and bishops, contest the center and keep your king safe. Before a move, look for checks, captures and undefended pieces on both sides. Castling needs clear squares and cannot cross check; en passant is available only immediately after the relevant two-square pawn move.