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Chess rules: castling, en passant, promotion and draws
The basic moves take minutes to learn. This guide covers the rules people argue about: the special moves, how a game ends, and the ways it can be drawn. It follows the FIDE Laws of Chess, the rules used in international play.
Castling
Castling is the only move that shifts two pieces at once. The king moves two squares toward a rook, and that rook jumps over to the square the king crossed. Castling towards the h-file rook is called kingside (written O-O); towards the a-file rook is queenside (O-O-O). It is allowed only if:
- neither the king nor that rook has moved before (castling rights are lost for good once they do);
- every square between the king and the rook is empty;
- the king is not in check, does not pass through an attacked square, and does not land on one.
The rook itself may be attacked, and on the queenside the square next to the rook (b1 or b8) may be attacked too. Under the FIDE Laws castling is lost permanently if the king or the rook has moved, and prevented for the moment if the squares involved are attacked or occupied.
En passant
If a pawn advances two squares from its starting row and lands directly beside an enemy pawn, that enemy pawn may capture it as if it had only moved one square. The capturing pawn moves diagonally to the square the other pawn skipped over. The right lasts for one move only: if you do not take at once, you cannot take later. The name is French for "in passing".
Promotion
A pawn that reaches the farthest row must be exchanged, in the same move, for a queen, rook, bishop or knight of its own colour. It is not limited to pieces you have lost, so you can have two or more queens. Choosing a knight or another piece instead of a queen is called underpromotion, and is occasionally the only winning move (or the only way to avoid stalemate).
Check and checkmate
A king under attack is in check. A move that leaves your own king in check is illegal, so if you are in check you must capture the attacker, block it (not possible against a knight), or move the king. If no legal answer exists, it is checkmate and the game ends at once. Players do not need to say "check" aloud.
Stalemate
If it is your turn, you are not in check, and you have no legal move, the game is a stalemate and is a draw. It is the most common way a winning side throws away a point: always leave the opponent's king a square to move to, or give check, before you deliver the last blow.
Ways a game is drawn
- Agreement: one player offers, the other accepts.
- Stalemate, as above.
- Threefold repetition: if the same position appears three times (same pieces, same player to move, same possible moves, including castling and en passant rights), the player on move can claim a draw. At five times the draw is automatic.
- The 50-move rule: a draw can be claimed after 50 moves by each side with no pawn move and no capture. After 75 moves by each side the game is drawn automatically.
- Dead position: if no series of legal moves could ever produce checkmate, such as king against king, or king and a single minor piece against a king, the game is drawn.
Online servers apply these rules for you, usually drawing automatically on fivefold repetition and insufficient material.
Touch-move and the clock
In over-the-board play, if you touch one of your own pieces you must move it (if it can legally move), and if you touch an enemy piece you must capture it (if you can). To straighten a piece you must first say "I adjust" (or j'adoube). A move is complete when you take your hand off the piece on its new square. On a clock, a player whose time runs out loses, unless the opponent cannot possibly checkmate, in which case the game is a draw. See time controls.
Resigning
A player may resign at any time, which counts as a loss. Strong players resign when the position is clearly lost rather than play to checkmate; in friendly games, play on if you enjoy it.
Common questions at the board
- Can a king capture? Yes, any undefended piece next to it, as long as the square it lands on is not attacked.
- Can two kings stand next to each other? Never, because each would attack the other.
- Can pawns move backwards? No.
- Can you castle out of check? No. You must first deal with the check, and if you move the king to do it, castling is gone.
New to all this? Start with how to play chess, then put the rules into practice in our strategy guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can you castle if your rook is attacked?
Yes. The rook may be attacked. What matters is that the king is not in check, does not cross an attacked square, and does not land on one, and that neither piece has moved.
Is en passant forced?
No. It is an option, and only on the very next move after the two-square pawn advance. If you do not use it right away, the chance is gone.
What is the difference between stalemate and checkmate?
In checkmate the king is in check with no escape, so the attacker wins. In stalemate the player to move has no legal move but the king is not in check, so the game is a draw.