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How to play chess: a beginner's guide
Chess looks harder than it is. There are six kinds of piece, each with one way of moving, and one goal: trap the opposing king. This page gets you from an empty board to a finished game.
The goal of the game
Two players, White and Black, take turns moving one piece at a time. White always moves first. The aim is checkmate: attack the opponent's king so that it cannot escape. You do not capture the king; the game simply ends when it has no way out. If you want the full list of what is allowed, read the rules of chess afterwards.
Setting up the board
The board has 64 squares in eight rows and eight columns, alternating light and dark. Turn it so that each player has a light square at their right-hand corner. Each side has sixteen pieces: eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, one queen and one king.
- Pawns fill the second row in front of you.
- Rooks go in the corners, then knights next to them, then bishops.
- The queen goes on the square of her own colour (the white queen on a light square, the black queen on a dark one), and the king takes the last square beside her.
More about squares, names and notation is in the board and pieces guide.
How the pieces move
- King: one square in any direction. It can never move onto a square the enemy attacks.
- Queen: any number of squares in a straight line: along a row, a column or a diagonal. She is the strongest piece.
- Rook: any number of squares along a row or a column.
- Bishop: any number of squares along a diagonal. Each bishop stays on one colour of square for the whole game.
- Knight: an L-shape: two squares one way, then one square at a right angle. It is the only piece that jumps over others.
- Pawn: forward one square (or two squares from its starting row), but it captures one square diagonally forward. It never goes backwards.
Every piece except the pawn captures the way it moves: you land on the enemy piece's square and take it off the board. You cannot jump over pieces (except with the knight) and you cannot capture your own.
Check, checkmate and stalemate
When your king is attacked, it is in check, and you must get out of it on your very next move: move the king, block the attack, or capture the attacking piece. If none of these is possible, it is checkmate and you lose. If you have no legal move at all but your king is not in check, the game is a stalemate, which is a draw.
Special moves in one line each
- Castling: the king moves two squares toward a rook and the rook hops over it. It tucks the king away and wakes up a rook in one move.
- Promotion: a pawn that reaches the far row becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight, almost always a queen.
- En passant: a rare pawn capture, explained in the rules.
What the pieces are worth
Beginners count material to decide whether a trade is good. A common scale is pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5 and queen 9. The king is beyond value, since losing it ends the game. Giving up a rook (5) to win a knight (3) is usually a bad trade; giving a knight for a bishop is about even.
Your first ten moves
- Move a central pawn (e4 or d4) to claim space in the middle.
- Bring out your knights and bishops toward the centre.
- Castle early so your king is safe.
- Link your rooks and only then think about attacking.
- Before every move, ask: what is my opponent threatening now?
That last question wins more beginner games than any opening. Our openings guide and strategy guide pick up from here.
A first game
The quickest way to learn is to play. Play against a friend, or sit down opposite a stranger on a live voice call, which makes it easy to ask what a move meant. Do not worry about losing; everyone's first hundred games are mostly lessons.
Frequently asked questions
Who moves first in chess?
White always moves first, then the players alternate one move at a time.
How do you win at chess?
You win by checkmate: attacking the opponent's king so it has no legal way to escape. You also win if your opponent resigns, runs out of time, or (in a tournament) breaks the rules.
Which piece is the most valuable?
The queen is the strongest piece, worth about nine pawns. The king cannot be given a value, because losing it ends the game.