Chess

Welcome to the ultimate game of strategy! Chess is a two-player board game played on a checkered board with 64 squares. Each player begins with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. The main objective is to checkmate the opponent's king.

Checkmate occurs when the opponent's king is placed under an immediate attack (in "check") from which there is no legal move to escape. At the start of the game, one player controls the white pieces and the other controls the black pieces. White always moves first.

Each of the six different types of pieces moves differently. Pawns can only move forward, bishops move diagonally, rooks move horizontally or vertically, knights move in an 'L' shape, the queen can move in any straight direction, and the king moves one square in any direction. Understanding these movements is key to forming your strategy.

Don't worry if you're new! The best way to learn is by playing. Use this free online version to practice your moves, develop your opening strategy, and challenge the computer. Click on a piece to see its possible moves, and click on a destination square to move it. Good luck!