What are the basic rules of chess?

Move your pieces, capture your opponent’s, and protect your king. Checkmate your opponent to win.

How does the queen move in chess?

Any number of squares in any direction – straight or diagonal.

What is castling in chess?

A special move involving the king and rook, done to safeguard the king and activate the rook.

Can pawns move backwards?

No. Pawns only move forward, but capture diagonally.

When can you promote a pawn?

When it reaches the opposite end of the board, you can promote it to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight.

Can you win without capturing the king?

Technically, you never “capture” the king. You checkmate it.

Chess Game Rules → Beginner’s Guide to Pieces, Moves & Winning

How to Play Chess (Complete Beginner's Guide)

Chess is one of the most iconic strategy games in the world. Played on a 64-square board with two armies and six types of pieces, the goal is to checkmate your opponent’s king before they capture yours.

This guide from Playiro walks you through piece movement, special rules, beginner strategies, and openings so you can start playing with confidence.

What You Need

Players: 2
Board: 8×8 grid (alternating light and dark squares)
Pieces per side (16 total):
- 1 King
- 1 Queen
- 2 Rooks
- 2 Bishops
- 2 Knights
- 8 Pawns

Quick Tip: The bottom-right square should always be white when setting up the board.

Chess Piece Rules – How Each Piece Moves

Piece	Movement	Notes
Pawn	Moves forward 1 square (2 on first move), captures diagonally	Promotes to any piece upon reaching far rank
Rook	Moves straight horizontally or vertically, any distance	Great for board control
Knight	Moves in an L-shape: 2 in one direction + 1 at a right angle	Jumps over other pieces
Bishop	Moves diagonally, any distance	One stays on light squares, the other on dark
Queen	Moves any distance in all directions (diagonal, vertical, horizontal)	Combines rook + bishop power
King	Moves 1 square in any direction	Must stay out of check; central to the game

Basic Rules of Chess

Objective → Checkmate the opponent’s king.
Turns → White moves first. Players alternate moves.
Capturing → Replace an enemy piece by moving onto its square.
Check & Checkmate:
- Check → King is under attack. Must respond.
- Checkmate → King can’t escape. Game over.
- Stalemate → No legal moves but king not in check = draw.

Special Chess Rules

Castling

Move the king two squares toward a rook, then place that rook on the other side.
Conditions:
- Neither king nor rook has moved.
- No pieces in between.
- King not moving through or into check.

Pawn Promotion

A pawn reaching the last rank must be promoted to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight.
Most often → Queen.

En Passant

If an enemy pawn moves 2 squares forward and lands beside your pawn → capture it as if it moved 1 square.
Must be done immediately on the next move.

How to Win at Chess

Deliver checkmate.
Or win by resignation, timeout, or other rules: stalemate, threefold repetition, 50-move rule, etc.

Strategies for Beginners

Control the center early (especially with pawns & knights).
Develop pieces quickly (get bishops & knights out).
Castle early to protect your king.
Don’t bring your queen out too soon.
Avoid unnecessary pawn moves.

Chess Notation (Optional but Useful)

Columns = a–h, Rows = 1–8.
Example: “e4” = column e, row 4.

Notation is useful for recording games, learning openings, and studying strategy.

Chess Openings (Beginner-Friendly)

Italian Game → 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4
Sicilian Defense → 1.e4 c5
Queen’s Gambit → 1.d4 d5 2.c4
London System → 1.d4, 2.Nf3, 3.Bf4

Focus on:

Controlling the center.
Developing pieces quickly.
Castling early.
Learning just 1 opening for White and 1 for Black to practice.

Overview of the Chess Rules

Set up: 8×8 board, white square bottom-right
Each piece moves uniquely
Protect your king; checkmate ends the game
Capture by moving into opponent’s square
Special rules: castling, pawn promotion, en passant

Chess Game Rules