By Noyon Rahman · Updated August 2026 · Reviewed for accuracy against the live game

About Chess

Chess is the world's most celebrated strategy game — a contest of pure intellect that has been played for over fifteen centuries and remains as captivating today as it was in the royal courts of ancient India, where its ancestor chaturanga was born. Two armies of sixteen pieces face off across a 64-square board, and victory goes to the player who traps the opponent's king. This version implements the complete rules of modern chess: castling, en passant, pawn promotion, check, checkmate, and stalemate, all rendered with crisp piece glyphs and smooth drag-free click movement.

How to Play Chess

White moves first. Click a piece to select it and see every legal destination highlighted, then click a highlighted square to move. Pawns advance one square (two from their starting rank) and capture diagonally; knights jump in their L-shape; bishops, rooks, and queens slide along their lines; the king steps one square in any direction. Special moves: castling moves the king two squares toward a rook when neither has moved and the path is clear; en passant lets a pawn capture an advancing enemy pawn that passes it; a pawn reaching the far rank promotes to queen, rook, bishop, or knight. Checkmate the enemy king to win, and watch for stalemate — if the side to move has no legal move and is not in check, the game is a draw.

Tips & Strategies

Control the center early — the four central squares are the launchpad for your whole army.
Develop knights and bishops before moving your queen; bringing the queen out too early lets it get chased.
Castle within the first ten moves to tuck your king to safety and connect your rooks.
Do not give pieces away for free — before every move, check what your opponent can capture in reply.
In the endgame, activate your king: with few pieces left, the king becomes a powerful attacking piece.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I castle in this game?

Move your king two squares toward a rook. The move is legal only if neither piece has moved before, the squares between them are empty, and the king does not pass through or land on a square attacked by the enemy.

What is en passant?

When an enemy pawn advances two squares and lands beside your pawn, you may capture it as if it had moved only one square — but only on the very next move. The move exists to stop pawns from bypassing each other entirely.

What is the difference between checkmate and stalemate?

Checkmate ends the game with a win for the attacker — the king is in check with no legal escape. Stalemate is a draw: the side to move is not in check but has no legal move at all. Beginners often accidentally stalemate a winning position, so always leave the enemy king a legal square.

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Chess