Chess
strategyHow to play Chess
I play White against the computer, which plays Black. I tap or click one of my pieces to select it, and the legal destination squares light up with orange dots. I tap a highlighted square to move there. Pawns promote to a queen automatically when they reach the far rank.
The game enforces real chess rules, so I can only make moves that do not leave my own king in check. When my king is attacked the status line warns me about the check, and the game tells me when there is a checkmate or a stalemate. I press Restart at any time to set the pieces back up and start a fresh game.
About Chess
Chess traces back roughly 1,500 years to the Indian game chaturanga, which traveled through Persia and into Europe, where the modern moves settled around the 15th century, when the queen became the monster piece we know today. Sixty-four squares, sixteen pieces a side, and more possible games than there are atoms in the observable universe.
It remains the world's most studied game: opening theory runs thousands of books deep, engines are now far stronger than any human, and yet club-level chess is decided by simple things, hanging pieces, missed forks, weak kings. This browser version lets you play a clean casual game against the computer, no account, no clock pressure unless you want it.
Chess fundamentals that win games
- Fight for the center with pawns and pieces early. e4/d4 (or e5/d5 as Black) opens lines and gives your pieces room.
- Develop knights and bishops before moving the same piece twice, and castle early to tuck your king away.
- Before every move, ask what your opponent's last move threatens. Most amateur games are decided by unanswered threats.
- Look for forcing moves first: checks, captures and threats, in that order. They narrow the tree to something calculable.
- In the endgame, activate your king. It goes from liability to fighting piece the moment queens leave the board.
FAQ
What is the fastest way to get better at chess?
Play slower games, and after each one find the single move where things went wrong. Add basic tactics practice, forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks, and you will out-tactic most casual opponents long before you need opening theory.
What is castling and when can I do it?
Castling moves your king two squares toward a rook while the rook hops to the other side. It requires that neither piece has moved, the squares between are empty, and the king does not pass through or land on an attacked square.
What is en passant?
When a pawn advances two squares from its starting rank and lands beside an enemy pawn, that enemy pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square, but only on the very next move. It exists to stop pawns sneaking past each other.
What is the difference between checkmate and stalemate?
Checkmate means the king is attacked and has no legal escape, and the attacker wins. Stalemate means the player to move has no legal move but their king is not attacked, and the game is a draw. Watch for it when you are far ahead.
